Ohio Fun!

I've had a lot of fun here in Ohio lately....from hiking in Clifton Gorge to having my family visit and catching up with an old friend it has been so nice! Here are some pictures:

Krystal is OBVIOUSLY a farm girl...

Gavin with his Grandma

Ben and I at Young's Dairy...what you can't see here is that we are sitting on a cow!

Farmer boy.

Petting a baby goat!

Look at this big kid!

Happy Boy!

Brittany and I hiking the gorge

Field of wildflowers in the gorge

It's really beautiful there!

I hope that this update finds everyone to be doing well and enjoying Spring!

out with the old, in with the new

Everything Changes.

It's true. The moment you think you've planned something life is 2 steps ahead of you and making different plans already. So what do you do? You role with the punches and ready yourself for whatever comes next!

Life had plans for me. Plans that unfolded in 3 short weeks. Let me fill you in:

I was in Cincinnati for the weekend with 2 of my college roommate's and a bunch of their family for a charity run supporting the American Heart Association. It was Saturday morning and all 14 of us were up and dressed and heading downtown to watch the Kids Fun Run and pick up our bib numbers for our race on Sunday morning. I had my coat on, shoes on, and was standing at the back door when I picked up my phone. It was a lady that worked in Human Resources for Hospice of Dayton. I had applied for a job the week before but, lets face it, I've been sort of applying for jobs for the past year so I wasn't really thinking I would hear anything. Life had other plans. I talk to the lady from Hospice of Dayton and answered a few questions that she had about my application. She then informed me that they were final round interviewing people for the position already but would like me to come in for an interview. She asks me when I'm available and I tell her sometime in the next week. Nope, that wasn't in the cards. "You don't want to wait that long" she says, "can you come in today?" I proceed to tell her that I am in Cincinnati for this run and don't have a suit or anything. "That's okay," she says. I make a phone call to my mother, ponder the situation, and decide that I'm much closer to Dayton in Cincinnati than I am in Celina so I should just go. I run inside to tell my roommate's and their family that I can't go with them and have to run to Dayton but will meet them back at the house in time for dinner. So off I went. I spent over 2 hours in the interviews and walked away thinking it was a great opportunity for me to put all of my passions together and hoped for the chance to work there. I also walked away with a second interview already scheduled. A few days later, I drove from Celina to Dayton for my 2nd interview and before I made it back home I received a phone call offering me the job. I couldn't believe the timing, or how quickly everything had happened, but I knew that life had a way of working things like this out. After piecing it all together and working through some details I accepted the position and decided that Hospice of Dayton was the next stop for me in my adventurous life. So, here I am, writing this from my new place that I moved into last weekend. It all happened so fast I still can't wrap my head around it!

Graduating from college and getting a job is any easy decision but leaving a good job to go to another job is a much tougher decision and a much bigger risk! But when it came down to it I knew that working in non-profit and health care while also continuing to work in HR was a blend of all that I am passionate about and a chance to use my professional skills to give back and help those in need. It feels good! The feedback from people that I have met already about the ways in which Hospice of Dayton has helped them or their family in a time of need is overwhelming and encouraging and it feels like a really good thing to be a part of. Most importantly, I feel more "me" than I've felt in a long time. Celina was good to me and I learned a lot at Federal Mogul but the truth is both places wore me down in ways I never would have thought. In Celina, meeting anyone my age was a challenge and there were days when I wouldn't see a single person if I didn't want to. After a few friends that I had made there moved away, I was left spending virtually all of my time alone. That gets old and tiring when you're a person that loves people like I do! And Federal Mogul wasn't exactly a positive and uplifting place with the company and auto industry in the state that it is. Plus, it seemed as if every time I thought things were going well there was another roadblock there to bring me crashing back down to reality. I became this person that complained constantly and lost this inherit ability to role with the punches with a smile on my face that I've always had. I was worn down and disheartened and in need of a change that could bring me back on track to becoming the person that I want to be. So, here I am! I feel refreshed and re-energized with a new sense of purpose. I get to go to work everyday very much in touch with over 500 patients that I am helping to serve. My responsibility is great in finding the right people to care for patients and their families, but my reward is greater in knowing that anyone who comes into our care is taken care of in the best possible ways.

Lately I find myself incredibly humbled with all of the changes going on around me. I am humbled by life and how quickly it changes plans for us and gets us to where we need to be. I'm never in the wrong place because life has me there for a reason and as long as I am willing to learn what it has to teach me I can never go wrong. I am humbled by the help that I had in getting here in such a short amount of time. Friends were there to offer a place to stay before I got moved in and they were there to help me pack up and move my life again. My family was there to pack me up, drive me down, and get me all settled into a new place. They helped me find my way around so that I can make this place feel like home. They sent encouraging cards and messages supporting my decision to take on this new adventure with open arms. And I am humbled by the work that I now see going on around me everyday. Humbled to see compassionate people reaching out and going beyond themselves to lend a hand to those in need when they need it the most. And humbled to know that there is joy and hope and happiness in people even at the end of their lives as I now see evidence of that every day.

It feels great to be here! Like always, life was 2 steps ahead of me preparing me for this moment and this adventure. And luckily, I was there to embrace the changes and welcome the adventure!

So, I bring you this update with a humbled and excited spirit and I hope that it finds you in the same state. And if you're ever passing through the Dayton area or just want to stop in for a visit, you know who to call :-)

Cape Cod

This past weekend I travelled to Cape Cod to visit my good friend Jaclyn who is serving in an Americorps program. I had a great time biking, hiking, serving, eating, and taking lots of pictures. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the weekend:
Hiked out to the ocean Easter morning after brunch. That's me being generally excited about life!

Great picture of Jac.

Jac and I in our Easter dresses!

Cool stairs down by the water

Early morning bike ride out to a cool lake

Funny jumping picture!

The "SOLE" of TOMS shoes

Sweet picture of our shoes!

This is us wearing our TOMS hoping we'll make it on the website!

Funny Girls.

Running away from the freezing cold ocean!

Cool picture from Provincetown

Jac and I in our cool Americorps shirts standing by the fence we built as part of the service project they were hosting!

We painted our own coffee mugs!

Me painting some pottery!

At trivia!

What a refreshing trip this was for me. Getting to be outside, hang out and meet lots of cool people, catch up with my good friend, and take a few deep breaths was so rejuvenating! I'm feeling all ready and excited to take on the next adventure life has waiting for me! Expect an update soon!

Hope everyone had a great Easter!

Loving Others

"When we really love others, we accept them as they are" - Edward Ford


I saw this quote today and, I must admit, it was a small slap in the face for me and my New Year's Resolution to love unconditionally. Loving unconditionally is no small feat mind you, but it seems like its been even harder for me since I made it a personal resolution to focus more on. That sounds almost like an oxymoron doesn't it? "Focus more" on loving unconditionally? It's supposed to come naturally isn't it?! Unfortunately, I have learned of myself, it is more of a conscious decision than a natural gift. I get upset so easily when something doesn't happen the way I think that it should. I get all bent out of shape when someone doesn't call me back or reply to my email or when I get all super-over-the-top excited for something and no one else shares my enthusiasm. When those things happen I am not being very unconditional or very loving at all. Instead, I waste all of my energy being bummed out sitting in the corner with my feelings hurt. Well, in my attempt to love more unconditionally this year, I have been spending a lot of time thinking about people as well as myself and I came to this realization recently: I expect people to be just like I am. It's true. If I'm excited I want everyone around me to be equally excited for the exact same thing even if it that thing has nothing to do with them. If I want to jump up and down to go out and run a race or become passionate about a cause, I am expecting that everyone else want to run that same race with me or invest their time and energies into the same cause that I am passionate about. Well, here is what I have learned: People are all different. People get excited about things that are way different than things I get excited about and they want to spend their energy being passionate about things that are very different than the things that I invest myself in. And you know what? THAT IS OKAY!! I shouldn't be less excited about things or less involved or send less correspondence just because they are not reciprocated because in doing those things I am being ME. But being me does not mean that everyone else has to be me too and I feel so selfish for even thinking it for so long! Just as I will get excited about things that those around me have no interest in, lots of people are going to do the same thing and that is okay because they are being themselves and being passionate about their own things just as I am being. So, there it is, my slap in the face from a quote I saw today. I think it has a lot to do with unconditional love. And it's me saying "If I really love you I will accept you just as you are even if who you are may be very different from who I am."




After that little self realization I will leave you with 2 pictures from my recent trip to Iowa :-)
Ben and I touring Iowa State's Campus

Lancelot and Elaine: you can read all about their history here.

It's not always easy to realize your own faults and short-comings, but it is such a relief when you figure out another small part of who you are.

"When we really love others we accept them as they are"

I'll try to be better about that and I hope that you will afford me the same grace in accepting me just as I am :-)

First Birthday Fun

My nephew Gavin celebrated his first birthday this past weekend. Surrounded by family and friends, we celebrated his first year of life and the joy that he brings to all of us with cake, presents, and lots of laughter. I am often amazed at all that this little guy has gone through already in his short little life and find myself taken aback by his strength, his happiness, and that way his eyes light up when he's smiling. I love the way he laughs when his Mommy plays "This Little Piggy Went to the Market" with him, and the way he only cuddles with you when he's really sleepy. I love to watch him figure out how to do something new and see that look of victory when he realizes his accomplishment. He really is a great addition to our family and I am looking forward to watching him grow and change as he gets older. For now, though, I'm enjoying him as a cute little one year old with his first few teeth and new found mobility for getting around!

After the cake

My favorite shot of the day.

The Birthday Boy with his Mommy.

Look at those smiles!

He'd really rather just eat the card

Birthday Boy!

New Year, New You

Yes, New Year's and all of its celebrations are over. January 1st is now two weeks behind us and in its place has come the frigid cold of winter. In the past few weeks I've seen all the sales on fitness clothes and equipment as people prepare their New Year's Resolutions to "lose weight" and "FINALLY get in shape". By February, however, I am confident that those same people will be splurging on Valentine's Day chocolates and cleaning the dust off of their "must have get-in-shape-faster-than-ever" machines. I've been thinking of those resolutions and those people and while getting in shape is always a good thing, I want my resolutions and goals for the year ahead to stand for something more. So, instead of calling them resolutions and instead of pledging to lose weight with the rest of the world, I have decided to skip the usuals, enjoy the Valentine's chocolates guilt free, and set some goals and things I would like to focus on this year. Here are a few that I've been thinking of:
1. I want to live on less. Less money, less stuff, less everything. Just less. I think this will be a good thing all around as I try to simplify my life and get back to focusing on the things that really matter to me. Most of those things, I've learned, don't involve money or stuff at all. Instead, they involve time and people and energy. I want more of those things and less of the others.
2. I want to become a more aware citizen of the world. I want to know about war in Africa and the Middle East and how it is effecting me and my life. I want to feel for people suffering all around the world and I want to be equipped with the knowledge to do something about it. It seems that educating yourself is the only way to begin to understand the world as well as to contribute to it and this year I'd like to be a better contributor and more engaged citizen of this country and the rest of the world.
3. I want to volunteer more. Throughout college I was given so many opportunities to volunteer and give back to the community. Whether it was on my summer break, part of my studies, or through a club or group I was involved in, it seems I was always finding ways to help the people around me. In the past year or so my volunteering experience has dwindled and with it so has some of my fulfillment. I want that back. So, this year, I'm aiming to find a way to volunteer and spend some of my free time giving back to the community and the world.
4. I want to spend more time loving unconditionally. You hear about unconditional love all the time: it's preached at you from every church pulpit on Sunday morning's; it's shouted at you from the homeless person begging you for change as you stride past him trying not to look; it's shown to you through that person you expect to be by your side all throughout your life no matter how ugly your insides turn. Unconditional love. It's the root of so many things in our lives yet it is nearly impossible to find. I don't see it in churches or in relationships or in communities. I don't read about it in my books or see it on the 6 o'clock news. Instead, we look at people for their differences and we don't love them even though we may want to. And we don't give things without expecting nothing in return. We expect, at the least, a smile or a thank you. But why? We don't need those things, those words, to make our deed worth doing. We just need to do it. Thats it. The end. So, I'm striving to do more loving and less judging, to give without a single expectation or acknowledgement. I'll find a way. After all "in the end the love you take is equal to the love you make."
5. I want to spend less on Corporate America and more on local business. I was driving around Metro-Detroit not long ago and noticed that they had built a Kohl's department store directly in front of a near-closing Ford plant and I paused for a moment, looked at the site and said to myself "this is Corporate America at its finest." The truth is, there is not much that I need in my life that I can't get at a local store. I don't need to go to Kohl's, even if it may save me a few dollars. Plus, since I'm hoping to live on less hopefully I'll be buying less anyways!
6. I want to learn from my entertainment. I spend so much time watching silly television shows and reading Women's Magazines that I don't get anything out of. This year, I'm striving to watch movies and read books and participate in discussions that I can learn and grow from. If I am going to spend time reading and watching movies I want them to be things that force me to ask questions about the world and help me to grow and think beyond myself. I'm sure I'll still sneak in some stupid reality TV show, but hopefully just a lot less!

Some smaller goals that I have this year:
1. I want to run everyday
2. I want to learn a new hobby
3. I want to cook more and learn to cook more things


I'm sure there is more but there is a quick little snippet of what I hope to fill my life with in 2009!

Time Flies

Christmas has come and gone and we have welcomed 2009 with high hopes clouded by great uncertainties. For me, this past month has been full of activities and taking a much needed break from work to spend time doing things that I love with those that I care about most. I am finding that words are in short supply as I reflect on the end of 2008 so I will leave you instead with lots of pictures:

New Year's Eve feast at my place.

Gavin giving Mam-ma kisses on Christmas day

Gavin's first Christmas!

Sisters. Christmas Eve dinner.

Christmas Eve...he loves the telephone!

Skiing up north with my Dad.

Mom in her snowmobile gear after we went out on a beautiful snowy morning!

Out practicing our photography skills. Brandie shot this one of me.

Picture of the future photographer.

Happy boy playing in his basket.