Myself and 9 other women on campus have come together to participate in RC's new pay-it-forward program, Real Hope. Rebekah,the fantastic woman who has been helping me make this idea happen, has started a blog for us. This blog explains our mission, and in the future it will be updated as we make progress. Currently the blog describes the concept of Real Hope, and allows for people to make donations to the cause.
Well, without further ado, here is the link: http://realhopeschooledition.blogspot.com
I hope you will follow us through this journey as we makeover a school library in the metro-Detroit area!
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010
too many colors
recently, i've been thinking a lot about commitment, priorities, and obligations. really, i've been thinking about overcommitment and over-obligation. college gets busy. time management becomes an essential survival skill. pretty soon you're wishing that you could clone yourself so that you could be in six places at once.
i completely understand this feeling. i've been there. well, really i'm still there, but not as much as i use to be. but, i realized that saying yes to more commitments wasn't doing anyone any favors. i had to learn to say no because my eggs were starting to turn out brown. (now you're thinking i'm crazy, but just hear me out). i was talking about this topic to someone recently. she affirmed my feelings and said, "if you dip your eggs in too many colors, they all turn out brown." that little idiom really resonated with me. not only does it express something that i don't want for my own life, but it explains how much of an impact people's priorities can have on a group, a relationship, or an effort.
i think that the time that we are living in encourages this over-obligated lifestyle. it is normal for people to take on more commitments than they really can handle. i think we all could use a reminder to slow down every once in a while and re-evaluate our priorities. after all, who wants their eggs to turn out brown?
i completely understand this feeling. i've been there. well, really i'm still there, but not as much as i use to be. but, i realized that saying yes to more commitments wasn't doing anyone any favors. i had to learn to say no because my eggs were starting to turn out brown. (now you're thinking i'm crazy, but just hear me out). i was talking about this topic to someone recently. she affirmed my feelings and said, "if you dip your eggs in too many colors, they all turn out brown." that little idiom really resonated with me. not only does it express something that i don't want for my own life, but it explains how much of an impact people's priorities can have on a group, a relationship, or an effort.
i think that the time that we are living in encourages this over-obligated lifestyle. it is normal for people to take on more commitments than they really can handle. i think we all could use a reminder to slow down every once in a while and re-evaluate our priorities. after all, who wants their eggs to turn out brown?
Friday, October 15, 2010
"birthweek"..the new and improved birthday
birthdays are important. it's the one day a year where people stop and celebrate you. i hope that everyone has people in their life that recognize them on their birthdays. it's a chance to reflect on the past year, and dream of the year to come. all that to say, i love birthdays.
last week was brenden's 20th birthday. i put a lot of planning into the week (yes, week) of celebrating him. i felt like one day out of 365 wasn't enough...he needed to be honored for a week. so, we had brenden's birthweek instead of brenden's birthday. he got one present each day for five days. i even started a tradition for his birthday present. every year, one of his birthday presents will be a new pair of moccasins. he wears them almost every day. after a year, he desperately needs a new pair.
my favorite part of brenden's birthweek wasn't the presents, it was the time we spent together with some of his favorite people. the night before his birthday, i had a surprise party for him at applebee's with about 15 of his friends and family. he had no idea. as we were walking in, he turned to me and said, "now don't tell anyone it's my birthday." i just smiled and replied, "okay, i won't." he was completely surprised when we walked in to find a table full of the people that mean so much to him. a couple minutes later he looked at me and said, "did you do this?" i think he was still a little shocked at how the whole thing was pulled off without him knowing. that made the whole thing worth the stress that happened just hours before his party when he told me he couldn't go to applebee's until an hour later than we had planned because he had praise team practice.
that wasn't the end of things. on his actual birthday, brenden's best friend, caleb, and his girlfriend, kelsey, came to rochester to spend the night with us. he had no idea they were coming. i had a great time getting to know the two of them, but the best part was seeing brenden and caleb pick up right where they left off. those are the best kind of friendships- the ones where no matter how long it's been, you can pick up right where you left off, as if no time has passed.
i was so happy with how everything turned out. but now, how am i going to top that next year when he turns 21?
last week was brenden's 20th birthday. i put a lot of planning into the week (yes, week) of celebrating him. i felt like one day out of 365 wasn't enough...he needed to be honored for a week. so, we had brenden's birthweek instead of brenden's birthday. he got one present each day for five days. i even started a tradition for his birthday present. every year, one of his birthday presents will be a new pair of moccasins. he wears them almost every day. after a year, he desperately needs a new pair.
my favorite part of brenden's birthweek wasn't the presents, it was the time we spent together with some of his favorite people. the night before his birthday, i had a surprise party for him at applebee's with about 15 of his friends and family. he had no idea. as we were walking in, he turned to me and said, "now don't tell anyone it's my birthday." i just smiled and replied, "okay, i won't." he was completely surprised when we walked in to find a table full of the people that mean so much to him. a couple minutes later he looked at me and said, "did you do this?" i think he was still a little shocked at how the whole thing was pulled off without him knowing. that made the whole thing worth the stress that happened just hours before his party when he told me he couldn't go to applebee's until an hour later than we had planned because he had praise team practice.
that wasn't the end of things. on his actual birthday, brenden's best friend, caleb, and his girlfriend, kelsey, came to rochester to spend the night with us. he had no idea they were coming. i had a great time getting to know the two of them, but the best part was seeing brenden and caleb pick up right where they left off. those are the best kind of friendships- the ones where no matter how long it's been, you can pick up right where you left off, as if no time has passed.
i was so happy with how everything turned out. but now, how am i going to top that next year when he turns 21?
Monday, September 27, 2010
blessings.
last night i was complaining about not wanting to carry my basketful of laundry up three flights of stairs after washing it all at brenden's house.
brenden stopped me and said, "look down. what you are carrying?"
"clothes," i said.
"not just clothes, clean clothes, that you got to wash for free," he added.
that really made me think. how blessed am i that i complain about things that some people only dream about being able to do? instead of being bothered by having to get my oil changed, i should be thankful that i have a reliable car. when i complain that there is nothing that looks appealing in the cafeteria, i should think about how lucky i am to never have to wonder when or where i will get my next meal. rather than getting impatient when i have to wait a couple of minutes for my shower to get hot, i should realize what a blessing it is to have a place to take a hot shower every day.
sometimes i just need an attitude adjustment. i need to step back and take a different perspective on my life. and sometimes, i need someone to remind me of that. thank you, brenden.
brenden stopped me and said, "look down. what you are carrying?"
"clothes," i said.
"not just clothes, clean clothes, that you got to wash for free," he added.
that really made me think. how blessed am i that i complain about things that some people only dream about being able to do? instead of being bothered by having to get my oil changed, i should be thankful that i have a reliable car. when i complain that there is nothing that looks appealing in the cafeteria, i should think about how lucky i am to never have to wonder when or where i will get my next meal. rather than getting impatient when i have to wait a couple of minutes for my shower to get hot, i should realize what a blessing it is to have a place to take a hot shower every day.
sometimes i just need an attitude adjustment. i need to step back and take a different perspective on my life. and sometimes, i need someone to remind me of that. thank you, brenden.
Monday, September 20, 2010
My Mom
This weekend, my mom drove the long trip around the lake to come and spend a couple of days with me. I am so thankful for the mom that I have. I often take her for granted, but this weekend it really hit me just how lucky I am. We had a great weekend, but it went by way too fast. She just left to go back home, and I am already trying to figure out when I can see her again. Here are the top five reasons I love my mom:
5) She is an awesome decorator and hair stylist.
4) She loves girly things and passed that on to me!
3) She has always been here when I needed her- even when she could have said, "I told you so."
2) She always puts others first.
1) She loves me with her whole heart; she always has and she always will.
5) She is an awesome decorator and hair stylist.
4) She loves girly things and passed that on to me!
3) She has always been here when I needed her- even when she could have said, "I told you so."
2) She always puts others first.
1) She loves me with her whole heart; she always has and she always will.
I love you, Mom. Thank you for being the Mom that you are.
Monday, September 13, 2010
traditions i love
so, tonight is the 20th annual date auction for ΣΦΔΝ. this got me thinking about traditions and how much i love them. here is a list of some of my favorite traditions:
1) eating vanilla wafers with decorating frosting on christmas eve.
2) ΣΦΔΝ pledge week..i can't tell you details, but there is so much tradition involved in this week.
3) going to visit my nana every summer in kentucky.
4) going underwear shopping with the girls every valentine's day.
5) watching christmas vacation with my family every christmas.
6) going to the cider mill every fall to get cider and donuts- this is a new one for me since i came to rochester, but it's one of my favorites.
7) the birthday present tradition i am going to start for brenden's birthday next month (i can't tell you what it is, because he might read this)
8) going out to TGIFridays with the girls when it's been a really long time since we've all seen each other.
9) candle-lighting ceremony at RC at the beginning of every school year.
10) midnight breakfast during finals week.
the best part about some of these traditions, is that i don't know how they got started. i can't wait to have traditions with my own family one day.
1) eating vanilla wafers with decorating frosting on christmas eve.
2) ΣΦΔΝ pledge week..i can't tell you details, but there is so much tradition involved in this week.
3) going to visit my nana every summer in kentucky.
4) going underwear shopping with the girls every valentine's day.
5) watching christmas vacation with my family every christmas.
6) going to the cider mill every fall to get cider and donuts- this is a new one for me since i came to rochester, but it's one of my favorites.
7) the birthday present tradition i am going to start for brenden's birthday next month (i can't tell you what it is, because he might read this)
8) going out to TGIFridays with the girls when it's been a really long time since we've all seen each other.
9) candle-lighting ceremony at RC at the beginning of every school year.
10) midnight breakfast during finals week.
the best part about some of these traditions, is that i don't know how they got started. i can't wait to have traditions with my own family one day.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Sew Relaxing
This weekend, Brenden and I went to Nana's house for a nice long weekend. We had a very relaxing time and enjoyed each other's company. It's nice to get away from campus every now and then and just relax and visit with family. The long car rides are always full of the best kind of conversation; it's a wonderful opportunity to get to know one another more deeply.
In addition to relaxing, there was a lot of sewing done this weekend. I made 2 aprons for birthday gifts and 3 aprons for prizes to give away at Ava's baby shower. With all of the detail in these aprons, it took me longer than I had anticipated, but I was very happy with how they turned out. Nana was a big help to me because she did all of the pressing and sewing machine troubleshooting. And Brenden trimmed all of the loose threads while he watched movies. So thanks to the two of them, I ended up finishing all of them in two days. Here are the results of all of the hard work! (The fifth apron looks the same as the red one I made for Ava, so that's why there are only four pictures)
In addition to relaxing, there was a lot of sewing done this weekend. I made 2 aprons for birthday gifts and 3 aprons for prizes to give away at Ava's baby shower. With all of the detail in these aprons, it took me longer than I had anticipated, but I was very happy with how they turned out. Nana was a big help to me because she did all of the pressing and sewing machine troubleshooting. And Brenden trimmed all of the loose threads while he watched movies. So thanks to the two of them, I ended up finishing all of them in two days. Here are the results of all of the hard work! (The fifth apron looks the same as the red one I made for Ava, so that's why there are only four pictures)
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