1. Peppermint Mocha Coffeemate... I am in love. I find myself wanting a cup of coffee at least 4 times a day just so I can test that delicious goodness.
2. It feels like early summer outside. I am in love again.
3. My mom makes a killer blue-berry cobbler. I can make a good one, but she trumps me on this dessert. [Side note: Blueberries are awesome.]
4. My blood pressure rises to near-heart-attack levels when I know that someone, a loved one, has deliberately made a wrong choice. I know how this person was raised what they was taught, because I was right there with the person. So why go in the completely wrong direction?
5. College football irritates me (actually college sports in general). Let the little boys to play their childish games. Time to be grow up and watch real men in action.
6. Speaking of football, I really miss watching NFL (especially the Steelers) with Fred at his place. I miss making taco-rings, Fred's nachos, Brian and Brent and their reactions and comments, even the NFL theme song.
7. It makes me sick to hear of people getting out of church due to a harsh comment, selfish reactions, racism, or "This is the way we've always done it, no changes." mentalities. Those who stop going to church because of the above, I can't necessarily say "Shame on you" because it's pathetic to be surrounded by Christians that are supposed to embody Christ, His ways, His love... but instead, these "made in the image of Christ" Christians act like selfish, stubborn, judging hypocrites. It's a huge turnoff, especially to someone longing for a relationship with Christ or those that have no clue about anything. Sad...
8. Cali, our... or my cat, is the coolest cat I've ever had. She is annoying, loud, obnoxious. But she acts so much like a dog! She greets me at the car when I drive up, jumps in my lap, and follows me around... like a dog.
9. There is this weird sensation when I cross the Florida line. It is like freedom + vacation + complete escape + adventure all mixed together. I think Fred has a lot to do with it, but I love the feeling.
10. Flipflops, jeans, sunroof and windows wide open, music blaring, sunglasses in my hair to make sure I can see while driving, the rush of wind, the feeling of moving fast, feeling beat of the music from my ghetto-bass, singing at the top of my lungs by myself.... Priceless.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Oh Me. Oh My.
Work. Yeah...
I was dreading going to work today, to be honest with you. I was told by Matt (aka my trainer) on Saturday that I was basically going to be running the show from now on. "I am only here to answer your questions." Um, this was semi-uncomfortable to hear. But alas, my alarm went off at 3:57 am on Wednesday morning, and it was time to roll out of bed and head to work.
Matt and I pulled up at the same time (5:40am) which was good because I thought I was slacking on time management skills. The day started off just fine. We were actually ahead of schedule with all of the reports, buoy checks, etc and blah-blah stuff. There were a couple of painful moments due to my inability to read... staring at a computer screen sucks fyi.
Matt informed me that a service visit on buoy # 42019 (Side Note: I feel like such a nerd, but the paycheck helps ease my conscience.) to repair a bunch of components. I was going to be the one talking to the guy out in the field, copying down data, checking its accuracy, giving him two thumbs up, and repeating the process twice more. The call finally came about 3:30pm, and the schedule and assigned tasks for the day slowly went to pot.
Things were bad until I was told to ask the guy about a certain component (solar radiation current junk). I did not remember to ask after the guy kept rambling on about dolphins jumping around near him.... yeah. I was completely distracted, was trying to sound intelligent, comprehend what the man was telling me all while reasoning out the accuracy of his measurements compared to the buoy's measurements. I proceed to get off of the phone. I hear one of my co-workers ask about the specific component. I feel guilt. I tell the guy, "John, I didn't get the chance to ask him about it." Matt covers my back, "Yeah, he was going on and on about dolphins." The rest of the afternoon was filled with the guys trying to get a hold of the field technician before he and his crew left the buoy and headed back to Galveston.... before this guy is LIVID and the blame shifts to the DAC (aka us).
In the meantime, nothing has been quality controlled. It's like after 6pm and time to go home. Other things haven't been updated. Summary emails have not been sent out. Matt is scrambling to handle the field service situation. I am helpless... because I don't have the right to access a program that is necessary to complete the tasks. Matt finally tells me that I can leave around 6:30pm. I make a stop by Walmart for some much needed coffee mate, and finally pull back up to the apartment after 7pm.
There was just enough time to eat, type this, get ready for bed, read over some junk for tomorrow, go to sleep, and get up and do it again.
Um, and why was I about to go out of my mind when I was bored at home. Oh, the freedom... where hast thou gone? Come hither!
I was dreading going to work today, to be honest with you. I was told by Matt (aka my trainer) on Saturday that I was basically going to be running the show from now on. "I am only here to answer your questions." Um, this was semi-uncomfortable to hear. But alas, my alarm went off at 3:57 am on Wednesday morning, and it was time to roll out of bed and head to work.
Matt and I pulled up at the same time (5:40am) which was good because I thought I was slacking on time management skills. The day started off just fine. We were actually ahead of schedule with all of the reports, buoy checks, etc and blah-blah stuff. There were a couple of painful moments due to my inability to read... staring at a computer screen sucks fyi.
Matt informed me that a service visit on buoy # 42019 (Side Note: I feel like such a nerd, but the paycheck helps ease my conscience.) to repair a bunch of components. I was going to be the one talking to the guy out in the field, copying down data, checking its accuracy, giving him two thumbs up, and repeating the process twice more. The call finally came about 3:30pm, and the schedule and assigned tasks for the day slowly went to pot.
Things were bad until I was told to ask the guy about a certain component (solar radiation current junk). I did not remember to ask after the guy kept rambling on about dolphins jumping around near him.... yeah. I was completely distracted, was trying to sound intelligent, comprehend what the man was telling me all while reasoning out the accuracy of his measurements compared to the buoy's measurements. I proceed to get off of the phone. I hear one of my co-workers ask about the specific component. I feel guilt. I tell the guy, "John, I didn't get the chance to ask him about it." Matt covers my back, "Yeah, he was going on and on about dolphins." The rest of the afternoon was filled with the guys trying to get a hold of the field technician before he and his crew left the buoy and headed back to Galveston.... before this guy is LIVID and the blame shifts to the DAC (aka us).
In the meantime, nothing has been quality controlled. It's like after 6pm and time to go home. Other things haven't been updated. Summary emails have not been sent out. Matt is scrambling to handle the field service situation. I am helpless... because I don't have the right to access a program that is necessary to complete the tasks. Matt finally tells me that I can leave around 6:30pm. I make a stop by Walmart for some much needed coffee mate, and finally pull back up to the apartment after 7pm.
There was just enough time to eat, type this, get ready for bed, read over some junk for tomorrow, go to sleep, and get up and do it again.
Um, and why was I about to go out of my mind when I was bored at home. Oh, the freedom... where hast thou gone? Come hither!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Day Two
Day Two.... The day started at 7:45am, the time that I had to be there in order to see the daily briefing. (Briefing?? Yeah.... you heard me. Yucky, nasty, nappy time allotted to poor, unfortunate souls that are forced into public speaking at a means of income. Yeah. My day will come shortly when I have to organize the briefing, consisting of 3 speakers, and then brief myself. Joy to the world.)
Anyway, back to day two. I sat down in the briefing room. The briefing begins, but wait! I had to be introduced as the new girl in front of 20-30ish people. And part of my introduction was, "Jaclyn worked at CHILI while she was at South Alabama, where she did quality control work." And I think to myself, "Um... I don't remember doing that, but hey! Whatever." I listen to the briefing and realize that it's not that bad (compared to 20+ Blackwell briefings/questions).
After that was over, I teamed up with a fellow co-worker, Dan. Dan is a nice guy, married, looks a little dorky. The more I listened to him talk, his word choices, and his mannerisms... He is pretty much a dork (I don't mean that in a demeaning way. I'm just stating the obvious.). But he showed me some of this day-shift routine, that is until I got him behind on his work. It was at that point that I was transferred back to Bob for the rest of the day. We went over more technical stuff, with jokes heavily inter-twined throughout the conversation. He finally ran out of things to tell me and began telling me how he got into weather. Oddly enough, I heard a story about how lazy he was as a kid in high school, how he refused to do a book report until the last minute, made a D-, next book report due soon... so the man (boy at the time) made up a book, wrote a report on it, and improved his grade to a B. Realizing how well it worked, he continued to write "book" reports on novels he made up in his head. Hilarious! He had the whole office involved and laughing.
I left at 4:30pm. I will return at 6am, won't leave until 6pm... lah-ong day. Boo! This means that I will be going to bed around 8ish (8???) and waking up around 4am. Gross. Yay, job..............
Anyway, back to day two. I sat down in the briefing room. The briefing begins, but wait! I had to be introduced as the new girl in front of 20-30ish people. And part of my introduction was, "Jaclyn worked at CHILI while she was at South Alabama, where she did quality control work." And I think to myself, "Um... I don't remember doing that, but hey! Whatever." I listen to the briefing and realize that it's not that bad (compared to 20+ Blackwell briefings/questions).
After that was over, I teamed up with a fellow co-worker, Dan. Dan is a nice guy, married, looks a little dorky. The more I listened to him talk, his word choices, and his mannerisms... He is pretty much a dork (I don't mean that in a demeaning way. I'm just stating the obvious.). But he showed me some of this day-shift routine, that is until I got him behind on his work. It was at that point that I was transferred back to Bob for the rest of the day. We went over more technical stuff, with jokes heavily inter-twined throughout the conversation. He finally ran out of things to tell me and began telling me how he got into weather. Oddly enough, I heard a story about how lazy he was as a kid in high school, how he refused to do a book report until the last minute, made a D-, next book report due soon... so the man (boy at the time) made up a book, wrote a report on it, and improved his grade to a B. Realizing how well it worked, he continued to write "book" reports on novels he made up in his head. Hilarious! He had the whole office involved and laughing.
I left at 4:30pm. I will return at 6am, won't leave until 6pm... lah-ong day. Boo! This means that I will be going to bed around 8ish (8???) and waking up around 4am. Gross. Yay, job..............
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
First Day
First day of work. "Hello, real world." Work was not bad today. First, sign papers. Then it was full of listening to Bob Weir... this guy that's been at the office for nearly 20 years, retired Navy guy, hillarious, loves to crack jokes ranging from blatently obvious to sarcastic, awesome guy, reminds me of a cool grandpa. Next, lunch at the caferteria... fajita wrap, good. Then back to Bob, on to talk to boss number 2 Dick Thayer, back to Bob, tour of Stennis via fellow co-worker Ryan, back to Bob, released at 2:30pm.
Schedule for the rest of the week:
Tomorrow (Wed): 8-4:30
Thursday: 6am-6:30pm
Friday: 6am-6:30pm
Saturday: 12:15am-6:45pm
~ Off until Wednesday
Wednesday: 6am-6:30pm
Thursday: 6am-6:30pm
Friday: 6am-6:30pm
Saturday: 12:15
.... then night shifts. Ugh.
Schedule for the rest of the week:
Tomorrow (Wed): 8-4:30
Thursday: 6am-6:30pm
Friday: 6am-6:30pm
Saturday: 12:15am-6:45pm
~ Off until Wednesday
Wednesday: 6am-6:30pm
Thursday: 6am-6:30pm
Friday: 6am-6:30pm
Saturday: 12:15
.... then night shifts. Ugh.
The Barn
The entrance door (above)
The pictures above are of the apartment.... within the barn/workshop. The pictures below are the rest of the barn. A pretty cool hangout, I might say.
And even a washer and dryer! Yeahya.
Packing
The move to Picayune... my car was pah-hacked, as you can see below. Cali's curiosity could have easily led to her kidnapping, but I don't think my new landlords would have liked that...
Nothing else was going in that trunk!
Nothing else was going in that trunk!Monday, October 11, 2010
New Place
I took plenty of picture minutes ago, but my card reader will not work! (Pictures will come as soon as I can get them uploaded.)
The Haselmaiers, just like I expected, were waiting on me to pull up and help me unload my PILE of stuff. Mrs. Haselmaier (who refuses to let me call her that... Janet is sufficient. weird... I just feel like I'm a disrespectful child not calling her 'Mrs.') held open the door as Haynz and I brought everything in. Janet felt the need to show and tell me about the whole 9 yards again. They then proceeded to invite me to dinner nearly 45 minutes later, giving me just enough time to put my things away. Pork chops, fresh black-eyed peas, and jalapeno cornbread with cantelope for dessert was dinner. Oh man, was it good. We talked all through dinner... Janet filled me in on allll of her family and his, where they live, what they do. Both families are rooted at Stennis Space Center... wow. After dinner, Haynz brought me outside to see his newest addition to the dog's pen (He boarded up one side of it to protect his 4-wheeler and will eventually put firewood against the wall.). We talked about the two labs are they wagged their tails, jumped up and down, and just acted like pups. Haynz even walked out the door barefooted. Hello, smart, intelligent, highly specialized, but sooo down to earth, relaxed, country people.
I quite honestly love it. Do I really want to move into another apartment? Hmm.
_______________________________
Job Update: Start at 8am. Prayers needed!
The Haselmaiers, just like I expected, were waiting on me to pull up and help me unload my PILE of stuff. Mrs. Haselmaier (who refuses to let me call her that... Janet is sufficient. weird... I just feel like I'm a disrespectful child not calling her 'Mrs.') held open the door as Haynz and I brought everything in. Janet felt the need to show and tell me about the whole 9 yards again. They then proceeded to invite me to dinner nearly 45 minutes later, giving me just enough time to put my things away. Pork chops, fresh black-eyed peas, and jalapeno cornbread with cantelope for dessert was dinner. Oh man, was it good. We talked all through dinner... Janet filled me in on allll of her family and his, where they live, what they do. Both families are rooted at Stennis Space Center... wow. After dinner, Haynz brought me outside to see his newest addition to the dog's pen (He boarded up one side of it to protect his 4-wheeler and will eventually put firewood against the wall.). We talked about the two labs are they wagged their tails, jumped up and down, and just acted like pups. Haynz even walked out the door barefooted. Hello, smart, intelligent, highly specialized, but sooo down to earth, relaxed, country people.
I quite honestly love it. Do I really want to move into another apartment? Hmm.
_______________________________
Job Update: Start at 8am. Prayers needed!
Questions
Do I really have to go today? I mean, can I stay home for a while longer and remain responsibility free? Just a little while longer?
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Two Nouns
Conflict (noun): 1. Prolonged fighting. 2. Disharmony between incompatible or antithetical persons, ideas, or interest. 3. To be in opposition; to differ.
Drama (noun): 1. A situation that involves conflict or suspence that leads to a climax
I cannot get away from the two nouns above. Things just will not give in. Something happens that trickles down to numerous people. These people react or refuse to react. The problem grows much like a snow ball rolling down a goliath mountain until it "BOOM" hits a wall, smashes to peices, the sun... or should I say Son... comes out, and the massive pile of snows melts. Now either the water either disappears into the soil or evaporates into the air to potentially produce snow again sometime in the future. But whatever the choice is, the surrounding environment will be affected by it.
I am not a huge fan of snow. Hmm, wonder if this is why...
Drama (noun): 1. A situation that involves conflict or suspence that leads to a climax
______________________________________________
I cannot get away from the two nouns above. Things just will not give in. Something happens that trickles down to numerous people. These people react or refuse to react. The problem grows much like a snow ball rolling down a goliath mountain until it "BOOM" hits a wall, smashes to peices, the sun... or should I say Son... comes out, and the massive pile of snows melts. Now either the water either disappears into the soil or evaporates into the air to potentially produce snow again sometime in the future. But whatever the choice is, the surrounding environment will be affected by it.
I am not a huge fan of snow. Hmm, wonder if this is why...
Saturday, October 9, 2010
___ Hot
Fill in the Black:
1. I just ate ___ Hot again.
2. Now I do not feel ___ hot.
Answers: (1) Rice (2) so
I have been taking full advantage of being nearly minutes from premier Chinese (or should I say Hong Kong) cuisine. I will not display the number of times that I have eaten there in the past two weeks, but it really is not necessary information anyway. I finally think my body is telling me, "Ok, Jaclyn. I think you have had enough. Time to slack off a wee bit." Hmm, I concur.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Got a Feeling: Update
Plans dashed, just as I expected they would be. Some boy and his family has the stomach virus this week (Hope you guys get well soon!). Tis probably for the best, for me that is. The trip will be post-poned for a later date and time. (Boo.)
Seriously?
So due to a sudden change in living arrangements, I will be residing at the Hazlemire's residence. I'll be sleeping, cooking, washing clothes in a barn... a barn/workshop.
Do NOT laugh. (... ok, fine. I find it somewhat funny too. You can laugh but only a little. I better not hear you. Comprendes?)
But the property... gorgeous!!! It's located just east of I59, nearly 1.5 miles from the interstate. So it will be super close commute to Stennis. And it's quiet, wide open fields, 3 ponds that I can fish in, a 4-wheeler if I would like, plenty of places to run, 2 labs (!!!!!!) that I can play with whenever [the dogs: Rommel, and older black lab that is smah-art; Buster, just over a year old lab, stout, adorable face, energetic aka the trouble-maker].
Mr. Haynz is super nice and highly specialized/intellegent (makes me want to keep my mouth shut... I'm slightly intimedated) and a deacon in the church. His wife, Mrs. Janet seems really nice too, but I didn't get the chance to meet her today. Mr. Haynz advised me not to be hermit, come to the house whenever I please, sit on the porch, come over and watch the tv/games, eat with them (He actually told me to expect a call from his wife for dinner.), and inform them when I'll be leaving for the weekend/days so they don't freak out when I'm not there. And he informed me that I'll be meeting (a) the neighbors, (b) his son and family, (c) his daughter and family, (d) the First Baptist Church members. I basically landed a brand new family. The house of theirs is beautiful and so neatly laid out... and I can come over whenever.
The apartment is fully furnished: bed, towels, pots, pans, tv, alarm clock, coffee maker, microwave... you get it, the works. And the rest of the barn is basically a place for people to hang out: couches, chairs, wood heater. He told us that quite a few youth groups and power people have stayed there in the past. Rent is basically 13 bucks a day, and I will pay the power bill for the time I spent there.
God has blessed. I am very much pleased. But I will admit, I like to be left alone until I get comfortable with the environment. This will not be the case. I feel that I will be in contact with these people daily... which isn't bad. It will definitely push me out of my comfort zone, but then again this WHOLE ENTIRE experience is going to blow down my comfort zone walls much like a F5 tornado would destroy a mobile home. Oh boy. Here we go....
Do NOT laugh. (... ok, fine. I find it somewhat funny too. You can laugh but only a little. I better not hear you. Comprendes?)
But the property... gorgeous!!! It's located just east of I59, nearly 1.5 miles from the interstate. So it will be super close commute to Stennis. And it's quiet, wide open fields, 3 ponds that I can fish in, a 4-wheeler if I would like, plenty of places to run, 2 labs (!!!!!!) that I can play with whenever [the dogs: Rommel, and older black lab that is smah-art; Buster, just over a year old lab, stout, adorable face, energetic aka the trouble-maker].
Mr. Haynz is super nice and highly specialized/intellegent (makes me want to keep my mouth shut... I'm slightly intimedated) and a deacon in the church. His wife, Mrs. Janet seems really nice too, but I didn't get the chance to meet her today. Mr. Haynz advised me not to be hermit, come to the house whenever I please, sit on the porch, come over and watch the tv/games, eat with them (He actually told me to expect a call from his wife for dinner.), and inform them when I'll be leaving for the weekend/days so they don't freak out when I'm not there. And he informed me that I'll be meeting (a) the neighbors, (b) his son and family, (c) his daughter and family, (d) the First Baptist Church members. I basically landed a brand new family. The house of theirs is beautiful and so neatly laid out... and I can come over whenever.
The apartment is fully furnished: bed, towels, pots, pans, tv, alarm clock, coffee maker, microwave... you get it, the works. And the rest of the barn is basically a place for people to hang out: couches, chairs, wood heater. He told us that quite a few youth groups and power people have stayed there in the past. Rent is basically 13 bucks a day, and I will pay the power bill for the time I spent there.
God has blessed. I am very much pleased. But I will admit, I like to be left alone until I get comfortable with the environment. This will not be the case. I feel that I will be in contact with these people daily... which isn't bad. It will definitely push me out of my comfort zone, but then again this WHOLE ENTIRE experience is going to blow down my comfort zone walls much like a F5 tornado would destroy a mobile home. Oh boy. Here we go....
Relocation
This will be short and sweet... I hope.
Tuesday: Ship out from the house at 6am. Meet/pick up father. At Stennis at 9:15am. Meet boss at 9:30am. Finger printed at 10am. Apartment hunting right after... Explore Picayune (um, it's ok). Find Arbor Gate Apts (after 45 min of searching)... nice, ritzy-ish, prigh-say, no thanks. Meet Ann Musgrove. She shows us 3 apartments. I like! We leave. Boss calls. Back to Stennis. Hand over papers. Leave. Stop at Woodstock furniture. Home at 8pm. Worn out.
Wednesday: Boring start to day. Drama. Meet Jessica in Meridian and purchase kitchen-type stuff.
Thursday: Slow start. DeKalb. Call Mrs. Ann back to confirm an apartment. Rice Hot. Receive a call... "Oh, you make too much too much money to stay my apartment." Panic! Receive call... "I can't do anything to approve you for the apartment. Let me call so&so. Nope, theirs are full. Hmm, let me look." Dad calls another guy. He's looking. Dad calls Ann back to understand the problem. She does have one apartment but won't be ready until end of month. Dad receives call from guy... "There's a guy I know that has an apartment in his barn/workshop that he's willing to put your daughter in for the time being." Hallelujah and whatever at the same time. I'm tired of hoping for anything and just ask that I have a bed, a shower, washer/dryer.
Friday: Back to Picayune with my mother about 8:15am. Receive call... "Jaclyn, this is Johny Hays. Are you ready to stop goofing around? Be at my office at 8am Tuesday morning." Make it there by 10:45am (oops. heavy foot??) Meet Mr. Haynz Hazlemire (he/his wife works at Stennis as well). He is so down-to-earth, Alabama fan (.....), proceeds to shows us completely around the place. Leave nearly 1.5 hours later. Drive to the apartment that I'll be in. Drive to the apartment that I wanted to be in. Northbound on I59. Nearly 5 miles from merging into I20 at Meridian... traffic comes to complete stop. An hour later, finally running 60+ mph. (Geez) Home by 6pm. Ugh.
Tuesday: Ship out from the house at 6am. Meet/pick up father. At Stennis at 9:15am. Meet boss at 9:30am. Finger printed at 10am. Apartment hunting right after... Explore Picayune (um, it's ok). Find Arbor Gate Apts (after 45 min of searching)... nice, ritzy-ish, prigh-say, no thanks. Meet Ann Musgrove. She shows us 3 apartments. I like! We leave. Boss calls. Back to Stennis. Hand over papers. Leave. Stop at Woodstock furniture. Home at 8pm. Worn out.
Wednesday: Boring start to day. Drama. Meet Jessica in Meridian and purchase kitchen-type stuff.
Thursday: Slow start. DeKalb. Call Mrs. Ann back to confirm an apartment. Rice Hot. Receive a call... "Oh, you make too much too much money to stay my apartment." Panic! Receive call... "I can't do anything to approve you for the apartment. Let me call so&so. Nope, theirs are full. Hmm, let me look." Dad calls another guy. He's looking. Dad calls Ann back to understand the problem. She does have one apartment but won't be ready until end of month. Dad receives call from guy... "There's a guy I know that has an apartment in his barn/workshop that he's willing to put your daughter in for the time being." Hallelujah and whatever at the same time. I'm tired of hoping for anything and just ask that I have a bed, a shower, washer/dryer.
Friday: Back to Picayune with my mother about 8:15am. Receive call... "Jaclyn, this is Johny Hays. Are you ready to stop goofing around? Be at my office at 8am Tuesday morning." Make it there by 10:45am (oops. heavy foot??) Meet Mr. Haynz Hazlemire (he/his wife works at Stennis as well). He is so down-to-earth, Alabama fan (.....), proceeds to shows us completely around the place. Leave nearly 1.5 hours later. Drive to the apartment that I'll be in. Drive to the apartment that I wanted to be in. Northbound on I59. Nearly 5 miles from merging into I20 at Meridian... traffic comes to complete stop. An hour later, finally running 60+ mph. (Geez) Home by 6pm. Ugh.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Win-Lose
Divorce sucks from many different aspects. But from a child's perspective, never did I sit down and sort through all of its complications. You soon realize that almost everything you do, especially the big things in life, becomes an issue on some front.
You can hardly ever please both parties... in fact, it's nearly impossible. And those times when it does happen, it has absolutely nothing to do with the child. It is based solely on the two parties' attitudes.
This go-around: Win-Lose. One party was involved more than the other, left feeling satisfied and comforted knowing where the child would be. The other party feels left out, bitter, and wants to see the place of residency completely apart from the prior party. Can that happen? Possibly. I honestly don't know the best route to take at the moment.
The main problem lies in the fact that communication between myself and these two parties is something that I struggle with. I don't know who is going to cry, raise voices, get up and leave the conversation because things are not going their way, say everything's okay and then allow selfish thoughts dictate the next few days' actions and attitudes. I almost want to give up. But at the same time, it breaks my heart to know that one parent is hurting because they feel as though they are being left out of one of the child's biggest steps forward in life.
Someone wins. Someone loses. I am just "a little girl in the middle."
Moral of the Story: Pray for your (future) spouse. Be willing to forgive and forget. Compromise. Work with each other unselfishly. Sacrifice. Love each other with the same love that Christ shows us. Realize the underlying meaning of marriage (the earthly depiction of the relationship of Christ and His followers). And do not break the commitment (aka the promise) that you made before God Himself. ....That way, divorce never becomes an option. There will never be an ongoing father-mother-child struggle.
You can hardly ever please both parties... in fact, it's nearly impossible. And those times when it does happen, it has absolutely nothing to do with the child. It is based solely on the two parties' attitudes.
This go-around: Win-Lose. One party was involved more than the other, left feeling satisfied and comforted knowing where the child would be. The other party feels left out, bitter, and wants to see the place of residency completely apart from the prior party. Can that happen? Possibly. I honestly don't know the best route to take at the moment.
The main problem lies in the fact that communication between myself and these two parties is something that I struggle with. I don't know who is going to cry, raise voices, get up and leave the conversation because things are not going their way, say everything's okay and then allow selfish thoughts dictate the next few days' actions and attitudes. I almost want to give up. But at the same time, it breaks my heart to know that one parent is hurting because they feel as though they are being left out of one of the child's biggest steps forward in life.
Someone wins. Someone loses. I am just "a little girl in the middle."
Moral of the Story: Pray for your (future) spouse. Be willing to forgive and forget. Compromise. Work with each other unselfishly. Sacrifice. Love each other with the same love that Christ shows us. Realize the underlying meaning of marriage (the earthly depiction of the relationship of Christ and His followers). And do not break the commitment (aka the promise) that you made before God Himself. ....That way, divorce never becomes an option. There will never be an ongoing father-mother-child struggle.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
I Pray...
I love my family tremendously, but I pray that my family is not like them.
Working with my husband, compromising, holding down tempers, no yelling, not reaching extremes (Now, I am a girl. I will admit that I can jump to extremes sometimes, although I can pretty much give someone fair & accurate warning for times like those. Hey, at least I'm honest.), being forgiving, being able to ask for forgiveness and admit when I am wrong, supportive and encouraging, being there physically and spiritually for my husband, and hopefully handle things like the adult that I am.... the kind of family life that I'm praying for.
There will be times when I mess up. There will be times when I let things get to me more than they should, times that I allow something to linger in my mind until the I reach the bitter point. I am not perfect, do not claim to be, and never will be. But those times will be few and far between.
My family will be a safe haven, a refuge, a place to desire to go to. My home will be full of love and centered on the One that created love. Hey, "The family that prays together stays together." Right? My family probably won't be normal, but then again... who is normal? What is normal? Normal = boring. But I pray that my family is different in the way we handle things because we choose to handle things in a Christ-like manner and act goofy/have fun/enjoy life all in between the rest.
I pray!
Working with my husband, compromising, holding down tempers, no yelling, not reaching extremes (Now, I am a girl. I will admit that I can jump to extremes sometimes, although I can pretty much give someone fair & accurate warning for times like those. Hey, at least I'm honest.), being forgiving, being able to ask for forgiveness and admit when I am wrong, supportive and encouraging, being there physically and spiritually for my husband, and hopefully handle things like the adult that I am.... the kind of family life that I'm praying for.
There will be times when I mess up. There will be times when I let things get to me more than they should, times that I allow something to linger in my mind until the I reach the bitter point. I am not perfect, do not claim to be, and never will be. But those times will be few and far between.
My family will be a safe haven, a refuge, a place to desire to go to. My home will be full of love and centered on the One that created love. Hey, "The family that prays together stays together." Right? My family probably won't be normal, but then again... who is normal? What is normal? Normal = boring. But I pray that my family is different in the way we handle things because we choose to handle things in a Christ-like manner and act goofy/have fun/enjoy life all in between the rest.
I pray!
Got a Feeling (woohoo)
I feel a trip coming on. I'm imagining lots of road time and a momentary escape from reality. Plans could be dashed, and I'm almost expecting it. But maybe not. Who knows. We'll see.
"Be Quiet!"
Sunday morning. At the computer. Coffee in hand. TV is on. Listening Charles Stanley.
Pray for a quiet spirit.
Ask God to help you keep your mouth shut, to listen, to think before you speak. Did Jesus ever raise His voice, correct an angry person while they were talking, lash out at the other person in rash words?
You can't be in conflict with someone and be at peace/happy/content at the same time. It doesn't work. Being angry at someone leaves you miserable.
It will protect from angry responses and becoming bitter and angry.
Humility always wins. When you are wrong and someone chews you out, simply ask "Do you have any other advice for me?" after they are done. (... woah)
[Epheshians 4:30-32]
So quiet down (sometimes MUCH easier said than done), think before you speak, forgive.
Pray for a quiet spirit.
Ask God to help you keep your mouth shut, to listen, to think before you speak. Did Jesus ever raise His voice, correct an angry person while they were talking, lash out at the other person in rash words?
You can't be in conflict with someone and be at peace/happy/content at the same time. It doesn't work. Being angry at someone leaves you miserable.
It will protect from angry responses and becoming bitter and angry.
Humility always wins. When you are wrong and someone chews you out, simply ask "Do you have any other advice for me?" after they are done. (... woah)
[Epheshians 4:30-32]
So quiet down (sometimes MUCH easier said than done), think before you speak, forgive.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
5k Day
Who knew that all of the day's events would be done by 1pm? That's kind of crazy, especially for a Saturday.
The day began early... 5:20 am early. I got up, ate cereal, and took a quick shower. Then Jan and I were cruising down the road to meet Heather and Will at their house. Why? Queen City Race for Life 5k!
Heather recruited us into running nearly 2 months ago. Both Jan and I have been diligent to follow her lead and run 3-4 times a week. The Northeast Complex, along with Bonita Lakes, made the running experience so much better. A change of scenery and the distraction of fellow runners made me want to and look forward to running. All of our hardwork paid off this morning. We stayed together (to make sure no one walked) the entire time, and finished in 31:20. Not too shabby for (a) Jan - her first 5k, (b) Heather - her first time to run a 5k without walking, and (c) me - a previous runner that dropped off from running.
I do believe that running with Heather and Jan at our familiar places is going to be something that I miss the most moving away from home again. It has truly been a blessing... but the three of us running in 5k's are not over. We shall meet again. (Hoping for November, granted I'm not working that day)
The day began early... 5:20 am early. I got up, ate cereal, and took a quick shower. Then Jan and I were cruising down the road to meet Heather and Will at their house. Why? Queen City Race for Life 5k!
Heather recruited us into running nearly 2 months ago. Both Jan and I have been diligent to follow her lead and run 3-4 times a week. The Northeast Complex, along with Bonita Lakes, made the running experience so much better. A change of scenery and the distraction of fellow runners made me want to and look forward to running. All of our hardwork paid off this morning. We stayed together (to make sure no one walked) the entire time, and finished in 31:20. Not too shabby for (a) Jan - her first 5k, (b) Heather - her first time to run a 5k without walking, and (c) me - a previous runner that dropped off from running.
I do believe that running with Heather and Jan at our familiar places is going to be something that I miss the most moving away from home again. It has truly been a blessing... but the three of us running in 5k's are not over. We shall meet again. (Hoping for November, granted I'm not working that day)
Friday, October 1, 2010
Gone to Pot
Nothing, absolutely nothing has gone anywhere near according to plan today. Did I mention nothing?
The plan: Go to Meridian first thing in the morning, get much needed face wash, talk to Fred, go to DeKalb to look up apartments, come home, prepare for 5K in the morning, leave straight from Meridian to go check out apartments with my father (and mother), ... see if I could squeeze in a trip to Panama City.
The outcome: Had to run to DeKalb first thing to fill out a security clearance form (only supposed to take 30 minutes... I needed to leave by 11 to get my face wash); nearly 2 hours later and signing my life story away, I leave for Meridian at 1:30 pm; call Fred since he called me earlier... he's busy; stop at Sonic to get a drink for Jessica; Fred calls back just in time for me to go in to see Jessica... no talking; drop off drink, run to Big Lots, go to a few other places, purchase 3 shirts for Jan, Walmart trip, debate on calling Fred back, decide to wait, gorgeous ride home, pull up, call Fred.... nothing; wash car, Fred calls, miss it; see missed call, call back, he's busy. "Hi, computer! At least you won't disappoint me (fingers crossed)."
Oh, did I not mention that my father refuses to go to Picayune tomorrow. - "I don't understand your logic, Jaclyn. How do you think you can run a 5k, change and no shower, and go look for apartments??"
- "Um, it's going to be in the upper 40's tomorrow morning. Am I seriously going to sweat that much? And do you realize the power of make-up and perfume?"
- "That's stupid. I have a guy looking for you a place. I'll call him tomorrow. We'll go Tuesday when you go get finger printed."
- "You said we were going tomorrow. Why can't we go?"
- "You will NOT listen to me. None of you will. One day you will realize.... blah blah blah. You're stupid... blah blah blah. Fine, I won't help you. You can go on your own. And do you expect to pay for anything?? Blah blah blah."
Yeah... can I get a typical anyone? (TYPICAL)
And on top of everything....
... side note: Everything meaning - new job, responsibilities, moving, new place, packing, leaving home, finding things for the apartment, finding an apartment!, getting power turned on, setting up bills, my emotions, stress, change.... end side note...
I am having to juggle everyone else's emotions: stress, jealously, tears, plans aka dictator's orders.
And I think to myself, "What a wonderful world." ... not. I am wondering if people realize that is my move, my new challenge, a new chapter in MY life (and their lives too. I do realize that.). But when will my feelings/plans be taken into consideration?
I kind of wish I could run away. Thank goodness for a blog, since it's the only thing I can vent to right now.
The plan: Go to Meridian first thing in the morning, get much needed face wash, talk to Fred, go to DeKalb to look up apartments, come home, prepare for 5K in the morning, leave straight from Meridian to go check out apartments with my father (and mother), ... see if I could squeeze in a trip to Panama City.
The outcome: Had to run to DeKalb first thing to fill out a security clearance form (only supposed to take 30 minutes... I needed to leave by 11 to get my face wash); nearly 2 hours later and signing my life story away, I leave for Meridian at 1:30 pm; call Fred since he called me earlier... he's busy; stop at Sonic to get a drink for Jessica; Fred calls back just in time for me to go in to see Jessica... no talking; drop off drink, run to Big Lots, go to a few other places, purchase 3 shirts for Jan, Walmart trip, debate on calling Fred back, decide to wait, gorgeous ride home, pull up, call Fred.... nothing; wash car, Fred calls, miss it; see missed call, call back, he's busy. "Hi, computer! At least you won't disappoint me (fingers crossed)."
Oh, did I not mention that my father refuses to go to Picayune tomorrow. - "I don't understand your logic, Jaclyn. How do you think you can run a 5k, change and no shower, and go look for apartments??"
- "Um, it's going to be in the upper 40's tomorrow morning. Am I seriously going to sweat that much? And do you realize the power of make-up and perfume?"
- "That's stupid. I have a guy looking for you a place. I'll call him tomorrow. We'll go Tuesday when you go get finger printed."
- "You said we were going tomorrow. Why can't we go?"
- "You will NOT listen to me. None of you will. One day you will realize.... blah blah blah. You're stupid... blah blah blah. Fine, I won't help you. You can go on your own. And do you expect to pay for anything?? Blah blah blah."
Yeah... can I get a typical anyone? (TYPICAL)
And on top of everything....
... side note: Everything meaning - new job, responsibilities, moving, new place, packing, leaving home, finding things for the apartment, finding an apartment!, getting power turned on, setting up bills, my emotions, stress, change.... end side note...
I am having to juggle everyone else's emotions: stress, jealously, tears, plans aka dictator's orders.
And I think to myself, "What a wonderful world." ... not. I am wondering if people realize that is my move, my new challenge, a new chapter in MY life (and their lives too. I do realize that.). But when will my feelings/plans be taken into consideration?
I kind of wish I could run away. Thank goodness for a blog, since it's the only thing I can vent to right now.
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