Archive for February, 2009

Meet Jenny

February 24, 2009 at 1:26 pm · Filed under friends ·Tagged ,

jenny

Jenny and I have been friends for over seven years, so I’m wondering how to sum up her to you in this post. She is amazing, and I have so many wonderful memories with her!

Jenny was one of the most influential people I met while at college. We became friends in November 2001 when I joined her Bible study group during my freshman year of college. At the time, she was a campus minister with Campus Crusade for Christ. Now she does some work with the organization but is a full-time director of women’s ministries at her church in Murfreesboro.

She is passionate about coaching and developing disciples of Christ. No matter your age, she will challenge and equip you.

She is a Lord of the Rings freak and she’ll be the first to admit it. Everything I wanted to know (and much more) about the trilogy, I first learned from Jenny. She has watched the movies and read the books probably more times than you ever wanted to know.

She loves to travel. Together we have traveled to NYC, Sweden, and various European countries. If you ever need a travel buddy who can read a map with no problem, call Jenny.

This Kentucky native is an amazing cook, meticulous organizer, fun decorator, and intelligent woman – she seems to know a little bit about everything. She’s pretty much just down-right amazing.

This is my all-time fave picture of her. There are some good stories behind the picture and the sword, but just know that she’s not afraid to go to battle!

warrior-jenny

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Valentine’s Weekend

February 17, 2009 at 2:14 pm · Filed under friends, sports ·Tagged , ,

My Valentine’s weekend was filled with many good things, as I hope yours was as well.

On Saturday, Andy and I had lunch at Amerigo with my friends Mary Anne and Emily. It was a welcome surprise, as I don’t get to see either one of them as often as I’d like. Thankfully we were some of the only people in the restaurant because we had some majorly loud laughs. :)

My friend Emilee was my French Lemons secret Valentine this year. I had a great time preparing some things for her and making her Valentine’s Day just a little more special! Here we are with her goodies:

emilee-and-mar

I received some amazing tickets to the Predators game for Saturday night, so Andy and I headed downtown for some BBQ nachos (go figure) and hockey. The game was great – and even better since the Preds won by a goal in a shoot-out!

andy-and-mar-hockey-game

Sunday after church, my parents came to Franklin and took us out to lunch at one of my favorite places, PF Changs. I could eat steamed dumplings and fried eggrolls every day. So my parents gave me lunch and a couple of gifts and I gave them my 2008 tax forms. I think that’s a fair trade, don’t you? ;)

Sunday’s happiness was topped off with the return of one of my favorite shows, The Amazing Race. Unfortunately, I missed the last season, so I have anxiously been awaiting this one. I have always said I wanted to be on the show, but recently I have come to terms with the fact that I shouldn’t. Yes, I love to travel, but I have no desire to do many of the challenges set up on each race. For example, the first challenge of this season was bungey jumping from the second highest bungey-jumping place in the world. I’ll pass, thank you. However, it was exciting to see in the first episode three of the places I have been to (granted, two were train stations).

Hope you had a great weekend as well!

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Meet Mary Beth

February 13, 2009 at 12:11 pm · Filed under friends, the office

I thought it would be fun to introduce you to some of my friends (but if you’re reading this, you’re probably my friend already. Oh well, it will be fun for me, at least.).

First up – Mary Beth.

MB and Mar - Spring 08

The first thing you must know about MB is that she is a yankee. I like her in spite of this.

The second thing is that she is completely sarcastic. That will clear up a lot of things if you ever meet her.

MB is from Maine. She is the coolest Maine-ite I have ever met (and the only).

She was one of my first friends at work. The story: Dawn, another friend, invited me to join her one day for lunch at the picnic tables outside the office. MB was out there, too, and the three of us have been good friends ever since. We were the original members of the “cool kids” group – a name we had to give ourselves to boost our self-esteem. :)

She said the funniest moment in our friendship was when she first saw my face. When she said that, I punched her face and said, “Who’s laughing now?”

I kid, I kid.

She and I traveled with two other friends to Seattle in May 2006. We affectionately call the city Cattle (Sea = the letter C … get it?). MB always makes fun of me for being in a fairly bad mood as we hiked up Mount Rainier in snow up to my knees. Here we are on that memorable day after she threw some snowballs:

MB at Mt. Rainier

MB is a super-cool chick who I am glad to call my friend!

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Fairytale

February 11, 2009 at 3:10 pm · Filed under music, random

This is fun. You should try it.

  1. Put Your iTunes on Shuffle.
  2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
  3. You must write down the name of the song no matter how silly it sounds!
  4. Put any comments in brackets after the song name.

If someone says, “Is this okay?” you say…
“Oh, My God, Whatever, Etc.” – Ryan Adams

How would you describe yourself?
“Standing” – Patty Griffin
(Actually, I’m sitting right now, but thankful that I am able to stand up if I’d like.)

What do you like in a guy?
“Gone Are The Days” – Nichole Nordeman
(What?!)

How do you feel today?
“Hasten To Save” – Shannon Aplin

What is your life’s purpose?
“Give It Away” – Michael W. Smith

What is your motto?
“You Won” – Keith Urban
(I like to think I don’t give up that easily.)

What do your friends think of you?
“Like I Love You” – Amy Grant
(You could interpert this multiple ways. Do they love me or is it a sarcastic statement?)

What do you think of your parents?
“Square One” – Tom Petty
(Does this mean I think they’re simple?)

What do you think about often?
“Soul Suckas” – Amos Lee

What is 2 + 2?
“Spontaneous” – Andy Davis

What do you think of your best friend?
“Top of the World” – Patty Griffin
(Santa or Jesus?)

What is your life story?
“Healer” – Nichole Nordeman

What do you want to be when you grow up?
“Light in Your Eyes” – Sheryl Crow

What do you think of when you see the person you like?
“Heaven Forbid” – The Fray
(Hilarious! I also think this question was written by a high schooler.)

What will you dance to at your wedding?
“Mr. Jones” – Counting Crows
(Hmmm. I do like that song a lot though.)

What will they play at your funeral?
“Pray for Me” – Michael W. Smith
(Why? I’m already gone. Pray for everyone else!)

What is your hobby/interest?
“All My Friends” – Counting Crows

What is your biggest fear?
“Godspeed (Sweet Dreams)” – Dixie Chicks
(Really? I prefer sweet over unsweet…the same goes for tea.)

What is your biggest secret?
“Goodnight Elisabeth” – Counting Crows
(Uhhhh. And what is up with all the Counting Crows songs?)

What do you think of your friends?
“No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems” – Kenny Chesney
(Oh my goodness NO.)

What will you post this as?
“Fairytale” – Sara Barellies

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StrengthsFinder 2.0

February 9, 2009 at 3:25 pm · Filed under Uncategorized

strengths_sf2bookAlways focusing on your weaknesses is no fun, so why not focus on your strengths which bring you the most enjoyment? StrengthsFinder 2.0 is an assessment you can take to learn more about your natural strengths and how to build on those qualities. It also helps you understand a little bit of why people are the way they are (though I’m sure no test or assessment will be able to explain this about some people). ;)

I took this assessment (not personality test) quite a while ago, as many of my coworkers have done, too. I always find stuff like this interesting, but if you don’t, sorry for the boring post (not really).

Here are my top 5 and a little bit from the personalized review I received:

Input
You have a craving to know more. You like to collect and archive all kinds of information. Your passion for the written word fuels your thought processes and lays the groundwork for sophisticated conversations. Numerous people merely recount what they heard, saw, or read. Typically you dive deeper into the topic. You routinely gather information about events, policy statements, people, or crises.
- This explains my recent fascination with Wikipedia.

Connectedness
You say there are no accidents. You are confident that things are linked together for a purpose that may or may not be revealed to you. You naturally build bonds that unite different types of people who have separate and often clashing agendas. Perhaps you are puzzled by people who cause harm without realizing they are hurting themselves.
- I like to ask lots of questions to find the connections.

Futuristic
You are inspired by the future and what could be. You inspire others with your visions of the future. Driven by your talents, you might declare, “Life is grand” when certain people stop and listen as you describe your hopes for the coming months, years, or decades.
- This explains why I think The Jetsons is a great cartoon. :)

Activator
You can make things happen by turning thoughts into action. You are often impatient. You often reach a point where you tire of planning. You might be determined to generate enthusiasm about projects, events, or activities.
- Enough talking already…make it happen!

Positivity
You have an enthusiasm that is contagious. You are upbeat and can get others excited about what they are going to do. You might avoid thrusting yourself into the middle of other people’s activities or conversations. In the end, you might know more about what occurred and what was said than the participants. Instinctively, you may feel good about life when you can find a few new ways to live within your means. Perhaps you thoughtfully conserve your material resources.
- Ok, it’s time to get excited, people!

That’s my Top 5 in a nutshell. Of course, I am more than a nutshell, so I cannot fully explain myself here (lucky you).

If you’ve taken this assessment or something like the Myers-Brigg, leave a comment with your Top 5 so I can actively and positively gather more info about you to find a connection in my vision for the future.

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