life...in a nutshell

Hope

2010-08-29T22:13:00.001-04:00

she's only the cutest, happiest baby that i've ever met.
i'm so glad she's my niece!!

the big 3-0

2010-08-29T22:09:00.003-04:00

i turned 30 over a month ago. i was really, really dreading it. i'd had some personal life-goals that i'd wanted to hit before 30. i did not meet a couple of the big ones - for instance, i always felt that i'd be married, as well as have started having children by this time. at this point, i have no idea if it even will happen (i really hope so, though).

Then, about 3 weeks before i turned 30, i injured my leg playing softball. i got stuck on crutches for about 2 weeks, and am (now) almost back to normal. thankfully, i was off crutches by my birthday. additionally - 1 week before my birthday (just as i was getting off crutches), i wound up with a terrible abscessed tooth. i had had 5 dental-type appointments within 1 week (culminating in a root canal that occurred the day before my birthday). it was horrible (the week - not the root canal). my face got all swollen with the infection, as it spread to my jaw muscles before i got to the dentist. it took about 5 days for me to recuperate. Sufficient to say: by the time i turned 30, i had just turned the corner on my maladies and was finally feeling normal again, and was glad to have been distracted. :)

there are definitely times that i look back and see so much provision for my life. i have experienced SO much and been able to do SO many things in the past 7-8 years that i would never have experienced had i not been on this particular journey. i have some of the best friendships of my life right now and i am able to just sit back and revel in them, not worrying about trying to fit them in or maintain them through little communication.

by living independently in a house that i bought, for awhile with a roommate that paid me rent, i have been able to pay off all of my debt (read: college loans) and am working towards paying down my house.

God definitely has a plan for my life and i am just doing my best to live that out. he has blessed me abundantly and i wouldn't change that for the world... despite reaching 30 before i should have!

life in general

2010-08-18T14:11:00.004-04:00

i recently had the (what turned out to be) privilege of dog-sitting Shelby, an beautiful 8 year old pup. I think she's a mix of lab and rottweiler, although i don't know for sure. she was one of the sweetest dogs i've ever met - should her owners decide they can no longer keep her (of which there's a decent possibility) i may adopt her. i've been hesitant to get a dog in the past, but if there were ever a dog i'd adopt at this point in my life, it'd be Shelby. and as much as i really enjoy living by myself (well... me and my cat, anyhow), she is a great companion and i wouldn't mind having her around at all.

on a completely different note, there's been a recent... development... in my family within the past month. and by development, i mean life-forever-altering, harsh-reality-inducing, development. there are serious negatives, but with that come a few postives - there's a huge element of mixed blessings in it. however, it brought back to life some buried (albeit, not too deeply) feelings in me of envy, sadness, lonliness, and perhaps even a hint of bitterness. i hate that even in someone else's struggle, i focus on what i don't have. this realization makes me sad; i am able to let go of the envy and bitterness, but the sadness and longing still linger a little. i will press on, as always, but i'm still left wondering.

pain is good

2010-05-20T17:41:00.006-04:00

i heard something today that i thought was really good financial advice.

when it comes to money:
if if it hurts in the short term, it almost always works in the long term.
if it's easy in the short term, it almost always hurts you in the long term.

my main financial goal right now is to pay down my mortgage. i have gone through dave ramsey's steps of financial freedom, and these principles have been very good to me. this has taken a lot of hard work! but it has paid off - i am 29 years old; i don't have any debt except for my house, which i am paying down early; i am putting 15% of my income into retirement savings.

i remember a time, just after i graduated college - my dad told me he wanted to sit down & do up a budget with me. i was wholeheartedly against it. and lo, i didn't do a budget for several years! to me, a budget meant that i couldn't spend any money on anything that i wanted. several years later, i finally went to fpu & learned what a budget really was - deciding where all your money goes, instead of trying to remember what you all spent it on.

i like going through my budget and seeing how much extra money per month i can "find" if i do everything at the bare minimums; then taking all that "extra" and putting it into a calculator to see how quickly i can pay down my house. yes, i realize this makes me a nerd. :) my most recent calculations showed me paying off my house in 5 years. however... in order to do this, i'd have to continue having a roommate for the extra cash (which is NOT going to happen), i wouldn't ever do anything entertainment-wise outside the four walls of my house, and would have to eat mac & cheese and hot dogs the entire time. oh.. and nothing in my house (or car) could ever break. not so realistic! however, it does motivate me into remembering to watch my frivolous spending because i'm reminded that it all adds up!

Reason #476 for not being a criminal:

2010-03-25T06:27:00.002-04:00

Being literally stuck with annoying fellow inmates whom you cannot get away from, while they're incessantly talking and all you want to do is sleep.**

**disclaimer: i do not know this truth first hand thankyouverymuch**

Things I love Thursday - Crystal Light to Go

2009-09-10T02:05:00.002-04:00

i don't drink enough water. i have a very hard time with this, and one thing i do to help get more liquids in me is add Crystal Light to the water in my water bottle. it makes me MUCH more likely to drink & therefore stay hydrated.

I love Crystal Light On the Go packets as they are just the right amount of Crystal Light to add to a 16- or 20-oz water bottle. my favorite flavor is Natural Raspberry Peach - it's got the best flavor, in my opinion, and it also contains Live Active cultures to aid in digestion. the only problem is that it's tricky to find! only one of my local meijer stores carries it, that i've found... so i try & stock up when it's on sale!!

passing of time

2009-08-10T10:46:00.003-04:00

seriously - where does the time go?! people, do you realize it's the 2ND week in AUGUST? I swear i just pulled out my summer clothes. i haven't even washed all my sweaters from last winter yet! i've used my window a/c unit less than a half dozen times. i've been picking ripe tomatoes off the vines for the past 3 weeks, for the love!

i'm not specifically lamenting the quick passing of summer, but time in general. sure, i haven't had my fill of the beach, softball, digging around in the dirt, etc. as much as i enjoy the cold & snow of winter, i'm not ready for it yet!

but more than that, it's a fresh reminder not to play the "i can do this later" game. i'm sorry to break it to you, but "later" actually came & went - twice, i think!!

i've had the blank paperwork for a will, living will, and power of attorney for months... and i had been meaning to get my hands on those documents for about a year previous to that actually happening. i think, "i really need to get back into the scriptures regularly", and make a goal for myself that i'm going to start at the very beginning of next week. or tomorrow. or this evening. and the next thing i know, weeks have gone by and there's a layer of dust on my bible that i guiltily brush off, then lay the bible on my bed to read later. (i drive myself crazy sometimes.. when will i ever learn!)

i often wonder if part of this retrospection is due to being in a place in life that i didn't ever imagine for myself. i didn't picture myself at 29: single, working nights (50-60 hours per week), in a messy house (pesky housework!), lounging around in my pajamas at 11:25am in my pj's on a monday (my day off), living an independent life that comes with occasional disappointments i'd have never thought i'd live. don't get me wrong - i love so many aspects of the place i'm in in my life - and i know with my whole heart that it's not my plans that i'm living, but ultimately God's.

but i do look back and wonder, how did i get here? and how did that happen so quickly?!

life is not all about my problems

2009-06-19T12:01:00.001-04:00

i saw this picture today at 22 words and it gave me some serious perspective.
i am so, SO blessed.

thunderous

2009-06-19T11:47:00.003-04:00

we had some fantastic thunder & lightning last night! i was working (of course) & was sitting at the "front of the bus", dispatching, which meant i was facing west & had a row of windows in my line of sight past my computer screens. i also zoomed out the traffic camera's & made those "look" so i could see the flashes inside, too, on the monitors. i happened to be glancing up at the perfect moment & saw a thick line of lightning from cloud to earth... it was truly spectacular. it made me long to get out my SLR camera & take some time-lapse photos!

we're probably going to get more storms later on today too... and a small possibility of some severe weather. i hope the storms take the humidity away! (not to mention, make work less busy tonight.. )

Top Ten things I love about my job

2009-05-20T05:15:00.002-04:00

(and please note... these are things i love about my job, not the top ten reasons that i love my job... right)

1. job security. there will always be an abundance of stupid people. and criminals. every once in a while, i feel like i actually HELP someone. a true victim... not someone put into their situation as the consequences of their own bad, horrible decisions.

2. making funny comments to my co-workers after hanging up the phone. "guess what this person said they had wrong with them?? A FANNY RASH!" seriously... people want ambulances for the funniest things!

3. great quotes. for example, "the ambulance doesn't treat emotional injuries." or, when searching for the elusive word "anonymous", coming up with "unanimous", or "i want to remain a... a... a mystery!" descriptions of people: "black, skinny, & looks like a troll doll", or "tall, toothless, googly eyes;" "bald on top with long hair on the sides, like Ben Franklin." or even, "no front teeth, just the vampire teeth on the sides." yes, these are actual things that actual people have said. on a recorded line. :)

4. getting the inside scoop. i am nosy!! enough said :)

5. being a go-to person for all my friends' questions. want to register your new handgun? i can tell you where to go. need a CCW permit for that? i'll point you in the right direction. need a PPO? call the courthouse. not sure who handles a certain police/fire jurisdiction? i can tell you, and also rattle off the phone number by memory. want to know if you have a warrant?? ha ha.. i can't tell you that! nice try though! :)

6. telling people the brutal truth, straight out, no hedging. "Just because YOU think the police should come does not make mean that the police will actually come help you. and making threats that 'someone's gonna end up hurt' does not change our minds." "no, i will not give you permission to drive intoxicated just because you called to check the legal limit." no, i do not promise we won't ticket your vehicle if you're just leaving it there for an hour. in fact, now that you told me where a vehicle is illegally parked, i'll send someone out to look for it & ticket you." "no, we will not sit at your house & watch it all night because your drunk neighbor tried to get into the wrong house by accident. HE'S DRUNK!" if you want someone to do surveillance, hire a private investigator. if you need a ride, call a taxi. if you want to know the time, check a clock. if you want to know when you're electricity will be restored, call the ELECTRIC company. thank you.

7. becoming fluent in another language... drunk. i still have some trouble sometimes if the drunk person has a foreign accent... that can get tricky.

8. great explanations. mostly - people trying to make up stories of how there car was "stolen" when in reality they just traded it for crack. again. or how they got "robbed" when the person they gave their money to didn't give them any ______ (insert any/several of the following - weed/sex/guns/crack/purebred pit bull/candy/etc.) in exchange.

9. geography knowledge. if they ever make up a game about grand rapids geography, i will NOT play against most of my co-workers. i will, however, play against you. and likely win. :)

10. realizing that i really have things pretty good. there are lots of people in this very city who are going through terrible things. i may complain about my life from time to time (*ahem*) but i'm doing LOADS better than a lot of other people. amen.

seth turns 3

2009-04-16T02:52:00.007-04:00

yesterday, my nephew seth turned 3 years old. he is my sister's oldest child, the first grandchild born to my parents.

at the time he was born, i was playing the piano in the wedding of a close friend of mine. the church happened to be literally right around the corner from the hospital - a useful location as I managed a few extra minutes between the ceremony & reception to go see him.

one of the cutest things he did as an infant was stick his lower lip waaaaaay out just before/as he started crying... and it always managed to quiver a little. it was the cutest thing! one couldn't help but laugh at him.

seth is a great kid. he loves to give & receive hugs & kisses, tell jokes, play with his little sister, run around in circles, watch for the mail/garbage/fire trucks and school buses, read, talk, and sing. he also highly enjoys rides on grandpa-great's "cadillac"!

before he was born, i was talking with a good friend of mine who was a new aunt at the time. she told me that she was amazed to realize how much she could love a child that wasn't actually hers. i was kind of surprised at her sentiment at the time... however i have realized this very truth for myself. i am looking forward to someday having my own children (hopefully), but in the meantime, i will thoroughly love & enjoy both seth & his sister as much as i can!

history

2009-04-14T04:47:00.012-04:00

a few years ago, i took a trip with my parents to eastern europe. we visited budapest, hungry; krakow, poland; and prague, czech republic. the last leg of our journey was then spent in munich, germany. we stayed with friends of my dad, volker & su. we were able to spend some time in the village of pipping, which is a little ways outside of munich. through some connections of volker's dad, horst, we got a tour of the church in pipping from a history professor who gave us a lot of background into the town. who knows whether this is where our ancestors are from, but it was still fun! here are the notes i took about it... it's a little long, so feel free to skip to the pictures!

The Village of Pipping was founded in 1325. There was an average of 50 people living there, on the river Wurm. The land was sold to a duke, Sigmund. Sigmund established 3 churches, 1 km apart, in the 1400's. Also established was the village/town of Blutenburg ("like blossoms"). Sigmund had a house built here, just outside the village of Pipping.

This specific church was established for the poor village of Pipping. The purpose of building the church was because the villagers could not afford to go on a pilgrimage to Austria where St. Wolfgang was buried to visit his grave. Once the church was built here, they could worship. The town of Pipping was made up of mostly farmers who were poor. None of them had their own full section of land to farm on, but split a section of land between several families. Fathers would pass down their section of land to their oldest son. Because the portions of land were so small already, they would not be split between all the sons. The younger children would have to move out of Pipping because there was no hope for their future. Thus, the rest of the children in the family would relocate to other parts of Europe or to the States.

The church building is 500 years old. It has the original main structure with a wooden beam ceiling (constructed without using nails). The bell tower burned about 250 years ago, and was reconstructed; however everything else is original. There are frescoes in the alter area that were painted by Jon Polock, who also the guy who painted the frescoes in the Frouenkirk in Munich. Because of the duke's connections, he was able to get a famous Polish painter and also a renound archetect & builder, both of whom went on to build the Frouenkirk. St . Wolfgang's in Pipping was one of Polock's first works, thus his proportions are not always accurate.

To create the frescoes, the stone walls were first painted with a coat of chalk. While the chalk was wet, the frescoes were painted. When the paint and chalk dried, it created very permanent paintings. This method was pivotal in the preservation of the frescoes.

A few hundred years later, the people in the church decided that the "style" changed' and they didn't like the frescoes anymore. They painted over them, and left the walls plain white. About 150 years after that, they removed the paint and found the frescoes in wonderful condition.

The balcony is original, however the organ was put in about 50 or 60 years ago. It had to be made special due to the structure of the church. The original church door remains in place, and they still lock it with the original, very large key. There's no heat in the church as the design did not lend itself well to this modern addition.

The outside of the church is white. The outside is indeed white, however recently the caretakers have discovered that underneath the outside layer of paint are original frescoes that also were painted over. Thus far, only a few test sections have been restored, but the church doesn't have any money to do further restorations.

signs of spring

2009-04-13T10:44:00.005-04:00

last monday, on my weekend, i had an opportunity to go visit a very dear friend of mine, becky. she lives about an hour away and i do NOT see her nearly enough! we had a great time chatting the day away about everything in life - family, friends, dreams & hopes, health, worries, shopping, movies, technology... and everything in between, it seemed.

i saw signs of spring all over the place on my mini-trip. sun, coolish-warmish breezes, things starting to turn green, veggie plants starting inside in pots, and...

baby chicks!

becky & her husband paul raise chickens & had just gotten a new batch of about 50 chicks a few days before i was there. they were kinda hard to photograph... the little buggers move quick!

becky's daughter, alia & i got a good close look at them. they'll 'grow up' soon and start laying eggs by the fall. but for now... they're just cute!

another month in the books

2009-03-26T19:39:00.003-04:00

i just realized it's been over a month since i posted anything. the past month has actually been a very good one. (i say this like i'm surprised...)

i've had less OT in march, which has been fantastic. i had another 40-hour week in there, which was a huge blessing. i ended up picking up some OT for the end of this month; believe it or not i had actually been feeling kind of guilty about working so little. how's that for messed up! (our individual and group OT hours are posted each month. i didn't want to be at the bottom for filling the least OT! i indeed scorn those at the bottom of the list; it's a group effort, people!)

i was able to attend the out-of-town wedding of my dear friends emily & aj. i had a great time, despite being seriously tired throughout the entire weekend, due to a quick flip back & forth between 3rd and 1st shift sleeping schedules. it was a gorgeous wedding! plus i enjoyed spending 2 days with friends!

speaking of sleeping schedules, we had our shift-bid at work. i will be working 3rd shift indefinitely. i knew it was where i was most likely to end up, and i'm content with it. despite the annoyance of my previous scheduling (month-to-month), it was kind of nice to work a variety of shifts, and to enjoy the pro's of each (i.e. sleeping in EVERY DAY while working 2nds, the normalcy of 1st shift, etc). however, being able to actually plan ahead & know what my schedule will be for the next six months is very settling. i have already been able to plan switching a day off with a co-worker in july to correspond with a family vacation. if i were still month-to-month, i'd have to hope for the best and hold my breath until the end of june, hoping for possibilities.

the month had it's fair share of struggle as well. i wrote a post about that too, but haven't made a decision on actually publishing it here. i'll likely do some editing & post it eventually.

i was able to spend some time with my family - we had a great family dinner in there, i've spent some serious time talking with my sisters, & went to reading time at the library with my niece & nephew. speaking of, it will be seth's 3rd birthday in a few weeks. i'm hoping to spend lots of time with those kids in the next couple of weeks!

i'm off to get myself ready for my 'day'... including a trip to big lots for a few groceries & household items, then off to sweet anne's house for some traditional thursday night tv watching & popcorn and chocolate consumption!

of blue moons and crime

2009-02-24T10:51:00.009-05:00

i usually try not to post too much about work. i figure, it takes up enough of my life - i don't have to write about it too!! along with that, there's the great confidentiality debate... plus we can't give away all our inside tricks & secrets. :) however... i thought this week's highlight deserved a post.

here it is...

i worked a 40 hour work week. *gasp*

i know... shocking! i consider this surprising enough for a press conference; i consider this to be incredibly newsworthy and consider it equally as sad. i thought of trying to figure out the last time i had a 40-hour week, and - frankly - it almost made me weep. needless to say, there have been only 2-3 since i became an independent (not with a trainer) worker... which was right about 2 years ago.

while i can say (at this point, anyway) that i really like my job, it really hasn't always been the case. the segments of training i've gone through have not been pleasant. the immediate months after said training, where i was deemed a capable employee (i.e. i was responsible to do that job), were full of stress and strife.

has it been worth it? i don't think i'm quite ready to answer that yet. have i grown as a person?? ABSOLUTELY. so maybe it has been worth it, in that regard. but is it worth all the time i've had to spend away from my family, my friends, myself, my life?? that's a definite no.

at what point do the 'absolutely' and 'no' equal out??

time off and... well, that's the important part

2009-02-09T19:31:00.005-05:00

so this past weekend i took 3 days vacation from work in order to go up north on an annual trip with friends. except for the part about switching sleeping schedules (which was annoying and tiring), we had a phenomenal time. Matt & Heidi, Jayme & Glen, Molly & I all left on friday afternoon for a cabin on lime lake (near sutton's bay), thanks to jayme's family connections. we packed food, booze, snowboard/ski equipment, movies, & magazines and headed to the great white north.

saturday was a great day of snowboarding for me/skiing for J&G at crystal mountain, and relaxing & shopping for M, H, & M. the weather was unseasonably warm up north too, and while the snow was a bit sticky, it was also great to not have to worry about freezing our fingertips off and were able to enjoy the rides. in the evening, we headed to the casino for a little fun with the slots... and i actually came out a winner! i put in $10... and made it up to $50! i spent $20 more and lost it, so i stopped there.

sunday we slept in, had a great breakfast, then headed out to cherry republic for some wine tasting & shopping. a huge highlight this year is that they started making hard cherry cider - it was fantastic!! we made the brief stop at lake michigan for the annual "we're-freezing-and-it-takes-forever-to-get-the-picture-correct-on-the-timer" snapshot, then we were off to visit the beautiful black star winery where we enjoyed some fantastic wine & cheese, and also sampled some phenomenal chocolate! seriously... you should look at this chocolate. it was fantastically artistic, and was some of the best tasting chocolate i have ever tasted. :)

we headed back on sunday evening. i had taken monday off work as well, so it's been good to relax & not have to rush back to work 3-4 hours after getting back. and i have one night of work before my scheduled weekend, so it's a great week for me!!

25 Random things about me

2009-02-05T09:18:00.001-05:00

a crossover from FB...

1. i am a middle child. i have severe case of middle-child syndrome - mostly (I think) due to the fact that i'm a true middle - the middle of 3 girls, all born within 3.5 years of each other.

2. i have a serious sweet tooth and the cavities/fillings to prove it.

3. i drive a stick shift and wouldn't have it any other way.

4. i work all the time. i really like my job... but i really DON'T like all the extra hours i'm required to work - i want my free time back. however, i am also very thankful to have a great job in this economy... so if i complain too much, please remind me.

5. i enjoy cooking & baking, though I don't do either very often (see #4). i tend to do more cooking than baking.

6. i never went to summer camp as a kid. thankfully, i was able to work at a camp in PA for 2 summers when i was in college. i only knew 3 people going into it (my sister, her fiance, and his brother) but i came out of it with many good friends.

7. i love snowboarding! i don't go very much though (see #4). i only have one marginally-fancy trick... a flat spin. i don't do jumps or rails or anything... i'm content to just ride!

8. i am an eternal optimist. i can always point out the good things in a crappy situation, even if i don't really buy into it. (see #4)

9. i hate running. there's simply no purpose for it unless someone's chasing you... or maybe you're chasing someone else.

10. i ran a 5k once. i really, really didn't like it (see #9), much to my sisters' and dad's dismay. someday i may try again, but i really can't see that happening anytime in this life. maybe i'll try again in heaven... it should be easier then.

11. i have over 100 pairs of socks, including only 2-3 pairs of plain white socks (for athletic purposes only). i frequently pick out what socks i want to wear for the day, then plan my outfit around those socks.

12. Oktoberfest (the real one, in Munich), is the best party i've ever been to! (despite the fact that i don't like beer...) I did indeed drink beer there, and even wore a dirndl. :) i would highly recommend going.

13. all 4 of my grandparents are still living. this is very unusual for someone my age - i do not take this for granted! i don't go visit them as much as i should. i regret that.

14. i've played the piano since i was 7 years old, and took lessons for 10 years. i love making music, but it's yet another thing i don't do very often (see #4).

15. my all-time favorite beverage is milk. i'm really hoping this pays off in the long run, as i don't plan on breaking a hip someday.

16. i also really like dr. pepper. and amaretto sours.

17. my favorite way to exercise is swimming. incidentally, one of my first jobs was teaching swimming lessons. i eventually became a lifeguard too.

18. i have a cat named Emmett. he's very loud, and actually announces when he has to poop. he's such a boy.

19. i really enjoy sewing. i do a lot of mending & little projects; when i was in high school (and apparently had free time), i made several quilts.

20. i have bachelor of science degree; i double majored in social work and Bible/Theology.

21. i have had the privilege of traveling to europe 3 times. i enjoy eastern europe more than western europe, but only by a little. i can't wait to go back again!

22. i love wrinkle release spray for clothing. it's 352% better than ironing.

23. i have gone skydiving, and it was incredible! my instructor let us do several flips on the way out of the plane. :) i hope to go several more times in my lifetime.

24. i have inactive tuburculosis. i 'caught' it when i was 3 years old & had to take a 1-year course of drug therapy. i haven't had a skin-test since... because i will always test positive.

25. i LOVE to laugh. it is my favorite activity of all time.

happily ever... 60 years and counting

2009-01-07T23:06:00.005-05:00

Today is my grandparents' 60th wedding anniversary. This is a picture of both of them, taken about 10 years ago.

They started dating when they were back in the Netherlands. My grandma's family decided to immigrate to the States, and my grandpa decided he didn't want to be left behind! They all immigrated in 1947... not coming over by boat through Ellis Island but by airplane, eventually landing in Grand Rapids where their sponsors were. They got married January 7, 1949 and lived in Wyoming for most of their lives.

They have 2 children, 6 grandchildren, and 7 great grandchildren. They now live in an apartment at Sunset Manor, in a retirement community & still function mostly independently.

They have lived through a lot.

World War II ravaging their beloved homeland. Immigrating to a brand new country, without a hint of knowing the language and only $10 in grandpa's pocket. Raising 2 children. The civil rights movement. Seeing great-grandchildren being born. Illness & death of friends and family. Yet they press on, fighting against their age with grace and strong faith in God.

I love them dearly!

Happy Anniversary Grandpa & Grandma!

scheduling

2008-12-30T03:23:00.003-05:00

i've officially switched to 3rd shift. as far as i know, it's a 4-week assignment. it may last another 4 or 8 weeks beyond that, who knows. thus... it's 3:23 am and i'm alert & ready to go (presently on break at work). so far i'm doing all right with the "time change" - a bit more sleepy all around but really not bad. one thing i'm very glad about... i finally have my evenings free again!!!

i can see clearly now...

2008-12-02T22:16:00.004-05:00

soooo.... i bought 3 new pairs of prescription glasses today. it may have been a bit of overkill! i went to my eye doctor today for my yearly (*cough* quite possibly, bi-yearly) eye exam. I was not intending to buy a pair of glasses from my eye doctor's office, as I've been wanting to try zenni optical for quite some time. however - i did not want to buy new glasses with an old prescription... hence, today's appointment.

i did, however, walk out of my eye doctor's office having ordered a new pair of glasses. :) my insurance does cover a great deal of the cost - plus, i'm kind of a stickler regarding my eyes. i've put a lot of energy and money into them & that makes me kind of picky! it will be awhile before they come in, though... they ordered the frames today, but they will wait until january 2 to order the lenses (so insurance covers more of the cost).

back to the zenni optical thing... i made sure to get a copy of my prescription after my appointment today. i went home & did a little "looking", which of course ended in me purchasing. :) I will (hopefully) get them sooner than the "official" eye doctor pair. i'm excited.... i'm an accessory girl, and these are a very useful accessory!

simple reminder

2008-11-30T01:49:00.003-05:00

tonight we sent a few officers out to a call that included some people trying to hold down a man who was intoxicated, acting violently & claiming to be satan. as i sent the officers, i sent a message to one of them, joking that he (the officer) should try & get a straight answer from the crazy guy, seeing if he really was claiming to be satan. he later said that the guy was just yelling a lot, nothing in specific. i quipped that i'd hoped i'd be able to go to church tomorrow & let everyone know that we'd taken satan into custody. :)

the officer reminded me how much of a better world we would live in if it weren't for sin & destruction in the world. how much more often i should remember & reflect on our personal and global need for redemption. every day, i have a very clear view of all the trouble in the world... and it only gets worse, not better. yet God's mercy prevails, despite all we do that gets in the way. we have a generous, gracious & magnificent God!

thanksgiving and the day after

2008-11-29T00:38:00.005-05:00

Thanksgiving was wonderful. My family followed along traditional lines and met up with my mom's side of the family at my aunt & uncle's house. I think we had 23 people there... it was a whole lot of fun. My cousin Lydia (10 years old) made up placards for everyone so we all had assigned seating. She's the best - she wrote on the inside of every person's placard the things she was thankful for, regarding that particular person. I can't think of a whole lot of 10 year-olds that would come up with that kind of a plan & implement it all on their own! Anyhow, all the "adults" (my grandparents, their children & spouses) were at one table, and all us grand kids & great grand kids were at the other table. I must admit... we had a great 'kids' table! My favorite food part of the meal - the mashed potatoes, hands down. I think they were THE very best mashed potatoes I've ever eaten. Really. They were spectacular.

Then, for a light supper, we headed over to my dad's parents' apartment. (They live in a retirement home.) Not that we needed more food... certainly not by any means! But it's important to go see them too. My grandma makes the best sugar bread. Actually... I've never had sugar bread that anyone else has ever made. But it's still the best! We visited with them for awhile then jetted. We had plans to make.

Black Friday plans, that is... It's been a part of our Thanksgiving-weekend routine for the past couple of years. This year was fairly understated, which was good. Past years have included a 5-way phone call the night before... and past years also may have included a spreadsheet. :)

This year, thanks to some internet shopping (thank you, thank you Al Gore/whoever actually invented the internet), the only stores to hit in the morning were Target and ABC Warehouse. Since I've been on a much different sleeping schedule than the rest of the fam (I generally sleep from 2 or 3am until 10 or 11am), they were all gracious enough to let me sleep this year! I met up with them for breakfast, of course... some things are indeed worth getting up for.

non-update

2008-11-16T23:32:00.005-05:00

i don't have much to say. scratch that... i don't have anything to say that's suitable to post on the internet. i've decided that i really can't post much regarding work... gotta be careful with that. and i don't do a whole lot except for work. this is a sad reality.

ok - so i lied. one minor thing at work (see?? nothing to talk about except for work...) is that the test i've been waiting to take has finally been scheduled for tuesday afternoon. it's the cumulation of all the training i've had for the past 2 years. i'm not really that nervous about it. no one (and i mean NO one) ever fails the test... they prepare us pretty well. but still... just a tad nervous. i don't want to be the one person in the history of city employment to fail the test. that would suck.

also - i get to sleep in tomorrow! getting up to work day shift these past 3 days has been brutal... for as much as i complain about being on 2nd shift, i really, REALLY like to sleep in. :)

the young have spoken

2008-11-05T02:22:00.004-05:00

i really don't consider myself politically minded. that's mostly because i really don't like politics. i can appreciate a healthy debate, but too many opinionated people all together is a recipe for making me stressed out. one thing you may not know about me, however, is that i enjoy statistics. here's a set of statistics that i was looking at (analyzing, if you will) that i consider very interesting:

presidential vote by age*:

*statistics were taken from www.cnn.com, exit poll numbers, approx 1130 hrs, 5 nov 2008

there is a 20% difference between those above age 65 and those below age 30. these groups are separated by 35 years and over 20% of the vote. a simple generalization - by these numbers, the younger you are, the more likely you were to vote for obama. the older you are, the more likely you were to vote for mccain. there are dozens of ways to interpret that very generalization. there are obviously many other conclusions that can be deduced from the numbers, but i'll look at just the one.

the younger generation is more likely to push change. they are more adaptable, more open to new ways of doing things. the older generation is more likely to want to keep things the same, or take change at a a slower pace. they go for the tried-and-true, the familiar, the "safe" route.

on the other side of the coin, the older generation has experience & wisdom on their side. they have lived through more experiences and have had to adapt to more changes. they could be more realistic in their view point, having learned (a lot of times, the hard way) that change is very difficult and doesn't happen without consequences - both the expected & unexpected. the younger generation is more idealistic in their approach - seeing what they don't like and pushing to change no matter what the consequences, for better or worse; we'll live through the consequences by dealing with that when the time comes.

it's clear that those desperate for change in our country outnumber those who are more reserved on the matter. one thing is for certain - the imminent changes will certainly shape the future of our nation. we have taken the fork in the road and we are branching out from our previous path. will we regret taking this path, once we get far enough to realize the trouble & chaos e have gotten ourselves into? or will we marvel at the amazing revelation of relief we feel once we get to a point of order and peace, wondering why the heck it took us so long to get there?

fall back

2008-11-02T02:21:00.003-05:00

i love daylight savings (in the fall, of course) just the same as the next person. what could be better, actually!? a whole extra hour of sleep... or (even better, in my opinion), staying up a whole hour later without the quantity of sleep being compromised!

i walked into work this evening (at 5pm) remembering that i was working OT - as the extra person answering phones from 1am-4am. about an hour later... I realized this meant i was still working 4 hrs of OT as I had to sit through 1am twice.

*sigh*

still... it could be worse... i could've had to stay for "4" hours originally and ended up with 5 hours of OT. or, i could've ended up like Sal... who got forced for a double & thus ended up working 17 hours in a row.

poor Sal. :(

2008-10-25T11:45:00.002-04:00

my last post was almost 2.5 years ago. that's a loooooong time ago (as Anne keeps reminding me)... lots & lots has changed.

Looking back to my last post, I had taken the muscle relaxants after falling down the stairs at my house at 11pm. I remember laying on the floor at the bottom of the stairs & wondering if I had broken my back! As I laid there I tried to figure out how long it would be until someone would find me (as I was living by myself then)... then realized it could be awhile, so I got up. Then debated going to the ER... but the next day I was supposed to complete a required test for a prospective job. I debated whether I'd really be able to sit through the test... but I did go; made it through the test, then promptly went to the med center for x-rays! nothing broken... and 6 mos later I had a new job.

Life has not been the same since... I now live in a world of forced/required overtime, for which I have little to no use for (except for that it gives me something to despise in life). I don't regret taking the job, by and large... I'm just sick of missing out on life due to the job. "Next month it (the OT) will be better"... is what we've been hearing for the past 6 mos at least. And not only has it not decreased, it's actually increased. *sigh*

When do I get my life back?

Excuses

2006-06-30T11:45:00.000-04:00

The funny thing about muscle relaxers is that your brain is a muscle. My brain really isn't functioning properly today...mostly short-term memory issues. Coincidence? I think not...

"Today is the last day..."

2006-06-11T16:03:00.000-04:00

I have a theory I've developed over time. Amongst famous Pippingisms is the proclimation, "Today's the last day" to eat fill-in-the-blank leftovers, with the assumption that surely on the dawn of tomorrow they will no longer be edible. This phrase was quite commonly used at Saturday lunches, where leftovers from the past week cumulated and were forced upon us. Actually, that's probably not accurate. I'm not a huge sandwich fan (unless I can have yummy extras on it, such as lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, etc.) and I generally would volunteer to eat said leftovers. I'm quite certain that I ended up eating quite a few leftovers where the following philosophy applied:
~~Yesterday was probably the last day, but as fill-in-the-blank leftovers are still in the fridge, and seeing as how we need to eat lunch today, why don't we just eat it and pretend that today is the last day before said food will expire.~~
The phrase, "When in doubt, throw it out" did not apply in our home. It was more like, "When in doubt, at least eat several mouthfuls before making a decision." Also influencial, the lack of obsene smells or growths. If you don't really notice anything amiss, you're fine.

According to my own personal philosophy (currently not endorsed by the CDC, or really anyone for that matter--except my sisters, who also were subjected to the aforementioned Saturday leftovers), I do believe that over time, one's stomach gets more used to foods that have a higher bacteria count in them, and thus decreases the chances that one will get food poisoning. I think that my parents scoff at my philosophy as they would never have intentionally put us in any sort of harm's way. They insist that they never subjected us to anything "too old" to eat. There was a great value placed on the comsumption of leftovers for several reasons: first, as not to be wasteful (definately high up on the stewardship scale) and second, to not buy more food than necessary (also making an appearance on the stewardship scale, but more importantly, high on the thrifty/penny-pinching scale). The possible side effects of the leftover-eating were lower on the importance scale than the inherent value of leftovers. Incidentally, the CDC notes that 5,000 people per year die of foodborne illnesses. Of course, these include people not washing their hands after handling raw meat and other such silly behaviors. I don't think that leftovers fall into the same category of raw meat--I would generally guess that one could get much sicker, or get sick more easily from raw meat rather than leftovers. And frankly, all three of us Pipping girls were rarely sick as children. The only time I remember being off school for a significant time period was when I got strep throat in 3rd grade.

Interestingly enough, I still thrive on leftovers. As a thrifty/penny-pinching person myself, I embark full-steam ahead on the use of leftovers. Fortunately for my stomach, I usually consume any leftovers well within the readily accepted 3-4 day window of time, given that I don\'t have much other food in my house at any given time. And I still rarely get sick. Thus, the proof of my philosophy. :)

foster parent month

2006-05-16T18:23:00.000-04:00

For those of you who are unaware (or have forgotten), I work in foster care. I am a licensing worker for LCFS (Lutheran Child & Family Service) and have for the past 3.5 years. I highly enjoy the agency I work for. My job is to conduct all regular "maintenance" on our foster homes...I have to do a home visit to each of our homes once per year and I also conduct investigations when someone says that they, as foster parents, have done something they shouldn't have done. The yearly visits are enjoyable. The investigations are not.

I was privileged to spend my morning today on the front lawn of our state capital building in Lansing. May is foster care month, which means that if you know any foster parents, tell them thanks! There was a "rally" this morning (I'm not sure what a rally all entails, but I'm pretty sure what we did today wasn't very rallyish) in which we stood in front of the capital building and listened to a few people give speeches about what great things foster parents are doing and what the state is doing (or trying to do) to improve the foster care system in Michigan. Then we retreated to the tent where we had our booth set up for people to take our pens and candy and other LCFS freebies. They gave us free pizza too. It wasn't the most exciting event in the world, but it was much preferred over sitting in my office working on my reports!

mourning my lack of unnecessary things

2006-05-16T18:12:00.000-04:00

My life has taken an interesting turn the past month and a half. The utter lack of several luxury items having a presence at my house has been a hard change. No doubt, the benefits of having moved to my house outweigh these disappointments, but yet, they linger. I do not have a computer. Or an internet. Or any TV channels. Previously, I had regular access to all of these things at my residence (including cable channels). I do have internet access at work (and thus, I'm able to check up on other blogs and even leave comments, but I don't feel justified in taking the time to write out my thoughts, post pictures, or really do anything that will take more than about 2 minutes time. While this helps me feel connected to everyone else, it does not help you all feel connected to me! I'm sorry for this...it cannot be helped.)

My TV viewing, however, can be rectified. :) I have wonderful friends who bless me with time in front of their TVs for the necessities in TV viewing (namely, Grey's Anatomy). I can't say that it would even make sense for me to have any TV channels at this point...I'm never home to watch them, along with the fact that I have to sit 2 feet in front of my TV to catch any sort of a detail of what I'm watching (it's a small, small TV).

Yet, as I sit here at the library and complain about these things, I am reminded that these things are luxury items. My life is absolutely complete without these items. I can fully function without 24/7 access to the internet and TV. It's just that I don't want to. :)

Meet Seth

2006-04-26T18:15:00.000-04:00

This is Seth. He is my very cute nephew. It works out well because I go to my sister's house to use her computer and inernet, and that's where Seth lives! Now is that some good planning, or what? :) I got a few extra auntie points because I changed his diaper. Apparently little sister won't do that or "deal" with spit up...she does't get extra auntie points.

Another big happening is that softball season is just around the corner! I'm very excited about this, although last night at practice I had an unfortunate wrist incident. All I did was catch a fly ball...very routine...and my wrist twisted and I pulled a muscle or something. It generally feels okay until I bend or twist it the wrong way and then it hurts lots. I'm really hoping that rest and ibuprofin will help things.

The house is good (I thought I'd beat you all to the punch...everyone is asking!). I just got a lamp for my living room today, so I can finally sit there in the evenings. It's wierd to sit in one's living room without any light, I've come to realize. Ah well, all is remidied. Other than a few other odds and ends I need to pick up, things are going swimmingly. And I still need to figure out some storage in my bathroom. There really isn't any ideal place to put any sort of "normal" bathroom cabinet or other storage. Perhaps I will take some pictures, post them, and get input from all of you creative geniuses (genui?). Alas, that is what I will do. Start thinking....

huh

2006-04-19T16:54:00.000-04:00

apparently it worked. :)

minor confusion

2006-04-19T15:39:00.000-04:00

So apparently I have to post a picture to this website in order to change a thingie to get it to appear next to any comments I make on any blog. I'm really not sure it's I can't, but as far as I understood, I can't. So at least I can start the process!!

This picture was taken at a wedding I was in this past weekend. The wedding was a great time. I played the piano in it, and had several other friends also in the wedding.

All right...now the pic is published to the web...we'll see if anything happens from here! :)

Time for something new

2006-04-02T22:07:00.000-04:00

Today when I was at church, I had a conversation with a few fellow musicians regarding blogging. I have had several blogs, but I feel that I need to expand my horizons and branch out into the lovely world of blogger.com. I'm hoping it's a successful run...I don't have as much time to post as some others...ahem... but I hope to be successful in this venture regardless. To the moon, Alice!