Not on my wish list:

Love this

When you least expect it...

Two full days last week were spent in a conference room talking about data structure. A few of us from our team got together with a bonafide "data guru" (not his official title, but hey, that's what he was!) I know; sounds boring, sounds tedious, sounds tiring. And it could have been. But more than anything it was insightful, it was refreshing, it was encouraging. I came away with a lighter heart...and a brain packed so full of information I couldn't even begin to process. (Of course I was sick at the same time, so that could have been why as well...)

Today I started really thinking about last week. About what I learned. And it suddenly occured to me. I learned a lot more than data structure, than the best way to use our system. I learned some things about life too. Guess you just never know when or how God might teach you something...or remind you of things you already knew.

Maybe sometimes your instincts are right, and you just need to dig a little further. Sometimes you just need to trust yourself.

Don't be afraid of the unknown.

If you think there must be an easier way, there just might be.

Ask the right questions.

Don't assume anything.

Just because something has always been done one way, doesn't mean it's right.

Sometimes you know more than you realize.

Some changes aren't as big as you may think.

Others are.

Sometimes you just need to ask for help. You don't have to do everything on your own.

A little extra work now, may save you time later. Sometimes you need to think ahead before moving forward.

While it may be possible to do something, and be seemingly effectively, that doesn't mean it's right. You never know how one thing may effect another.

Everyone has a story.

God has a plan bigger than all of us.

Star Wars...kinda...

This made me smile today.

Two weeks in a nutshell

Brief overview of the last two weeks:

• Two weeks ago - Big projects at work + deadline = a lot of hours worked
• One week ago - Wake up with scratchy throat. Scared of the possibility of getting sick. Two important days of meetings coming. Can't miss either.
• One week ago minus one day - The cold/flu sets in. Not as bad as could be - but still not good
• Go through a box of puffs in record time.
• Manage to make it through the extra hours and meetings. Body completely rundown. No gym for me.
• No gym means no LOST. Sad.
• Couldn't get a good nights sleep all week. Not happy. Details later.
• Take the weekend to relax and recover. Finally get sleep. *signal the chorus of angels*
• Make a few easy attempts at the gym - only walk. No incline. No speed. Very little calorie burn. UG.

Present Day:

• Very few tissues needed a day - good sign
• Return to the gym. Not "normal" workout but incline was utilitized. Step in the right direction
• Afternoon off - napped, watched LOST, good day
• Surprise phone call - smiled.

Snippets

I've had an extremely busy week so far. It's been one of those weeks where you can't remember exactly what all you've done or where you've been when. Keep that in mind as you read the following snippets floating around my little brain tonight.

• You know you're tired when you forget to pack jeans to wear for the day in your gym bag.
• Sad thing is I thought my bag was awfully light and wasn't coherent enough to question why. Tonight I made a list of everything I must have - hopefully I'll remember to look at it.
• Habits and accountability. Two amazing things when done correctly.
• How much lotion can one person go through in the winter?! I could probably sit in a vat of it for hours and STILL get dry skin an hour later.
• I posted a few weeks ago about the strange types of pizza I like. Apparently I'm not alone. YAY!
• One of the new treadmills at the gym doesn't work to play tv shows off my ipod. I stopped my workout and switched machines. Screw my heart rate, I wanted to watch LOST :)
• Being able to cross things off my to-do list makes me happy.
• Although the to-do list never stops growing.
• I love that my co-workers and I can laugh with each other about the dumb things we do.
• The Writer's Strike is over and many of my tv shows will be back on the air soon! Too bad I have to wait until next spring for 24. I hear good things come to those who wait - but that's a lot of waiting.
• Speaking of patience - I heard once that maybe God puts us in situations to help us learn patience instead of just giving it to us. Thoughts?
• I think of the above question a lot. In my life, it seems to be true. Wonder if it's just me.

It's Time...

The senior pastor of GCC has finally entered the blogging world - Welcome Mark Beeson!

This is definitely a blog you will want to follow. I've learned many things from him over the years and I have never met someone so on fire for God.

Let me tell you, I'm pumped!

Top 10 Reasons Why I Love My Ipod

• I love music. And an ipod holds tons of it. 'Nough said.
• When I need to do stats for my job, putting my headphones in helps me focus and whip it out in now time.
• I can be impulsive - and when I decide I want something, I often want it now. The itunes store rocks in that circumstance.
• My workouts would cease to exist without fast paced tunage to get me going.
• I can block out the world when I need some "me" time.
• It connects to the treadmills at my gym so I can watch tv shows from my ipod on the bigger screen in front of me. The time I spent doing cardio doubled. In less than two weeks people were noticing.
• Suddenly shoveling is a little less tedious when there are tunes to accompany it.
• It introduced me to Dexter - one of my new favorite tv shows - and I will forever be grateful. Dexter + ipod = obsession with the gym!
• Um, hello, podcasts. When I struggle with digging into the bible, I can tune into a thought provoking podcast that gets me motivated again.
• I'm a random person. The shuffle feature plus all the many songs available at my fingertips fits me quite well.

And one reason why I don't love my ipod - it can be really easy to forget no one else can hear the music but you.

Brilliant Idea!

This is one of the most inventive, yet simple solutions I have seen yet for the water problem in third world countries. After going to India and seeing where their water comes from, this makes me happy. And hopeful.

How many trips to the kitchen does it take to get a spoon for yogurt?

Apparently, in my world, it takes three.

Or at least it did this morning.