1 Shepherd

Once upon a time my husband went into the woods and got into a firefight with some other guys. He had a great time and started going to events like this more and more often. He would come home be dirty and exhausted, but would talk about how much fun he had. He worked and got this cool jacket for being a part of this organization. Finally, I got curious and decided to go with him, it was the hardest thing I had ever done.

But it was rewarding (and I got an awesome jacket of my own).

I didn't go to any other 1 Shepherd events that semester. But after the bruises faded and I forgot just how sore my muscles were I went to more events. Being a part of this organization has really taught me a lot about myself. I've learned just how strong I can be.

http://www.1shepherd.com/

Financial Management

Don't worry I'm not going to start telling you how to manage your finances. I'll leave that to the experts (or maybe a post later this month). Since the beginning of this year, I've been working on my MBA. Its been a really good experience. I registered for school on a lark last December and its been a really good decision. I've always been pretty good at school, so most classes have been pretty easy. But my last class was so hard. It was Financial Management. I spent so much time doing homework for that class, but I feel like I learned a lot.

Growing up I hated Math. In high school, 3 years were required so 3 years is what I took. When I picked a major in college, part of my reason for choosing Public Communications was the fact that it didn't require any additional Math classes beyond college algebra.

But now that I'm a little older (and possibly a little more mature) I see the value of math. After the midterm I actually started enjoying the math type problems. They had an answer that was right or wrong. You could go back and check your work. That was pretty nice.

I wonder what other things in life I am missing out on, because I've held a level of prejudice towards them. Pickles? ...no still don't like them.

Social Network

I had some friends invite Matt and I to go see The Social Network this evening. Basically its the semi-true Hollywood embellished story of the founder of Facebook. It was a pretty good movie, I liked it. I find it interesting though how much our lives have changed over the past 5 years or so.

Its like the creation of social networking has somehow made people less social in real life. I can learn all about your religions beliefs, relationship status and work history from your profile, but is that block of information really tell me who you are? I'm sure the things you post on your wall and the comments on your pictures can give me some insight, but really there is nothing that can replace a face to face conversation. It creates this weird dynamic of knowing all about someone, yet not having any idea of who they are.

Is it bad? Is it good? I don't really have any answers, I guess we will find out as more time goes by, but I do think that Facebook and really any type of social networking has completely changed the way we live.

NaBloPoMo

Guess What! I am taking a break this November from NaNoWriMo to participate in NaBloPoMo this year. Try saying that out loud. It doesn't really roll off your tongue. At all. But its fun. I think it will be good for me. Old blog, I've neglected you for way to long, but for the next 30 days I'm here.

Value Fiction

For this blog tour I received two books. Secrets by Robin Jones Gunn and The Golden Cross by Angela Elwell Hunt.

I had read Secrets a long time ago, but didn't really remember the story. What I love about this book and Robin Jones Gunn in general is how all her characters are related. It makes me happy when I get to see what happens in the life of a friend of Christy Miller many years into the future. I feel like I get to invest in her world and that I will hear little updates of characters that I have grown to love.

The Golden Cross is the second in a series. I reviewed the first book, The Silver Sword a last summer. It is somewhat of a standalone story, but is woven together by the girl who tells it. She is a descendant of Cahira O'Connor and tells the story of courageous woman in her family line. Aiden, the star of this story, is an artist, who gets a chance to learn, but it comes at a price.

The best part of the books in this tour are that they are only $5.99 each. Its a great price for a good book.

Secrets
by Robin Jones Gunn - Jessica has moved to a new town to start a new life. But a friendly fire-fighter and a suspicious boss both want to know what she’s hiding.

The Golden Cross
by Angela Elwell Hunt – Aidan O’Connor may be a poor barmaid but she’s also a gifted artists. When a famous cartographer takes her on as a student, Aidan is swept into an adventure that will bring her back to her heavenly Father, and into marriage with the love of her life.

Beneath a Southern Sky
by Deborah Raney – Daria Camfield is expecting her first child when her husband Nate is reported dead on the mission field. Devastated, she returns to the States and soon marries again. But two years later Nate is found alive in the jungle. How can Daria possibly choose between he two men who love her?

Deep Harbor
by Lisa Tawn Bergren – Tora, Elsa, Kaatje, and Karl face trouble, tragedy, and treachery across the Wast, Hawaii, Japan, and the high seas. These four immigrants from Bergen, Norway, each grow closer to God and learn afresh the value of faith, family, and coming alongside each other in times of need.

Faithful Heart
by Al and Joanna Lacy – The adventures of certified medical nurse and dedicated Christian Breanna Baylor continue as she travels by wagon train to visit her sister, Dottie, in California. Little does she know that her most dangerous encounter might be with Jerrod, her brother-in-law, who’s suffering from dementia caused by combat fatigue.

Yesterday’s Promise
by Linda Lee Chaikin – Rogan Chantry faces danger from tribesmen, ruthless politicians, and his own family as he searches for gold in South Africa. In England, his beloved Evy is injured by a mysterious assailant. The greed and intrigue surrounding the diamond mines could very well drive them irrevocably apart.

Office Wars - The Dish Ran Away with the Spoon (Part 2)

Yesterday, I told the tale of the Missing Forks. Today a small plate will be featured.

Sometime after the missing forks had been returned and all was happy in dishland, I noticed something. One of my plates was sitting on the desk of a lady who sits on the other side of my cube wall. (For reference our walls are about 5 feet tall, but the top 18 inches are plexiglass, so you can see through them.) I thought she must have needed it and hasn't gotten around to returning this plate. No big deal. But day after day this plate sat on her desk. Sometimes it had items on it, sometimes it was just there as decoration. I could have asked for it back, but I don't ever have an opportunity to interact with this lady, who steals plates.

The longer it sat, the more it bothered me. "Who takes something and doesn't return it? Doesn't she care that we can see she has it?" I considered putting up a "Lost Plate" sign like I did with the forks, but decided against it. The first time it was cute, the second sign would have made me look crazy. I finally devised a plan. I would arrive extra early one morning and take it back, without saying a word to her. The plate would be returned to me, just as it was taken.

The plan worked perfectly. My small plate has been reunited with the rest of the dish family. I thought all was well until today. I looked over the wall and saw it. I'm so ashamed..... she has a full set of dishes with the same pattern as me. She piled them up in a modern art sculpture just to taunt me. Her big plate, bowl, and mug are placed boldly on top of the cabinet where I cannot miss seeing them.

It looks like its time for me to apologize because as it turns out. I am the plate thief!

Office Wars - The Dish Ran Away with the Spoon (Part 1)

The Plate saga officially began way back in the fall. What happened is I had a spare set of dishes and old silverware in my cabinet at home. I thought, "Why have this stuff sitting around gathering dust? I'll bring it to work for my department to use."

So I brought the set of dishes and silverware into work. They always come in handy when someone unexpededly brings in a treat or even when you just need a fork for lunch. Things were going pretty well until one day we realized all the forks were missing! I send out an e-mail asking people to return them, but no luck. I put up a "Lost Fork" sign thinking that perhaps someone else had borrowed them.

Jackpot! The cleaning lady ratted out our neighbors saying they had used them a while back when working late and ordering chineese. They put the silverware in the kitchen, but they never were washed and returned. After much prodding they replaced the forks and eventually a few of the originals turned up back in the kitchen.

All is well in the cutlery world.

MBA

I did it. I signed up for classes back in December on the LAST day possible. I am now officially a college student again. This time, I am getting my MBA. I have to write an essay on why I want to get my degree as part of the application process.

I'm sure that I will come up with something that sounds good. But want to know the real reasons?

My company gives good tuition reimbusement.
I'm so bored with my current job.
All the people in management here are working on their MBA.
It's a good distraction.
I want to put MBA after my name to look more impressive.
You can only play so much Farmville.

So far its actually been a lot of fun. The first class I am taking is in marketing. I like marketing, its really just a bunch of common sense type stuff. Hopefully the next two years will go as well as this first class.

Blood Donation

Happy New Year!

I don't make resolutions at New Year because I think its silly to wait for a particular day on the calendar to make a change. You can make a resolution at any time.

This year I am resolving today, January 2nd that I will donate a pint of blood for Manic Mommy's 3rd Annual blood drive. Each pint saves 3 lives, and all it costs you is a little bit of time. Its a good cause, and donating blood makes you eligible for her raffle!

For more details visit her website.