Wheel of Life

I've been taking wellness coaching classes for about a month and a half now, and one of the things I've learned is how important life balance is. I had read this in books before, but I can see what a difference it really makes when I'm putting deposits in all the different areas of my life. Obviously, physical and career are big areas of focus right now, but I'm also trying to put time into my spiritual growth and financial health. (Justin and I started Financial Peace University last week.) I am trying to remind myself not to ignore any of these areas. This is one of the things I'm going to emphasize when working with my clients on wellness. For example, you can be in the best physical shape of your life, but if you and your spouse are having problems, you will still be unhappy and stressed, which could lead to problems in other areas of your life.

Discovered the Culprit

I haven't posted in forever, and this still isn't going to be much of a post, but I had to share a small victory. I have finally identified my archnemesis of this summer, the army worm.

I've been dealing with these critters for a couple of months, both in their catapillar and moth states. They keep getting in my house and after finding them in a corner of the bedroom yesterday, I told the hubby I was nearing a mental breakdown if he did not help me deal with these things. He asked around at work and found out these are army worms. I tried to explain to him, I like Army Wives, not army worms.

Based on what I've found online these things love to eat grass and are taking over the Mid-South this summer. (Thanks, I noticed.) Other than spraying the yard with a pesticide I bought at Lowe's, all I can do is keep praying that God will end summer and send these creatures back to Satan. :)

Food Buzz- Bacon Cupcakes

A girl I work with recently visited California and brought back some bacon-topped cupcakes. My immediate reaction was "Eww," but being the food adventurer I am, I had to take a closer look and now I'm curious. I googled bacon cupcakes and found that the Food Network has their own recipe. This sounds like something that is right up Tyler Salyer's alley. I'll probably hold off until someone slims down the recipe or I get really curious and do it myself.

Friday morning with Candace Cameron

Justin has a work event and is working 7a-9p yesterday and today, so I'm a "single" gal for a couple of days. Instead of watching the news this morning, I caught an episode of Full House. (Sidebar: Just wanted to mention that they don't make good, clean TV shows like this anymore. Cute, family-oriented, moral. I loved that show. Really all the TGIF shows.)

Anyway, I was looking for something fun to watch to kick off my Friday while I was putting on my makeup. I saw Full House on Teen Nick and couldn't pass it up. I watched Full House a lot growing up, and DJ Tanner was my favorite character. She was the character closest to my age and I thought she was so pretty and smart.

Now Candace Cameron has grown up, and as it turns out, I like the woman more than DJ Tanner. Candace is in her early 30s, has 3 kids, is still an actress (on ABCFamily's Make it or Break It), is a Christian and volunteers for several organizations. Of special interest to me is that she's also passionate about health and is writing a book that is due this fall. (Hello preorder!) Candace is beautiful inside and out and such an inspiration to me.

Pass on cheap shoes

I am queen of being cheap and trying to save a penny where I can. However, sometimes it bites me in the butt.

I must say, I love Payless Shoes. They have great deals and cute shoes. But I have learned the hard way (many, many times) that their shoes are for short trips like going to dinner, not wearing all day. Unfortunately, each season I forget how uncomfortable their shoes are and trying wearing a pair to work all day. My feet aren't too happy with my bad memory.

Lesson for me: I'm going to have to spend a little more money to get more comfortable shoes if I'm going to be wearing them all day. My favorite thus far: Aerosoles. For the most part, they are the most comfortable and cutest I can find for dress shoes. I've also heard good things about Clarks, but I don't think they're as cute.

Learn the lesson from me-- whatever shoes you wear all day, make an investment in them and save your feet some misery.

Another reason to love OB- Target

I realized that I hadn't posted in a long time and decided to blog about something random that is making me happy right now. Some of you may not know that Target is located about a mile away from my house- dangerous, I know. It has only been open since 2007, so it is a pretty nice store. And to my utter delight, last Thursday our Target opened their grocery section. It's not really a Supercenter, but it is great, all the same. It looks almost exactly like the picture on the left. Target is so much better than Walmart-- they're in different categories. (I just realized that I need to go to the grocery tonight; wonder if I should try Target instead of Kroger.)

The other reason I love our Target is that they have a Pizza Hut Express at the front of the store. Pizza is a weakness for me. It is one of my favorite foods, but getting a large stuffed crust is a no-no for anyone trying to lose weight. So my solution is Pizza Hut Express. They sell little personal pan pizzas and breadsticks. So Justin and I usually split a personal pan pizza (about 320 calories) and have a salad on the side. It's the same great pizza I've enjoyed since I was in school enjoying my Book-It rewards :), but in a small portion that doesn't leave me feeling guilty afterward.

Gotta say that I love living in Olive Branch and love my Target.

Jumping Out of the Boat

Watch out Peter! I just jumped out of the boat. Now I just have to keep my eyes on Jesus so I don't sink.

I have a lot of respect for my manager at ALSAC/St. Jude, so yesterday I let him know that I planned to resign my position in July. (By then, I will be a certified personal trainer and able to be hired by a health club.) He asked me to go ahead and submit my letter of resignation, so my department will have as much time as possible to figure out who will be taking over my stuff and give them extra time to start recruiting my replacement. I prayed about it yesterday and talked to Justin, but still felt uneasy because I like to have everything planned out before I make a move, and as of today, I don't have a job guarantee.

I prayed again this morning and asked for God to give me wisdom and discernment. This morning I came to work and reviewed by Blogger dashboard. Julie Hadden, a former Biggest Loser contestant, Christian and someone I really admire, had a new post on her Guideposts blog. She was writing about change since her and her husband are relocating to a new city for the first time. A line in her blog flew off the page: "We need to have confidence in ourselves and believe in ourselves and our ability to do what we've committed to do, with God's help."

So July 9 will be my last day at St. Jude. At that point, I will be a certified personal trainer employed by a health club (claiming this now) and about to start classes to get certified as a wellness coach. Just trusting Jesus and knowing he will do BIG things.

Busy, Busy, Busy

Wow, it's been a while since I've posted anything. But, no big deal, this is my blog and I can do whatever I want, right?

Things in the Conway house have been crazy busy. I'm fully pursuing a new career and Justin is contemplating a change. Since I've already embarked on my journey, I'll focus on mine and give him some more time to figure his opportunity out. :)

For the past two weeks, I've been diligently studying and taking quizzes for my Fitness Nutrition Specialist certification. This is the first step toward becoming a wellness coach! Wellness coaching is the career that I identified through the life coaching process I just completed. Basically, a wellness coach motivates and supports people as they work toward their health & fitness goals. In order to become a wellness coach, I need some sort of nutrition education (in progress), will become a certified personal trainer (June) and then begin the wellness coaching training program (begins in July). The wellness coaching training program runs through October, and then I'll be able to take an exam to become a certified coach.

As a wellness coach, I can either work for myself or for a health club. As a part of my research about the career, I found out that my gym is starting a pilot wellness coaching program this summer and I hope to be involved. I am told that as soon as I have a personal training certification, I can be employed at a club.

I am anticipating God to bring some great things my way this summer, but for this month and the next, I'll be super busy studying. Right now, I am knee-deep in the science part of nutrition-- cells, how the body digests food, how we make energy. It's all fascinating, but I'm definitely having to concentrate. I better run now-- Unit 4 awaits. :)

The Mouse Whisperer

This morning Justin declared himself the Mouse Whisperer.

This weekend he discovered that a mouse had been into a bag of fertilizer we had recently purchased. This discovery verified that Justin was right, and we did have a mouse in the garage. (I was convinced that any sane mouse would have run out when the garage door opened.) .

So on Saturday, Justin gathered all his mouse "sticky pads" and put them by the fertilizer. When we left for church Sunday morning, we found 3 mice who had gone to the great cheese wheel in the sky. They were very small mice, and I thought they were kinda cute. Justin was pumped up about his victory but swore there was a bigger mouse running around somewhere.

Sure enough, this morning, he was thrilled to find a 4th "big daddy" mouse stuck on the pad and dying. I called him Kevorkian, but he declared himself "the mouse whisperer" and "the exterminator." What a crazy husband I have, but that's the way I like 'em.

Shout-out to Jessica Simpson

For years I have thought Jessica Simpson was the village idiot for calling it quits with Nick Lachey (gotta love him), but I'm starting to change my mind. A friend at work turned me on to her new VH1 show, The Price of Beauty. It is actually very interesting to watch as she travels to different countries to find out what the native women consider beautiful.

In Thailand, the women bleach their faces with harmful chemicals, because pale is considered beautiful. In a remote village in Thailand, the women wear gold rings up and down their necks. In France, high fashion and self-confidence is beautiful. I still need to watch the one where being overweight is considered beautiful. (I can't fathom that one.)

Along her journey around the world, Jessica is apparently coming to some conclusions of her own about beauty. She recently decided to do a photo shoot for Marie Claire magazine without makeup or any retouching. I get this mag, so I can't wait to get it in and check out the pictures for myself. I say, good for her.

I am definitely a girly girl, but it's always good to evaluate why I do all my girly stuff. Do I wear makeup because I feel pressured to or because I like to put it on and like myself in it? Do I workout like crazy because I feel the need to be a size 4 or because I love the way I feel afterward? To be honest, it probably varies for me.

Fishermen drop everything

My daily bible study this morning was Matthew 4. I have read the story of Jesus calling Peter, Andrew, James and John to be "fishers of men" a million times, but apparently, I've never read it.

This morning I started thinking about what caused these men to leave everything (family, friends, jobs, etc.) immediately to follow Jesus. These men had been taught to take care of their families. Peter lived with his wife and mother-in-law, for goodness sake. And they were the original crew of the Deadliest Catch. Yet, when Jesus said come, they didn't hesitate.

Quite honestly, I would have asked Jesus to give me all the details and let me get back to him in a couple of days. I started thinking of the people I admire. Is there anyone's invitation that would cause me to drop everything and follow them? It just doesn't seem human to be able to do that.

I'll probably stay stumped about that one, but regardless, Jesus must have been magnetic. There has never been, nor will there ever be, anyone like Him. I pray that I come to love Jesus enough to figuratively abandon everything to follow Him.

Being married to Dale Carnegie

Justin has been taking a Dale Carnegie class this year as something that was suggested by his manager. As we were having one of our usual talks on the way to church Sunday morning, Justin advised me to start living in "daytime compartments."

At first, I was amused by his ability to reference Dale Carnegie in a normal conversation, but I thought about it the rest of the day and did some research on the principle this morning.

"So let's be content to live the only time we can possibly live: from now until bedtime. 'Anyone can carry his burden, however hard, from now until nightfall. Anyone can do his work, however hard, for one day. Anyone can live sweetly, patiently, lovingly, purely, till the sun goes down. And this is all that life really means." Dale Carnegie, How to Stop Worrying and Start Living

I must admit, I have a bad habit of always looking ahead. This weekend was great, counting the days until the next one. Today is okay, can't wait until it's over. Can't wait to figure out what my career should be, can't wait til I get there. Justin is right; living in the present is not my strength. Never has been.

I'm challenging myself to make the best I can out of today. Work is light, so what can I do today to live it to the fullest. I'm about to go find out.

Serving Others

Jesus' call for us to serve others has been all over me lately-- in my bible study, in sermons on Sunday, at a Priscilla Shirer event, on K-LOVE. I get the hint God-- I need to get over myself and start thinking about others. :) I've been thinking about this for a while and felt like I needed to know what my spiritual gift is, or know what "mission field" God is calling me, or find a "place" to volunteer before I could serve. But after Priscilla Shirer's message last Saturday night, I realized that I need to start serving in the circumstances I'm in now, as unglamorous as they might be.

I found this Web site with some ideas on ways to serve others that started to jog my brain. My goal is to start tomorrow doing 1 thing each day to serve someone else. Big or small, I should be able to find something to do for someone if I can manage to escape from my own bubble. :)

If you have any ideas for more servant opportunities, please let me know. I'm game, even if it's a small thing.

I Should Have Been Irish

I think I remember hearing that my mom's side of the family is English, but I must have some Irish roots somewhere. I always have way too much fun on St. Patty's Day.

Listening to K-LOVE on the way to work yesterday got me in the St. Patty's Day mood. Eric and people calling in would give Lisa a topic and she would make up Irish songs that rhymed. I tried my hand at this when I went to pick up Justin after work. My song went something like this:

Li-dee, li-dee, li-dee, li-dee, li-dee, li-die, li

The day is finally over

I'm coming to get you now.

We need to go to the grocery

I'm hungry as a cow.

I thought it was brilliant. Justin just shook his head at me-- typical response to my craziness.

At work, it was a sea of green. It amazes me that so many adults put on green without being reminded or prompted. During the day, I listened to Irish music on Pandora and watched an online clip of Riverdance on the TODAY Show. This led to me doing my own Riverdance for a couple of my co-workers. Priceless.

Then Justin and I went home last night and had our version of Irish fare-- fish and chips. We topped it all off with Biggest Loser. (BL isn't Irish at all, but I love that show, so who cares.) Happy St. Patty's Day to all. Can't wait til next year. My personal trainer promises to do a Riverdance number in our Zumba class. I would be all over that.

Interesting Life Coaching Exercise

I recently started working with a life coach, due to my dissatisfaction with my career and general cluelessness about what my purpose in life is. My life coach and I talk via phone every 1-2 weeks and in between those calls, I have assignments.

One of this week's assignments was to imagine the people in your life (family, close friends, etc.) giving you one gift. I had to list what gift each person would give me and what it would represent. I thought it was an odd exercise, but I actually ended up enjoying it greatly. It really made me think about a gift that would sum up each special person in my life. For example, I said my dad would give me a shovel, because he values hard work. He is the hardest working person I know. My mom would give me a cookbook, because she loves cooking, but mainly because taking care of family is so important to her.

As the list went on and on, I began thinking about what my gift to others would be. How would other people sum me up into one gift? What would I want that gift to be? For Christians, no matter what the gift is, it should be wrapped in a "Jesus" bow, because we're supposed to share Him with everything we do. But what would my actual gift be? Hopefully when I figure out my mission as a result of this coaching process, my gift will become clearer.

New Laughing Cow Cheese Varieties

I just heard the good news. One of my favorite foods, Laughing Cow Cheese, is adding 3 new varieties. The new flavors are Blue Cheese, Queso Fresco & Chipotle, and Mozzarella, Sun-Dried Tomato & Basil. Expect to see them in the grocery in June.

Gotta love it. I whip up some great breakfast many mornings by mixing this cheese and egg whites or Egg Beaters. Good stuff and low calorie.

The Office- Jim & Pam's Baby

Last night's episode of The Office was great. It was finally time for Jim and Pam to have their baby. My favorite parts were Dwight deciding he needed a baby to help his sales, and the best by far, Jim telling Pam she needed to push the milk out for the baby. So funny-- I almost died laughing.

Apparently the whole baby thing must have been on my mind because I had dreams all night about babies. Michael Scott was even in one and he was hitting on women at a parenting class. Sounds like another episode. This Jim and Pam storyline is great-- first the wedding and now the baby. I love it. I can't wait to see their reaction when they go home and see that Dwight has ripped out their moldy kitchen cabinets.

Cook 1 Day, Eat for Weeks, Tip 1

I went to a continuing education class last week called "Cook 1 Day, Eat for Weeks" and picked up several good tips for spending less time cooking. By the time I get in each day, either I need a snack or dinner needs to be ready quickly, because I am famished. Must be all the hard work I do. haha. Anyway, I thought I would share some of the tips I learned at the class.

One of the tips for small families is to double or triple recipes you're already making and freeze them. So Monday I made a Greek dish called moussaka and doubled the recipe. The recipe was from Rachael Ray. I make 2 batches in 8x8 dishes. One dish was for eating this week, the other I lined with aluminum foil first and then added the ingredients. I put the aluminum foil dish in the freezer until the moussaka hardened and then I wrapped it up in aluminum foil and plastic wrap, then put it in a freezer bag. (Apparently, freezer burn happens when you don't wrap your food well enough, and I don't want that to happen.)

Planning on using the same technique this weekend. It's potluck breakfast at Sunday School, so I'm going to make a couple banana bread loafs and freeze them for future breakfasts. If I keep this up, I'll have to go buy that chest freezer I've had my eye on.

Protecting your morning

I read something by Dan Miller the other day about protecting your morning that I have been reflecting on. Check out his routine on slide #5. I have been thinking a lot about how I spend my mornings and how that sets the tone for the day. As the article says, "The first hour is the rudder of the day." I'm trying to get my quiet time and workouts done in the morning because I operate better that way, but I've also started thinking about how I spend my get-ready time and drive time. I used to listen to War of the Roses on 107.5 every Thursday morning, but I've since stopped doing that. That segment just allowed me to be entertained from someone's heartbreak. I've tried to find uplifting, happy songs/messages to start my day right. If you have any tips for incorporating other good things into your morning, let me know. I'm a sponge for this stuff.

Not your average workout

I almost killed Justin by talking him into trying Team Training with me. It was a Biggest-Loser-Jillian-wants-you-to-puke day. He made it through one of the circuits and the next thing I know, he's looking green under the gills.

But no wonder-- the boy gets up at 5:05, throws on some clothes and walks out the door. I try to give myself a little longer to do my morning bible study, drink some OJ and get ready. And this is not your average workout. (One of the older ladies, 60ish, trying the class said "I would not pay money to do this.") Even the warmup had me exhausted with the plyos and crawling work we were doing on the floor. I started saying "I can't do this," but I stuck with it and felt much better after I started letting out a few "woot woots" and counting out loud the last 10 seconds of each circuit. Our trainer is tough but sweet. My reaction to her telling me so sweetly the impossible thing I'm about to do is to laugh. Laughing is better than whining, right.

So the workout was killer but after I got home and took a shower, I started bouncing off the walls. I feel great; just sad I have to sit behind a computer all day. I'm ready to conquer the world. :)

Getting Ready for Gymapolooza

Justin has been talking to me lately about wanting to go back to the gym and get into a routine of going. That's fine by me; I don't mind working out at 5:30 and I actually enjoy the exercise part of losing weight. The dieting part is another story. There are so many great foods out there that just don't compare to pizza and mac n' cheese. Anyway, Justin had mentioned going back to Brooke at DAC to be our personal trainer. I found something on Facebook today and figured it was a sign from God to get off my butt. DAC in Southaven is starting a new personal training concept called Team Training, where there are 8 people in a group training together. The exercises are more functional, so they strengthen your muscles in the same way that you actually use them from day to day. For the next 2 weeks, they are offering a free trial and we are definitely on the list for the class the next 2 Saturdays starting 2/20. I'm on the reserve list for a couple of other classes and we'll just see what happens. Some of the exercises looked like what I've seen on Biggest Loser, so that's exciting. Check out the YouTube video from DAC.

Ducks Quack, Eagles Soar

I got the coolest story in my inbox this morning and wanted to share. I'd love to get this guy's cab and get some tips on how to stop being a duck.


Ducks Quack - Eagles Soar

No one can make you serve customers well....that's because great service is a choice. Harvey Mackay, tells a wonderful story about a cab driver that proved this point.

He was waiting in line for a ride at the airport. When a cab pulled up, the first thing Harvey noticed was that the taxi was polished to a bright shine. Smartly dressed in a white shirt, black tie, and freshly pressed black slacks, the cab driver jumped out and rounded the car to open the back passenger door for Harvey.

He handed Harvey a laminated card and said: 'I'm Wally, your driver. While I'm loading your bags in the trunk I'd like you to read my mission statement.'

Taken aback, Harvey read the card. It said: Wally's Mission Statement: To get my customers to their destination in the quickest, safest and cheapest way possible in a friendly environment....

This blew Harvey away. Especially when he noticed that the inside of the cab matched the outside. Spotlessly clean!

As he slid behind the wheel, Wally said, 'Would you like a cup of coffee? I have a thermos of regular and one of decaf.' Harvey said jokingly, 'No, I'd prefer a soft drink.' Wally smiled and said, 'No problem. I have a cooler up front with regular and Diet Coke, water and orange juice.' Almost stuttering, Harvey said, 'I'll take a Diet Coke.'

Handing him his drink, Wally said, 'If you'd like something to read, I have The Wall Street Journal, Time, Sports Illustrated and USA Today..'

As they were pulling away, Wally handed Harvey another laminated card, 'These are the stations I get and the music they play, if you'd like to listen to the radio.'

And as if that weren't enough, Wally told Harvey that he had the air conditioning on and asked if the temperature was comfortable for him. Then he advised Harvey of the best route to his destination for that time of day. He also let him know that he'd be happy to chat and tell him about some of the sights or, if Harvey preferred, to leave him with his own thoughts...

'Tell me, Wally,' Mr McKay asked the driver, 'have you always served customers like this?'

Wally smiled into the rear view mirror. 'No, not always. In fact, it's only been in the last two years. My first five years driving, I spent most of my time complaining like all the rest of the cabbies do. Then I heard the personal growth guru, Wayne Dyer, on the radio one day.

He had just written a book called You'll See It When You Believe It. Dyer said that if you get up in the morning expecting to have a bad day, you'll rarely disappoint yourself. He said, 'Stop complaining! Differentiate yourself from your competition. Don't be a duck. Be an eagle. Ducks quack and complain. Eagles soar above the crowd.'

'That hit me right between the eyes,' said Wally. 'Dyer was really talking about me. I was always quacking and complaining, so I decided to change my attitude and become an eagle. I looked around at the other cabs and their drivers.. The cabs were dirty, the drivers were unfriendly, and the customers were unhappy. So I decided to make some changes. I put in a few at a time. When my customers responded well, I did more.'

'I take it that has paid off for you,' Harvey said.

'It sure has,' Wally replied. 'My first year as an eagle, I doubled my income from the previous year. This year I'll probably quadruple it. You were lucky to get me today. I don't sit at cabstands anymore. My customers call me for appointments on my cell phone or leave a message on my answering machine. If I can't pick them up myself, I get a reliable cabbie friend to do it and I take a piece of the action.'

Wally was phenomenal. He was running a limo service out of a Yellow Cab. Harvey says he's probably told that story to more than fifty cab drivers over the years, and only two took the idea and ran with it. Whenever he goes to their cities, he gives them a call. The rest of the drivers quacked like ducks and told him all the reasons they couldn't do any of what he was suggesting.

Wally the Cab Driver made a different choice. He decided to stop quacking like ducks and start soaring like eagles.

Starting the career coaching process

I mentioned in the last post that I was going to start the career coaching process by filling out a questionnaire for Dan Miller. I started answering all the questions last Friday and finished yesterday. Some of them were doozies and really got my wheels turning. Thought I would share a couple just to start some good discussion.

• If the doctor told you today you had 6 months to live, what would you do in those remaining months? I realized that I would do a lot more to help others. Right now, it seems like I spend way too much time in a bubble. My little job, my husband, my friends, etc. Spending so much time on me isn't a very good legacy.
• What are you doing in your life now that will last forever? This was a bit depressing as I realized how short that list is. Only the things we do for God's Kingdom will last forever, so I need to get busy serving others.
• In writing your epitaph, what would you want people to remember about you? I identified two things-- I want people to see that I love God and that I lived each day to the fullest. Even though I have a pretty outgoing personality, I am a timid Christian and that needs to change. And I certainly don't live each day to the fullest. I survive Monday through Friday and spend the weekend being lazy and spending time with Justin.

The questionnaire was a great exercise in getting me to evaluate my life. Even though some of the things I discovered weren't so great, it at least opened my eyes. I pray that God does something extraordinary in my life and pushes me outside my box. (I know I should be careful what I ask for. My box is comfy.) :)

A Brand New Day

Well, yesterday was rotten to the core, but today is a new story. My work situation is still a disaster, but I sense God telling me that it's time to take a risk-- time to ditch my job and go find my calling.

I've started re-reading Dan Miller's book 48 Days to the Work You Love and I read something today that I had missed the first time. Isaiah 65:21 is talking about heaven and says: "In those days people will live in the houses they build and eat the fruit of their own vineyards." Apparently, there will be work in heaven; we'll be building houses and growing vineyards. Who knew? If work is important enough that we'll have it in heaven, God definitely doesn't want me wasting my life on earth going to a job that makes me want to poke my eyeballs out. When you wish for Jesus to come back on Sunday so you don't have to go to work on Monday, you know it's bad.

I really feel like it's time to step out of the boat and trust God. He knows the desires of my heart and he wants me to live an abundant life. I just have to totally give up control and jump out in faith-- always the hardest part for me. The past 24 hours has been a revelation to me; the only thing that is keeping me in this situation is me. Now is the time to be bold-- to hold His hand and jump.

Work is the devil

I think I can safely say that this has been a rough week. I had applied for two positions at STJ and found out the status of them both this week.

The first was the same job I have now, just one level up. My management had asked me to apply for it and then ended up offering it to someone else. Pretty much a slap in the face to me. I guess they were comfortable taking the risk since the job market is bad, and they think I'll stick around and suck it up.

The second was for a job in marketing which would be very different from what I'm doing now. More creative, strategic, etc. I did awesome on the interview, but got a call from HR today saying the position would not be filled.

So now I'm back at square one. I just wish God would show me what I'm meant to do. Maybe He's trying, but I'm not getting it. Back to the job hunt again. I can't keep doing a job I hate for people I don't respect anymore.

Groundhog Day

While I was getting ready this morning, I was able to catch Punxsutawney Phil announce that we are going to have six more weeks of winter. Naturally, like the majority of other people watching, I immediately thought of Bill Murray and the movie Groundhog Day. Then I checked my Hotmail this morning to find an email from Dan Miller with the following thought: Whatever you do, don't get stuck in your own version of Groundhog Day like Bill Murray did in the movie of the same name. Make each day a new day, full of activities that bring excitement and joy to your life.

For some reason, that depressed me. I feel a lot like Bill Murray, especially Monday through Friday. It seems like I'm often on the cusp of seeing my life become exactly what I want, but I can't figure out how to get to the other side. I want to be closer to God and be doing something for His Kingdom. I want to finally get control of my health and stop letting the extra weight limit my life. I want out of yet another useless job and into something that I love to do. It seems all I have are wishful thoughts and I can never make it to where I'm trying to go. All my goal-setting, fresh starts and plans seem to fall flat after a couple of days.

Frustrating. I'm determined to live an abundant, extraordinary life, but I can't figure out how to ditch the ordinary.

Lovin' My Tuna Melt Lunch

I always look forward to noon when I've packed a tuna melt for lunch. The recipe is by Hungry Girl and is the best thing ever-- especially since I'm not a huge tuna fan. Try it out:

Ingredients

• 5-oz. can chunk light tuna in water
• 2 heaping tbsp. light mayo
• 2 heaping tsp. dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp. shredded carrot
• 3 slice fat-free Cheddar
• 3 slice tomato
• salt and pepper as desired

Combine all ingredients in bowl except for cheese and tomato. Separate into three portions. When serving, spread tuna mixture on bread, top with cheese slice and tomato and warm in microwave for 20 seconds.

Yummy.

Research Day

Yet again, I am bored to tears at work and have taken the time to research a few things. Justin and I typically plan a couple of years in advance for any major purchases we want to make. One of my bucket list wishes is to go to Europe, and we're hoping to go next year so I started researching costs.

We went to Hawaii on our honeymoon, surprisingly, a 2-week tour of Europe won't cost that much more. I want to visit London, Rome and Paris-- maybe Venice if possible. Just reading the itineraries of these guided tours is exciting. The opportunity to see places I've only read about is unbelievable-- the Sistine Chapel, the Tower of London, the Eiffel Tower. We'll definitely have to save up, but I'm looking forward to the once-in-a-lifetime experience.

My Two Minutes of Fame

You know your day is crazy when you are watching the clock tick waiting for peanut butter snack time. I froze peanut butter on a spoon last night and have been looking forward to it all day. Anyhoo...

The big excitement for today is that I will be calling into The TODAY Show next Friday, 1/29, to be on the Joy S.O.S segment during the 8am hour. A few weeks ago, I emailed Joy a question about ground beef. I read online that you could rinse ground chuck (or another fatty meat) crumbles under water and reduce the fat percentage to be equal to lean ground beef, which is much cheaper. Joy herself replied saying she had never heard that but it was true.

So I'm getting pumped for next Friday and trying to make sure I don't sound like a redneck. I'm from KY, but I don't have to sound like it.

Funny TV Saves the Day

I must admit that yesterday was a rough day for me. Work, my health and thinking about how I spend my free time was really weighing on me yesterday. Therefore, I was in what I call a funk. Poor Justin, he likes me to leave the funk at work and be happy at night, but this one came home with me. Fortunately for him, a good dose of TV cured all.

Laughter really is the best medicine for a funk, so I thought I'd share these with you.

American Idol's Pants on the Ground Contestant-- Funniest thing I've ever heard and so true. Who are these guys who think it's cool for their back pockets to be hanging behind their kneecaps? Preach it brother. If you missed Idol last night, you have to check this out.

Jay Leno-- I decided to tune into Jay last night because of the Conan/NBC debacle and because I don't stay up late enough for the real late shows. (Justin suggested I DVR Conan, but I explained to him that it's not the same if you're not watching it late at night. Men.) They had a great video on there with a student dressed up as a gorilla chasing a student dressed as a banana right in the middle of a professor's lecture. Where were those 2 guys when I was in college? That is just classic.

Just thought I'd share these 2 random funnies with you, so you have a cure for your next funk.

Wisdom from Priscilla Shirer

Each morning, I love to read several blogs and Tweets to catch up on what my friends and the celebrities I admire are doing. This morning I read this post from Priscilla Shirer that really hit home. (Note: If you get a chance to see Priscilla in person, don't miss it. She is awesome.)

I can't tell you how many times I've went to church on Sunday and filled my God reservoir, thinking that would last me all week. But to be perfectly honest, Sunday School lessons and church sermons only got me through that day. Monday inevitably comes and my reservoir is empty. I'm discovering lately that reading my bible each morning, listening to Christian music during the day, sending up little prayers when something comes to mind, really does change the way I go through each day. It may sound corny (I used to think so), but maybe God is changing my heart. I hope so.

On another note, I'm going to hear Lysa TerKeurst speak this evening at Hope Presbyterian. I've been following her blog for a little while and just happened to hear on the radio (score for listening to K-love) that she would be in town tonight. Looking forward to hearing what God has to tell me through Lysa.

Snow Day Superstitions

The meteorologists are calling for snow here in the Memphis area tonight and all the kids and most adults are crossing our fingers for a snow day tomorrow. I wanted to share some superstitions I've heard around the office and read online about how to get a snow day.

• pajamas inside out
• wooden spoon under pillow
• penny under pillow
• spoon on window
• flush ice cubes through toilet
• leave ice cubes on porch
• drink root beer the night before w/ a straw
• do the Snow Dance: jumping around in your pajamas outside
• white crayon in the freezer then under your pillow before you go to sleep
• wear a colored sock on your left foot but not your right

Try some of them out for fun tonight and we'll see what happens tomorrow.

What the FDA Allows in Our Food

One of my latest reads has been the Eat This, Not That Supermarket Survival Guide. The beginning of the book addresses the quality of our food today. Warning: the information they share could make you sick.

The FDA limits the amount of rodent droppings and various other nasty items in food, but that limit is not zero. The regulations below are the limits the FDA set so that consumer's health will not be harmed.

Food item and Limit

• Canned pineapple- 20% moldy fruit
• Canned tomatoes- 5 fly eggs or 2 maggots per 500 grams
• Frozen broccoli- 60 mites per 100 grams
• Ground cinnamon- 400 insent fragments and 11 rodent hairs per 50 grams
• Peanut butter- 30 insect fragments or 1 rodent hair per 100 grams
• Popcorn- 1 rodent pellet in one sample or 2 rodent hairs per pound
• Potato Chips- 6% rotten potatoes

There's something that will keep you awake at night.

First Post, First Day of 2010

It's official-- I have my own open-ended blog. I'm no longer pigeon-holed into writing about just healthy food, so look out. The filter is off and everything is subject to being a topic of my rantings on the Web.

This blog is the result of yet another year's list of New Year's resolutions. I never accomplish them all but the ones I do make that year even more interesting. Justin makes fun of me for setting resolutions, but it's a lot of fun for me to look forward to the next year and think about what I'd like to try-- new experiences, changed habits, etc. Dave Ramsey recommends setting goals in several categories: physical, personal development/learning, family, spiritual, social, career and financial. Here are a couple on my 2010 list:

Personal development. I'm going to take one continuing education class through the University of Memphis this year. They have several interesting classes such as calligraphy, basic knife skills for cooking and cook once eat for weeks. Check out their Web site where they post the schedule.

Spiritual. An important goal on my list is to read my bible every day. I am the absolute worst at this. I've tried several times but can't seem to stick with it. But both I and the Good Lord know that I need a good word before going into work every day. I found the 5-minute reading plan by Discipleship Journal, and if I can't manage that something's wrong with me.

Financial. Justin and I certainly aren't out-of-control spenders, but there are a few areas that we spend too much in. I decided to follow another Dave Ramsey piece of wisdom by using the cash envelope system for groceries, household, dining and entertainment. And to take it a step further, I read about a challenge by All You magazine for their readers to spend only $25/person/week on groceries. It takes some coupon clipping and shopping sales, but I'm going to give it a try.

It's definitely not to late for anyone to set goals for this year. Give it a try and this time next year, you'll be reminiscing about 2010.