Empty Nesters Next Month!

Dalton has chosen to play football at Dordt College in Sioux Center, IA

On August 13th, Jeff and I will be empty nesters!  Omg!  How did time go this quickly?  It seems so serreal!  Elle will be a senior at Northwestern in Orange City, Iowa and Dalton will be a freshman playing football at Dordt College in Sioux Center, Iowa.

Elle and a student on her mission trip to Mississippi.

We are very proud of them both. Elle has one semester of classes and then she will student teach in Denver, CO.  Dalton will be studying criminal justice at Dordt.

Since I last updated, Dalton  had his last prom and he graduated from Carroll High School in May.

Dalton and his date Haley

Dalton made prom court

Me, Dalton and Jeff

Dalton accepting his diploma

Jeff, Dalton, Elle and Me

Grandma and Dalton

We took two family trips this summer.  The first to Risefest , a Christian music festival, in Sheldon, IA. We saw the Newsboys, Sidewalk Prophets, Rend Collective, Remedy Drive, and many more Christian bands.

Thousands coming together to praise Jesus through music.

Dalton and Jeff

Elle and Me

Newboys

Our second trip was to Okoboji for the 4th of July with my mom.  This year was very special because right before the 4th last year, my mom was diagnosed with leukemia and we weren't able to make our annual trip.

Arnold's Park, Okoboji, Iowa

Dalton, Elle and Elle's friend Heather on wave runner

Dalton and Grandma Joan

Heather, Mom, Elle and me

While, at the lakes, we had a lot of fun that included, Arnold's Park, wave runners, flea markets, eating at Tweeter, going to a concert and fireworks.

Elle was baptized recently at Central Church.  We were very proud.

Elle being baptized by Pastor Gallegos

Before you know it, I will be posting pics of Dalton's college football games.  I continue to work at the home warranty company, where I have been for a year and a half now.  Jeff has his own route now with a bread company.  I also work part-time at the grocery store, and Jeff works part-time reffing and teaching student drivers.  We keep very busy.

What Happened in 2014?

The year in review...

January: Elle was accepted into the teaching program at Northwester College

Elle's Mission trip to Denver

Dalton's pre-surgery photo

March: Started a new job.  Elle went on a mission trip to Denver to help in homeless shelters. Dalton had his foot surgery finally after breaking it nearly a year prior.

April: Made a commitment to God to stop working on Sunday mornings and attend church with the family.

June: Jeff and I celebrated out 23rd wedding anniversary.Volunteered for Real Fest

Elle's new Ford Fusion

Elle & Dalton at Marley's in Wisconsin Dells

July:  On July 3rd I took my mom to the oncologist in Omaha for a 2nd opinion for her leukemia diagnosis.  She went through treatment from July to November. Vacations at Wisconsin Dells' Wilderness Lodge and day spent at the Iowa State Fair.  

Elle turned 21

Dalton started his senior year at Carroll High

September:  Elle turned 21 and started her junior year at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa. Dalton started his senior year at Carroll High School. 

Dalton had a great season and his team made it to the state playoffs

October: football season in full swing and Dalton had an awesome season! 

November: Dalton turned 18.  He is getting offers from several schools for playing football for them next fall.  In the running are Dordt, Northwestern College and Buena Vista.  He could either be a Defender, Red Raider or a Beaver. 

December: Merry Christmas!  Spent Christmas Eve with the family and Christmas Day with the extended family at Chris and Jim's house in Glidden.

SWAG - Saved with Amazing Grace

About three months ago I made a conscious choice to make myself available to attend church with my family. I hadn't been to church for about a year prior to this. I was not comfortable at the church that my family had been attending. I just didn't get a warm, fuzzy feeling there. We went back to a church we used to go to that got a new pastor. The first Sunday back, I knew it was the place I wanted to go in order to get closer to God.

I wanted to go to church every Sunday with my family. The pastor is very relatable with the congregation. He has great energy.  There is a worship band there that is so good. There is a mixture of people there from all income levels. No one judges each other. They encourage people with troubles to come forward to pray with leaders.

I want to become a member of the congregation. One of the requirements is to have been baptized by submersion. I was baptized when I was 22 years old by submersion. The rest of the family would need to get baptized this way before they can become members.

I really feel that I have found God and want to serve him. I am ready to change my life completely. I am ready to give back.
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Moving On

On January 16th, 2014, I decided that I could no longer work for my new boss.  The daily stress of working for someone who talked to me like I was a 2 year old every day was too much to bare. I had had enough and left my job.  I felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders.  It was so stressful that I reached the point where I was having panic attacks with heart palpitations.  Not good! It was time to get out.

I had a second job where I could increase my hours, so this is what I fell back on until I found something else full-time. I started looking for a new job back in October when the company I worked for was sold. It was my hope to find something else before quitting, but I really couldn't do it one more day.  It took me from October to February to be offered a new position.  It was a huge relief when I got the call that I had been chosen.  I don't start my new job until March 26th, so until then I will continue working part-time at the grocery store where I have been employed at for nearly 5 years.  Having experience working in the customer service department has proven very valuable when finding a new job.  It is a well desire skill to a new employer.

I went from selling advertising to working for a home warranty company as an authorizer.  I am hoping and praying that I excel in this position and that I can be with this company for many years to come.  I am looking forward to all the benefits this position offers and longevity. I will be going through 3 weeks of training before beginning the actual job.

I have prayed to God daily to lead me to find a new job.  I just had faith that He would be there to help me, and He didn't let me down. What is really amazing is that I went back to companies where I was formerly employed that turned me down in the past.  The company where I am going to work at is where I was employed at 16 years ago.  Thank God for second chances! I am exited to begin my new journey!

Changes

Sometimes life throws huge obstacles in your way - something you didn't expect to happen, a complete shock. Being the very laid back person I am, however, I didn't panic when it happened to me recently. When something unexpected happens, it really makes you realize what you had when it's gone in a second. You realize how good you had it and didn't appreciate it.

There are some things that you just don't have control over in life.  Such as your job.  Changes at your job are unavoidable, unless you are the company owner.  Either you go with it or you can quit. When you need a paycheck, it is not a hard decision to make.  It gets particularly harder when you have a child in college and someone else is depending on your income. However, if things change too much not in your favor, it is hard to handle those changes.

Did I ever imagine that I would be an advertising sales  rep? No, not really. I grew up a very timid girl, quite the opposite of a sales kind of person.  However, I have found out in the past 3 years of selling, that, hey, I am good at it.  I am making a good living at it. I am happy with my paychecks.

Change is a difficult obstacle.  Going from being very relaxed to being pretty uncomfortable and stressed, is not easy.  There are some days that are better than others.  I just need to remember that I have a job.  I didn't lose my job.  My husband is pretty much going through the same exact thing that I am.  He got a shock to his daily work routine also.  Day by day we are working through the changes.  I am a very positive thinking person.  I believe that it helps a lot to get through it.

I know that there will be better opportunities coming our way.  I have a feeling about it. My recent tarot card reading confirmed it. I am praying to God for my family's sake that this is true. I am still waiting to find something that I love to do become my occupation. I want to be excited when I get out of bed in the morning to go to my job, instead of  just wanting to roll over and go back to sleep.

 Card 6 (Wheel Of Fortune) : Outcome »
Expect life to change and quickly. Fate, destiny or synchronicity, call it what you like, positive change and good fortune is evident here. If you have important choices to make trust your intuition. Do you feel that events seem to be evolving without much input from you? If so trust it and go with the flow.

Peace, Guilt, Regret, Risk and Making it Happen

In a perfect world, have you thought about what would bring you peace?  No disagreements, no disappointments, everything perfect.  Peace to me is pretty much silence.  I really hate people arguing and fighting.  I was the youngest of three girls and was five years younger than my last sister.  I have had a lot of alone time growing up.  I remember walking out into the fields and getting in touch with nature.  My best friends growing up were my animals.

Even now I find myself enjoying my alone time.  I love watching TV while enjoying some wine.  I guess you call it down time. Even at work I prefer to be stuck in my office alone without interruption. I used to work in so many jobs were there were people all around you.  I love having my own office and being able to shut the door. Yes, I prefer to work independently, you could say.

There are many other aspects of what brings you peace. Peace is the absence of guilt, to have a guilt-free conscience. I think everyone has things in there past that they feel guilty about doing or saying.  You can try to push it out of your mind all you want, but it is always there.  Everyone wishes there were an "erase" or "redo" button to get rid of their past mistakes. They say that the mistakes we have :made in the past make us who we are today. I guess I agree with this.  When we die our tombstones say "Rest in Peace".  I guess this is the ultimate stage of clearing our minds, clearing out guilt.

It seems like there is always someone who you should have said something to that you just never did for whatever reason.  Someone you should have apologized to that you never did.  Someone you wish would have apologized to you who hasn't.  Fixing these issues before your final days seems important.  It's hard to live with regret.

There are things you wish you would have done during your life that you just never did.  Chances you could have taken that you didn't that now you wish you would have found the courage to take them.  We only live once.  That's all the chances you get. Is it better to have tried and failed than to have never had tried at all?  I think so. But does everyone live by these rules?  No.  Some people are just better risk takers than others.  Are the successful people in life the ones who take risks, or are they the ones who have never taken a risk?

There are plenty of things that I wish I would have done that I haven't.  I wish that I would have gone back to school for something.  I always wanted to be a hairstylist.  I used to have a Barbie head that I could do make-up and hair on.  I loved doing this.  I used to color my mom's hair when I was younger, starting at age 12 or so.  I always wanted to get a tattoo and I haven't yet.  I've always wanted to travel to Europe and never did.

What are the risks I have taken along the way?  I went to college.  I got married.  I moved to Colorado.  I had babies.  I started my own business and failed. I have left plenty of jobs for other jobs that I thought would be better.

I think that people live by "the grass is always greener on the other side" mentality.  We are always wanting more out of live.  We are never satisfied with what we have now.  We always see other people who have what we want and wish we were them. If we really had their lives we still wouldn't be happy.  That brings up the question of what is happiness?  What makes us happy? Everyone has their own individual opinion of what would make us happy.

It is very important to make yourself happy.  To do the things you have always wanted to do. Don't live with regrets! Make it happen!  Take the risk!

 

Figuring Out Life

They always say that life is what you make it.  I feel that sometimes life is what is thrown your way.  There are a lot of scenarios and situations that you don't have any control over that drastically change your life.  I know there are some people who plan their whole life out - what they will do for work, what kind of person they want to marry, where they want to live and how many kids they want to have-a cookie cut-out family and life.  But do these people end up happy?  Do they chose a job for the amount of money it brings in? Then they are not doing what they love.  I think there are many people who are stuck in jobs they don't love.  A person is very lucky if they actually do what they love to make a living.  But, I think there are people who don't know what they love.  They haven't discovered their calling in life.  I'm 45 years old and I can say that I have not found my calling.  Maybe I'm not listening to God or to my heart like I should.

When I went to college, I had every intention of ending up being a newspaper writer.  I even had a job waiting for me after graduation for the Storm Lake Pilot Tribune. But life happened and I got married, and my husband wanted to move to Colorado to find jobs.  He thought there would be more opportunity there.  But, writing jobs there were very competitive.  Basically you had to write for free to start out with.  I was offered a job for a newspaper in Evergreen, Colorado, which was an hour plus drive up into the mountain.  I would only have gotten paid $25 a story.  It didn't seem worth the compute for $100 a week, especially when the roads were icy and dangerous.  My first job in Colorado was at a travel agency.  I did use Pagemaker Pro to create a newsletter for our clients.  My next job was for the Denver Business Journal, a business newspaper.  I was a secretary in the advertising department.  I did write for the in-house newspaper, but that was it. After this I was a secretary for years.  About four years ago I answered an ad for a freelance writer position.  However, when I was interviewed, I was offered the job of an advertising representative.  Since being in this position, I did write one article for the advertiser in a special section. I have considered looking online for a freelance position, or just submitting writing to a magazine, anything to get started.

Anyway, back to life is what happens to you that makes it.  Situations like health issues, losing your job, having financial problems, etc. have a direct influence on what you do in life. But, sometimes when one door closes, a better door/opportunity opens.  Very successful people "accidentally" fall into to something they end of loving. Before it was decided that I would attend a four-year college, I wanted to be a hairstylist.  I often wonder if life would have been different.  My husband graduated with a major in criminal justice and a minor in finance.  His dream was to become a cop. He ended up falling into sales for the money.  

When did I stop?  When did I quit believing in my dreams?  Successful people are those that have a vision and a goal in mind.  They are determined and don't stop for anything.  I was not taught that competitive mentality growing up.  Sometimes I wish that I would have been instilled with this belief.  It would have changed a lot of things for me. I stopped playing competitive sports in junior high.  I think it is a really good thing for children to learn to have the will and determination to win, to reach their goals.  I wish the best for my children.  I want them to follow their dreams in life, whatever they shall be.  Elle wants to be an elementary teacher.  I know she will succeed at this.  Dalton hasn't quite figured it all out yet, but hopefully will soon, since he will be a high school senior next year.

I know it's not too late for Jeff and I to go after our dreams.  Many people start over at 40 something.  I have a friend who is getting an online education who is a single mother of three.  If she can do this, anyone can with the will and determination.  It's all about confidence and self-esteem, the I-can-do-this attitude.  If only I could figure out what I want to do, then maybe I could start to realize my dream. I really need to find some motivation and inspiration.  I have been in a funk for a long time.  I have been settling for an easy job.  I have become lazy in all aspects of my life.  How do you find the light?  I guess I need to start praying more or meditating.  I need to do something fast.  I would like for us both to make more money so that we can travel and enjoy life after our children have left the nest, which will be in 2 years.  God, please show us the way and direct us to the light.