Holly and Kelly: Order of who goes first doesn't matter in today's post. Over the last few weeks, Holly and I have implemented some healthy habits that have actually been easy for us to stick with. No, we're not trying to lose weight or "go on a diet"; these are just small changes that we have implemented into our daily lives and eating habits.
* Read things: No. Seriously. You will be amazed at what you discover about the hidden things in food. For years I would eat these crackers (the cheesy crackers with the cheese inside. YUMMO!) Upon discovering one day, I found out that a package of 6 crackers had 210 calories and 10 grams of fat! YIKES!!! Not to mention other ingredients that I didn't even know how to pronounce. Probably safe to skip. Read your labels!!!!!
* Portion control: Easier said than done, right? Not necessarily. Some things we have done have been not going back for seconds, eating on smaller plates and trying to mix things up in terms of what we serve. Also, this relates to serving sizes; stick to those as well.
* Whole grains and other things: This one by far has been the most difficult. We've switched over to whole grain...pretty much everything; waffles, bagels, pasta, etc. In addition, instead of regular ground beef, a tasty alternative has been lean ground beef, turkey and...ground chicken! This goes back on reading; a package of regular ground beef has 31 grams of fat, while lean ground beef or turkey had about 8-10 grams of fat. Simple. Really really simple. Also, Holly and I have been watching out for the "enriched" flour and reducing processed foods, which has been a lot simpler than we thought it would be.
* More is better...in terms of water: Yes. Don't really need to go into detail.
* Walk it out: For the last few weeks now, Holly and I have been walking every evening/night, probably about a mile round trip. I have found that by doing this just every night, I feel better during the next day. I'm not as tired, I have more stamina and my ankle doesn't hurt as often. I will say this as a future healthcare provider; exercise doesn't have to be complicated. You don't have to join a gym, do Zumba and P90X or Insanity every day. If you're a beginner, then exercise like a beginner.
* Say no to salt and sugar: Well....not completely. But seriously. Salt and sugar are so super sneaky. Pretty much everything we consume has salt or sugar in it. For Holly and I, we don't leave salt on the table and on a rare occasion do I cook with it. Most of the time I don't even do that. Also, we've cut out snacking during the day, since I know I often snack on icky things instead of something healthy. As for sugar, again, it's something we've just been watching and paying attention to. Starting this week, we're switching over to sugar free coffee creamer.
* Limiting caffeine: Because too much is not a good thing. Now my definition of too much and your definition of too much differ. For me, I can't drink more than 2 cups of coffee...and that's really pushing it. And also, since Holly and I don't drink pop as much, we see it more now as a "treat" to indulge on every now and then. But if we have a pop one day then we don't have coffee on the same day and vice versa.
* Good night computer: Last semester, sometimes I would have trouble sleeping and "shutting off" at night. About a week ago, I noticed I was having the same problem. So I tried and tried to find a common denominator, and I did; the computer. For the past week, I've been shutting off my computer about 30 minutes before I want to go to bed, and let me tell you. I have not slept this well in a long time. Give it a try. See what happens.
* Splurge...in moderation. Any of these changes are not going to happen overnight. Be patient. And when starting something, DO NOT CUT BACK COLD TURKEY. You have to REDUCE first, otherwise frustration and possible setbacks always occur...at least they have for me. Be positive, and remember; you have to want these changes for yourself. It may take time, but you'll be amazed at how better you feel and the impact you're making on yourself in the long run. Feel free to share your own suggestions or comment on ours. Good luck :]
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Excuses and Generosity (With a Twist)
Holly: Excuses. They're like noses, everyone has one. Except Voldemort, of course. But why are we so insistent upon making excuses? It's almost like a reflex, in some cases. "I'm too tired". "I'm stressed." "I just don't feel like it." "I don't know what to do anymore." "I just didn't know what to do." And the list goes on and on...
In my own experiences as of late, I've learned that excuses don't really solve anything. They don't solve the problem. When I was a student and I had a deadline or something due looming over me, I wanted nothing more than to rid myself of the cloud of stress hanging over me. In short, I would get things done really really early. It didn't make sense to me to just have that THING hanging over you; GET RID OF IT was my mindset. Why? Why have that hanging over you? Just DO IT! And honestly, that mindset saved me so much time...as well as my sanity. Now that I have a full-time job, I've adopted this mindset as well. If I notice something that needs done, I just do it. It doesn't matter if I cleaned the same thing the previous day, or if I tested that one dog recently. Just do it. It makes me happy, and it makes my co-workers happy too because things are getting done. Which is the ultimate goal.
My challenge is this: if you have something you know you need to do, just do it. Make a plan, stick to it, intentionally set time aside. Just DO the bloody thing and GET. IT. OVER.WITH. Trust me on this one, you'll feel so much better when it's all said and done.
A quick plug about generosity (part 2 of the blog title): Kelly and I were talking earlier about our excuses and how sometimes this leads us to performing at less than 100%. Especially concerning professors we have encountered or are encountering now. They do SO MUCH for us and to us, it just seems reasonable and inexcusable (pardon the pun) to give them nothing less than 110%. We both know profs who stay later, make exceptions for students, extend deadlines, literally bend. over. backwards for them. For all they do to accommodate OUR needs, giving them just an inkling of something so precious they've given us...time...is the very least that we can do. Current students, let that be a challenge from me as I pass the alumni-student baton off.
Kelly: Having grown up with parents who are teachers, this conversation has stuck with me. I have seen my mom and dad bend over BACKWARDS for certain students, or a certain student just so they will do well. And that right there I think is the greatest act of generosity that a teacher can do. And those teachers who make those exceptions are depending on those students to follow through. And I have seen students disappoint my parents; and it genuinely hurts them. Ok enough about that. I know that when I get something done, especially something that we get assigned in the beginning of the semester, it is such a great feeling when it's all said and done! Example; when I took my summer class we had to do an 8-10 page paper. I started my research about 2 weeks before the paper was due and finished it a week before it was due. Meanwhile, while my class was scrambling around trying to get theirs done. And I was...done. Completely done! And trust me, there is no greater feeling. Stress is not good for anyone, but it aggravates my messed up joints, especially my ankle. So this semester I am going to do whatever it takes to ensure that extra pain doesn't happen.
Call me an over-achiever. Call me crazy. Whatever. It's just the way that I roll and I wouldn't have it any other way. I have been blessed to have wonderful professors who actually give a crap and take those extra steps to make sure that I'm succeeding. And I try to take advantage of as many of those opportunities as I can; in a way I feel like we owe it to them. I really do. And if you take just the small steps to take that initiative, then they're going to notice. Again, living example of that. I remember being in high school and getting stellar remarks on my report cards. "Kelly is such a hard working student," "Kelly always does more than what is asked." And just recently, I was told that a professor "likes my spirit." LITTLE things. It's always the little things that make a difference. And I'm not trying to brag or boast. I wasn't "raised" to be a good student; I just knew to. I knew to give 110% to my teachers and professors because I gave 110% to my parents. Again, it's the little things.
I feel that at 22 I am much more mature than I was last year. Even 6 months ago. And it's because I've had to grow up a lot. I went in kicking and screaming at first, but eventually the hand holding has to decrease. Especially with the rigors of my nursing academia, I had several wake-up calls in which I realized nobody was around to carry me. Except God. I feel that if you let God carry you through the hard times and the excuses, then you'll have the strength to carry yourself over the humps and away from the temptations. I hope that this blog can be a lesson to some of you, but it's also a lesson and a reminder for me. As a friend of mine always says: Choose happiness. Seek opportunity. Be encouraged. Make a difference.
In my own experiences as of late, I've learned that excuses don't really solve anything. They don't solve the problem. When I was a student and I had a deadline or something due looming over me, I wanted nothing more than to rid myself of the cloud of stress hanging over me. In short, I would get things done really really early. It didn't make sense to me to just have that THING hanging over you; GET RID OF IT was my mindset. Why? Why have that hanging over you? Just DO IT! And honestly, that mindset saved me so much time...as well as my sanity. Now that I have a full-time job, I've adopted this mindset as well. If I notice something that needs done, I just do it. It doesn't matter if I cleaned the same thing the previous day, or if I tested that one dog recently. Just do it. It makes me happy, and it makes my co-workers happy too because things are getting done. Which is the ultimate goal.
My challenge is this: if you have something you know you need to do, just do it. Make a plan, stick to it, intentionally set time aside. Just DO the bloody thing and GET. IT. OVER.WITH. Trust me on this one, you'll feel so much better when it's all said and done.
A quick plug about generosity (part 2 of the blog title): Kelly and I were talking earlier about our excuses and how sometimes this leads us to performing at less than 100%. Especially concerning professors we have encountered or are encountering now. They do SO MUCH for us and to us, it just seems reasonable and inexcusable (pardon the pun) to give them nothing less than 110%. We both know profs who stay later, make exceptions for students, extend deadlines, literally bend. over. backwards for them. For all they do to accommodate OUR needs, giving them just an inkling of something so precious they've given us...time...is the very least that we can do. Current students, let that be a challenge from me as I pass the alumni-student baton off.
Kelly: Having grown up with parents who are teachers, this conversation has stuck with me. I have seen my mom and dad bend over BACKWARDS for certain students, or a certain student just so they will do well. And that right there I think is the greatest act of generosity that a teacher can do. And those teachers who make those exceptions are depending on those students to follow through. And I have seen students disappoint my parents; and it genuinely hurts them. Ok enough about that. I know that when I get something done, especially something that we get assigned in the beginning of the semester, it is such a great feeling when it's all said and done! Example; when I took my summer class we had to do an 8-10 page paper. I started my research about 2 weeks before the paper was due and finished it a week before it was due. Meanwhile, while my class was scrambling around trying to get theirs done. And I was...done. Completely done! And trust me, there is no greater feeling. Stress is not good for anyone, but it aggravates my messed up joints, especially my ankle. So this semester I am going to do whatever it takes to ensure that extra pain doesn't happen.
Call me an over-achiever. Call me crazy. Whatever. It's just the way that I roll and I wouldn't have it any other way. I have been blessed to have wonderful professors who actually give a crap and take those extra steps to make sure that I'm succeeding. And I try to take advantage of as many of those opportunities as I can; in a way I feel like we owe it to them. I really do. And if you take just the small steps to take that initiative, then they're going to notice. Again, living example of that. I remember being in high school and getting stellar remarks on my report cards. "Kelly is such a hard working student," "Kelly always does more than what is asked." And just recently, I was told that a professor "likes my spirit." LITTLE things. It's always the little things that make a difference. And I'm not trying to brag or boast. I wasn't "raised" to be a good student; I just knew to. I knew to give 110% to my teachers and professors because I gave 110% to my parents. Again, it's the little things.
I feel that at 22 I am much more mature than I was last year. Even 6 months ago. And it's because I've had to grow up a lot. I went in kicking and screaming at first, but eventually the hand holding has to decrease. Especially with the rigors of my nursing academia, I had several wake-up calls in which I realized nobody was around to carry me. Except God. I feel that if you let God carry you through the hard times and the excuses, then you'll have the strength to carry yourself over the humps and away from the temptations. I hope that this blog can be a lesson to some of you, but it's also a lesson and a reminder for me. As a friend of mine always says: Choose happiness. Seek opportunity. Be encouraged. Make a difference.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Happy Birthday blog!
Kelly: So here we are! Today is the 1 year anniversary of The H and K Chronicles!!!!!! *insert cheesy applauses here* It's hard to believe that this tiny tiny idea has blown up into THIS! Doesn't already help that I am beyond excited and happy already today! I still remember the conversations Holly and I had before starting this blog. We jotted down some ideas, were thinking of titles and all sorts of things. Didn't really know what was going to happen once we started; sis and I were never the greatest at keeping diaries or anything like that. Too many things would happen and it'd be months and months before it would be picked up again. But hey...this blog hasn't done too bad.
Looking back now, I had no idea we would still have this. I was worried that we would run out of things to write about, but our ideas have increased ten fold. I enjoy the time that Holly and I devote to this blog; it gives us a chance to relay our thoughts to not only each other but to all of you who read this. Then I think about how much I have changed since a year has gone by. I know it's incredibly cliche and somewhat corny, but gosh. I have grown so much as a person, a Christian, and a fan. My interests have changed and the way I see life has changed. I've had so many struggles but way more joys and happy moments. I've made better life choices that have already started to reap positive results. I've grown to love things I never thought I would love (ahem Lord of the Rings and Sherlock!!!!!!!!!!!!!!). But yeah. We've made it! This blog has made it to one year. It's just...really awesome for a lack of a better word. It's still kind of strange to me; the idea of this blog. When we first started it, I just gave it to God and it has blown up and grown up. Yeah it isn't splashed all over the internet. Yeah thousands of people don't read it every day. But it's ours. It's mine and Holly's piece of the internet world and I hope that those who have read this or just skimmed it find something they love. Something they can relate to. Something they can appreciate. Something that touches them or makes them laugh. So this is also not for us but for all of you. THANK YOU for sticking it out with us, because without all of you who read this we wouldn't have gotten anywhere with it. Cheers for one year of blogging and hopefully there will be many more years of blogging to follow!
Holly: It's kind of hard to believe that one year of this silly little thing has already passed! So much has happened in a year, now that I look back on it. I mean, a year ago today, I was still in school, preparing to start my senior year, I lived in a shoebox with a crazy person (sorry Amanda, I still love you!!), I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, I had never seen/really heard of Lord of the Rings or Sherlock. In between that time I did some more growing up, reeled from an AMAZING summer in England, met two of my comedic idols (ahem, hi Colin and Brad *waves*), roared through my last semester of college, said "see you later" to some pretty amazing Biology people, graduated, moved out of my folks' house, moved into my first apartment, got my Bachelor's degree, learned how the unemployed feel, got introduced to Lord of the Rings and Sherlock (though not at the same time) and was HOOKED, got to know some really old and sweet Beagles, spent some more time with two pretty awesome friends who live nearby (now that we have a car!!!!!), learned a few lessons in customer service, and.....
Now I'm here. And there were many others in between.
It's hard to say where I'll be in another year from now. My life is not anything close to where I imagined it would be, and yet I've never been happier. I'm relishing in this time now, where I'm just working and putting myself out there, praying that something better (and maybe a little closer to home) will come along. But in the meantime I will gladly continue to drive 90 mins each day and dance with the sweet old Beagles in the hallway.
Like Kelly, I also didn't know where this blog would end up, and to be honest, I'm amazed it's been a year. This is the longest we've been able to keep up with.....well, anything, really. We just get so busy sometimes. But we stuck it out and I'm glad we did. I love looking back over what God's brought us through, where life has taken us, and I look forward to reading these entries again 20+ years down the road. I wanted to close by thanking all of those who take the few minutes every time we update to read over these entries. You are the reason we do what we do, and most of the time, you readers inspire us. So thank you. Here's to another year of chronicling! :)
Looking back now, I had no idea we would still have this. I was worried that we would run out of things to write about, but our ideas have increased ten fold. I enjoy the time that Holly and I devote to this blog; it gives us a chance to relay our thoughts to not only each other but to all of you who read this. Then I think about how much I have changed since a year has gone by. I know it's incredibly cliche and somewhat corny, but gosh. I have grown so much as a person, a Christian, and a fan. My interests have changed and the way I see life has changed. I've had so many struggles but way more joys and happy moments. I've made better life choices that have already started to reap positive results. I've grown to love things I never thought I would love (ahem Lord of the Rings and Sherlock!!!!!!!!!!!!!!). But yeah. We've made it! This blog has made it to one year. It's just...really awesome for a lack of a better word. It's still kind of strange to me; the idea of this blog. When we first started it, I just gave it to God and it has blown up and grown up. Yeah it isn't splashed all over the internet. Yeah thousands of people don't read it every day. But it's ours. It's mine and Holly's piece of the internet world and I hope that those who have read this or just skimmed it find something they love. Something they can relate to. Something they can appreciate. Something that touches them or makes them laugh. So this is also not for us but for all of you. THANK YOU for sticking it out with us, because without all of you who read this we wouldn't have gotten anywhere with it. Cheers for one year of blogging and hopefully there will be many more years of blogging to follow!
Holly: It's kind of hard to believe that one year of this silly little thing has already passed! So much has happened in a year, now that I look back on it. I mean, a year ago today, I was still in school, preparing to start my senior year, I lived in a shoebox with a crazy person (sorry Amanda, I still love you!!), I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, I had never seen/really heard of Lord of the Rings or Sherlock. In between that time I did some more growing up, reeled from an AMAZING summer in England, met two of my comedic idols (ahem, hi Colin and Brad *waves*), roared through my last semester of college, said "see you later" to some pretty amazing Biology people, graduated, moved out of my folks' house, moved into my first apartment, got my Bachelor's degree, learned how the unemployed feel, got introduced to Lord of the Rings and Sherlock (though not at the same time) and was HOOKED, got to know some really old and sweet Beagles, spent some more time with two pretty awesome friends who live nearby (now that we have a car!!!!!), learned a few lessons in customer service, and.....
Now I'm here. And there were many others in between.
It's hard to say where I'll be in another year from now. My life is not anything close to where I imagined it would be, and yet I've never been happier. I'm relishing in this time now, where I'm just working and putting myself out there, praying that something better (and maybe a little closer to home) will come along. But in the meantime I will gladly continue to drive 90 mins each day and dance with the sweet old Beagles in the hallway.
Like Kelly, I also didn't know where this blog would end up, and to be honest, I'm amazed it's been a year. This is the longest we've been able to keep up with.....well, anything, really. We just get so busy sometimes. But we stuck it out and I'm glad we did. I love looking back over what God's brought us through, where life has taken us, and I look forward to reading these entries again 20+ years down the road. I wanted to close by thanking all of those who take the few minutes every time we update to read over these entries. You are the reason we do what we do, and most of the time, you readers inspire us. So thank you. Here's to another year of chronicling! :)
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| One year ago: right after we published our first blog post! :) |
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| One year later. Taken about 10 minutes ago. Cheers! :) |
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Coffee Talk
Holly: No, I'm not talking about the SNL Linda Richmond sketch...although it is quite humorous. "Like BUTTAH!" Anyway...
I got off work a wee bit early today so Kelly and I met up at our usual favorite coffee spot and we had cinnamon hazelnut coffee and just talked about life and all its grandness. She brought up something that she had read earlier today, and I'm going to share the link (Yes, I KNOW it's about our favorite illustrious Brit Mr. C, but before you groan, roll your eyes, and call us a couple of crazy twitty fan girls, just read it):
Article here
Basically, our twin consensus boiled down to "Uh...for real?" I don't think circumstances or behavior have anything to do with how people perceive us. In some situations people can't help the way they were brought up. And just because you come from an upper class family, as Benedict Cumberbatch seems to have, it doesn't mean you're a posh snob. Or just because you come from a working class family of educators (like myself) doesn't mean we're poor or teachers pets. For me, I always try to give people the benefit of the doubt because we have no idea where people come from and what their stories are. I think it's really sad that a man of great talent (and I'm sorry, but in my opinion he is a BRILLIANT actor) is considering leaving his own country and coming to ours just because he's tired of all this mud-slinging. It's not even an issue of getting tougher skin, as one commenter put: it's like bullying, straight up. Bullying: yeah, that's something to get my blood boiling. I mean, kids are literally killing themselves over what others say about them. It's sad. Really, really sad.
I know I digress a lot, and I apologize. I guess my point is as simple as a cliche, which is don't judge people. I read a quote somewhere: If you judge people you have no room to love them. It's all about love, folks. Love people, love yourself. Or, like Kelly and I, love some Mr. C. Whatevs. Off to trim my child's claws (while she's sleeping!). Cheers!
Kelly: I know it doesn't seem like a big deal, but after reading this it sort of hit a nerve. Having been in similar shoes such as his, it's very frustrating. People just make assumptions about other people for no reason just for the sake of hearing themselves talk. Living an ordinary life is just too ordinary; some people have to get a rise out of staging a coup in other people's lives. And it's so sad. The question I kept thinking to myself was: is there an end in sight? My answer. I don't think so. Another unfortunate truth. Maybe I'm over thinking this or reading into it too much. Or maybe this is just one of the steps that I as a civilian am trying to take to put an end to this petty nonsense.
I was then thinking about stereotypes...slipping a bit into some things I learned in my summer class. It goes back to that quote that Holly mentioned. And we do it. We ALL do it. We make assumptions about people before we even know them. Though we have absolutely no way of knowing what is going on in their lives as soon as we start hurling those assumptions in our heads. I'm in no way not trying to preach or put myself above the common folk; I'm speaking for myself as much as anybody else who reads this. This is something that I am going to try to work on myself...shut off the assumption filter in my head. It's not easy and I am going to start....now. But I will close with this; just because someone is "posh," "poor," or whatever does not mean that its one size fits all. We are all not a one size fits all.
I got off work a wee bit early today so Kelly and I met up at our usual favorite coffee spot and we had cinnamon hazelnut coffee and just talked about life and all its grandness. She brought up something that she had read earlier today, and I'm going to share the link (Yes, I KNOW it's about our favorite illustrious Brit Mr. C, but before you groan, roll your eyes, and call us a couple of crazy twitty fan girls, just read it):
Article here
Basically, our twin consensus boiled down to "Uh...for real?" I don't think circumstances or behavior have anything to do with how people perceive us. In some situations people can't help the way they were brought up. And just because you come from an upper class family, as Benedict Cumberbatch seems to have, it doesn't mean you're a posh snob. Or just because you come from a working class family of educators (like myself) doesn't mean we're poor or teachers pets. For me, I always try to give people the benefit of the doubt because we have no idea where people come from and what their stories are. I think it's really sad that a man of great talent (and I'm sorry, but in my opinion he is a BRILLIANT actor) is considering leaving his own country and coming to ours just because he's tired of all this mud-slinging. It's not even an issue of getting tougher skin, as one commenter put: it's like bullying, straight up. Bullying: yeah, that's something to get my blood boiling. I mean, kids are literally killing themselves over what others say about them. It's sad. Really, really sad.
I know I digress a lot, and I apologize. I guess my point is as simple as a cliche, which is don't judge people. I read a quote somewhere: If you judge people you have no room to love them. It's all about love, folks. Love people, love yourself. Or, like Kelly and I, love some Mr. C. Whatevs. Off to trim my child's claws (while she's sleeping!). Cheers!
Kelly: I know it doesn't seem like a big deal, but after reading this it sort of hit a nerve. Having been in similar shoes such as his, it's very frustrating. People just make assumptions about other people for no reason just for the sake of hearing themselves talk. Living an ordinary life is just too ordinary; some people have to get a rise out of staging a coup in other people's lives. And it's so sad. The question I kept thinking to myself was: is there an end in sight? My answer. I don't think so. Another unfortunate truth. Maybe I'm over thinking this or reading into it too much. Or maybe this is just one of the steps that I as a civilian am trying to take to put an end to this petty nonsense.
I was then thinking about stereotypes...slipping a bit into some things I learned in my summer class. It goes back to that quote that Holly mentioned. And we do it. We ALL do it. We make assumptions about people before we even know them. Though we have absolutely no way of knowing what is going on in their lives as soon as we start hurling those assumptions in our heads. I'm in no way not trying to preach or put myself above the common folk; I'm speaking for myself as much as anybody else who reads this. This is something that I am going to try to work on myself...shut off the assumption filter in my head. It's not easy and I am going to start....now. But I will close with this; just because someone is "posh," "poor," or whatever does not mean that its one size fits all. We are all not a one size fits all.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Some days you're the gun...some days you're the smiley face on the wall...
Kelly:
In case you're wondering about the title of the blog...well, the above video describes it. I'm sure you've all heard the phrase (or something similar) "some days you're the bug and some days you're the windshield." The title of today's blog post is that same analogy, except I added a Sherlockian twist. Today has definitely been one of those days. Today I am definitely the smiley face.
Yesterday our water heater sprung a leak. A pretty big leak. Catherine noticed it yesterday, so for all we know it could have been running and running for days...which is sort of a scary thought. Apologies...hard to type with hang nails on BOTH of your ring fingers. >.< Anyway, so after church I ran out and called our water company on the way home. The guy basically said it wasn't his problem and told us to call the landlord...which we did. While at the grocery store, our landlord called me and said he'd be there within the hour. Long story short so I can get to the point, some valve needs replaced and will be fixed on Wednesday. Hurrah!
Anyway, coming to the point of this post. Today at church there were a few eye-opening moments. The ending theme was about being wealthy. My pastor asked the congregation if we considered ourselves wealthy. Thinking to myself...I said no. No I really didn't. Then some things were said and my thinking changed. Perspective. That's what it's about. Really. Again...felt like the smiley face on the wall. To be honest, if you REALLY think about it, we are pretty wealthy. Now that I've left church I consider myself pretty wealthy all things considering. Even if we have to survive without hot water for a few days. We've got it pretty well made. I'm listening to this song right now called "Good to be Alive." The song speaks for itself.
I wanna live like there's no tomorrow
Love like I'm on borrowed time
It's good to be alive.
Holly: Something to think about the next time you drive to work, go to your kitchen, or sit down with your family at dinner:
8% of the world's population owns a car.
1 billion people don't have access to clean water.
800 million people won't eat today. 300 million of those will be children.
In order to provide basic nutrition, water, and resources to those who don't already have them it would cost roughly $20 billion. In the grand scheme of things that doesn't sound like much, but that amount is roughly what Americans spend on ice cream each year.
Talk about counting your blessings. Definitely a smiley-face-in-the-wall moment for me. Our culture is so skewed in terms of perspective: our gotta-have-it-all-right-this-very-second, bigger, better, best, I-have-more-stuff-than-you attitude is just really crappy, bottom line. Even in my barely moved-into apartment I STILL feel like I have too much stuff. And in the grand scheme of things, I do. I know I do, and I try my best to downsize. But over the years, especially in college, I've come to realize just how pointless stuff really is.
Every day I'm trying to thank God for the things I do have, and also thanking God for when people pull through. Like today. I'm trying to be thankful for the things that matter in my life: my friends, my family, my church, people I work with. We just become so attached to our things, our money, that we completely lose sight of what's important. That is such a dangerous cycle. But I find that when I put my focus on God, everything else just falls into place.
Use things, not people. Love people, not things.
Yesterday our water heater sprung a leak. A pretty big leak. Catherine noticed it yesterday, so for all we know it could have been running and running for days...which is sort of a scary thought. Apologies...hard to type with hang nails on BOTH of your ring fingers. >.< Anyway, so after church I ran out and called our water company on the way home. The guy basically said it wasn't his problem and told us to call the landlord...which we did. While at the grocery store, our landlord called me and said he'd be there within the hour. Long story short so I can get to the point, some valve needs replaced and will be fixed on Wednesday. Hurrah!
Anyway, coming to the point of this post. Today at church there were a few eye-opening moments. The ending theme was about being wealthy. My pastor asked the congregation if we considered ourselves wealthy. Thinking to myself...I said no. No I really didn't. Then some things were said and my thinking changed. Perspective. That's what it's about. Really. Again...felt like the smiley face on the wall. To be honest, if you REALLY think about it, we are pretty wealthy. Now that I've left church I consider myself pretty wealthy all things considering. Even if we have to survive without hot water for a few days. We've got it pretty well made. I'm listening to this song right now called "Good to be Alive." The song speaks for itself.
I wanna live like there's no tomorrow
Love like I'm on borrowed time
It's good to be alive.
Holly: Something to think about the next time you drive to work, go to your kitchen, or sit down with your family at dinner:
8% of the world's population owns a car.
1 billion people don't have access to clean water.
800 million people won't eat today. 300 million of those will be children.
In order to provide basic nutrition, water, and resources to those who don't already have them it would cost roughly $20 billion. In the grand scheme of things that doesn't sound like much, but that amount is roughly what Americans spend on ice cream each year.
Talk about counting your blessings. Definitely a smiley-face-in-the-wall moment for me. Our culture is so skewed in terms of perspective: our gotta-have-it-all-right-this-very-second, bigger, better, best, I-have-more-stuff-than-you attitude is just really crappy, bottom line. Even in my barely moved-into apartment I STILL feel like I have too much stuff. And in the grand scheme of things, I do. I know I do, and I try my best to downsize. But over the years, especially in college, I've come to realize just how pointless stuff really is.
Every day I'm trying to thank God for the things I do have, and also thanking God for when people pull through. Like today. I'm trying to be thankful for the things that matter in my life: my friends, my family, my church, people I work with. We just become so attached to our things, our money, that we completely lose sight of what's important. That is such a dangerous cycle. But I find that when I put my focus on God, everything else just falls into place.
Use things, not people. Love people, not things.
Friday, August 10, 2012
The love that only few can understand
Holly: I almost totally lost my cool today. I'll get to why later...in hindsight, it's silly. But I've learned in my life to have a network of people you can count on whenever you lose your cool in various situations. Like I said, the person you run to when you're coming unglued depends on the situation; that's the case for me, anyway. 99% of the time, though, that person I go to is my sister.
At work this morning we got started late (hey, it's Friday y'all), and I swore to her up and down that I would be on time to pick her up. However, later in the afternoon my boss had to bail in order to run an errand, leaving three person work for two people (myself and another co-worker). In haste I called Kelly and told her that I would, in fact, be late picking her up, and after apologizing over Facebook chat, I thanked her. And I quote: "Thank you for being so understanding. Thank you for being obsessed with Martin Freeman with me, because you're one of the only things that's keeping me from completely losing my s*** right now." (Yes. I did swear. We all slip up, and I'm not perfect, nor do I ever claim to be. End of story). Although blunt, it's true. I honestly can't imagine the person I would be without my sister.
I'll be frank, 99% of the time Kelly and I partake in mind-numbingly boring and stupid activities. I'll disclose the sister obsessions...let's just say it involves a LOT of Brits! lol! What blows me away, and what Kelly pointed out earlier today, is that at 22 years of age and living together for basically that length of time as well...we never run out of things to talk about. We just GET each other. But the mind-numbingly boring and stupid activities we do together are the things that we're going to remember when we're in our 90s in a nursing home. Our relationship is unique. I'm not saying that every day is puppies and rainbows...we do fight and argue, mostly about stupid stuff, but never anything physical. But I'm grateful that we're as close as we are, and I can honestly say, although I do love going out just as much as the next girl, I would much rather watch YouTube clips with Kelly and eat moose tracks ice cream.
Kelly: I remember coming home from clinicals and the first thing I would do when I got in the van was start to text Holly. First off to let her know I was heading home and second I wanted to talk about my day. Hey, she was genuinely interested. A lot of times a few of my classmates would be like "who are you texting?" "Why are you texting her?" "Aren't you going to see your sister in like 45 minutes?" Uh...problem? Most of the time I just ignored it. The thing about being us is that having Holly in my life builds up my relationship with Christ. We build up each other in Christ. We hold each other accountable. We pray for each other and we pray together. We talk about Scripture together and we talk about how God is working in our lives. We share in our triumphs and our tribulations. I know some of you are thinking "well shoot I have FRIENDS to do that." Yeah. So do I. But it's different...I can always have that face to face time with a fellow Christian if I need it. And the fact that we are blood related just adds to the bonus.
There are so many things about us that are out of the "norm." We'd rather, like Holly said, eat ice cream and watch YouTube videos than go to a nightclub for drinks. We'd rather talk and giggle about gorgeous Brits and God than about who's with who and who broke up with who. We'd rather stop the negativity than continue to fuel it. I know not everyone is like that, please don't misunderstand me.
On TV, I've heard of stories of people not hearing from or talking to their brothers/sisters for years. YEARS. Ok, let's think. I'm 22 now...gosh. I couldn't even imagine. Could not even IMAGINE not hearing from Holly for years. Now I'm not trying to put our relationship on a pedestal, but I'm merely sharing how special my sister is to me. She can make me laugh as easy as she can tick me off. But it's the way we are. We're human beings who just happen to have the same DNA. But to me it's so much more than shared DNA. It's those moments of laughter, crying, talking and so on that keep us both going. It's those moments that we will remember and thank God for. It's that love that people may try to find but only few actually get.
At work this morning we got started late (hey, it's Friday y'all), and I swore to her up and down that I would be on time to pick her up. However, later in the afternoon my boss had to bail in order to run an errand, leaving three person work for two people (myself and another co-worker). In haste I called Kelly and told her that I would, in fact, be late picking her up, and after apologizing over Facebook chat, I thanked her. And I quote: "Thank you for being so understanding. Thank you for being obsessed with Martin Freeman with me, because you're one of the only things that's keeping me from completely losing my s*** right now." (Yes. I did swear. We all slip up, and I'm not perfect, nor do I ever claim to be. End of story). Although blunt, it's true. I honestly can't imagine the person I would be without my sister.
I'll be frank, 99% of the time Kelly and I partake in mind-numbingly boring and stupid activities. I'll disclose the sister obsessions...let's just say it involves a LOT of Brits! lol! What blows me away, and what Kelly pointed out earlier today, is that at 22 years of age and living together for basically that length of time as well...we never run out of things to talk about. We just GET each other. But the mind-numbingly boring and stupid activities we do together are the things that we're going to remember when we're in our 90s in a nursing home. Our relationship is unique. I'm not saying that every day is puppies and rainbows...we do fight and argue, mostly about stupid stuff, but never anything physical. But I'm grateful that we're as close as we are, and I can honestly say, although I do love going out just as much as the next girl, I would much rather watch YouTube clips with Kelly and eat moose tracks ice cream.
Kelly: I remember coming home from clinicals and the first thing I would do when I got in the van was start to text Holly. First off to let her know I was heading home and second I wanted to talk about my day. Hey, she was genuinely interested. A lot of times a few of my classmates would be like "who are you texting?" "Why are you texting her?" "Aren't you going to see your sister in like 45 minutes?" Uh...problem? Most of the time I just ignored it. The thing about being us is that having Holly in my life builds up my relationship with Christ. We build up each other in Christ. We hold each other accountable. We pray for each other and we pray together. We talk about Scripture together and we talk about how God is working in our lives. We share in our triumphs and our tribulations. I know some of you are thinking "well shoot I have FRIENDS to do that." Yeah. So do I. But it's different...I can always have that face to face time with a fellow Christian if I need it. And the fact that we are blood related just adds to the bonus.
There are so many things about us that are out of the "norm." We'd rather, like Holly said, eat ice cream and watch YouTube videos than go to a nightclub for drinks. We'd rather talk and giggle about gorgeous Brits and God than about who's with who and who broke up with who. We'd rather stop the negativity than continue to fuel it. I know not everyone is like that, please don't misunderstand me.
On TV, I've heard of stories of people not hearing from or talking to their brothers/sisters for years. YEARS. Ok, let's think. I'm 22 now...gosh. I couldn't even imagine. Could not even IMAGINE not hearing from Holly for years. Now I'm not trying to put our relationship on a pedestal, but I'm merely sharing how special my sister is to me. She can make me laugh as easy as she can tick me off. But it's the way we are. We're human beings who just happen to have the same DNA. But to me it's so much more than shared DNA. It's those moments of laughter, crying, talking and so on that keep us both going. It's those moments that we will remember and thank God for. It's that love that people may try to find but only few actually get.
Monday, August 6, 2012
Happiness and Joy: trying to reclaim them both.
Kelly: Earlier today, Holly and I were driving to get our electric bill straightened out. Not to worry...just a wee bit of confusion, but all is well now. Anyway, while we were in the car, we started talking about church yesterday and the sermon. Though its entirety was quite excellent, there was one particular part about it that we talked about, which talked about reclaiming the joy in our lives. For me it required a bit of thinking: where is the joy in my life? What makes me happy?
So I started thinking about it. There are A LOT of things that make me happy, but the joy in life comes from having God in my life. This morning I woke up, still dead tired but I uttered half-asleep but half awake "God. Thank you that I woke up this morning to live another day." Simple. And despite hearing some rather frightening news, I've been ok. I got out of bed happier and was not grumpy today. At all. Not even a bit. Well...no. No I wasn't. And that was God. That was all God and nothing else. Now I'm not trying to preach, but it's really true. I think that finding joy in your life involves making choices. Some choices will be big, others just small and subtle. But if you really think about it, in my opinion it really isn't that hard. You can choose the minute you wake up what your attitude is going to be like. If you wake up grumpy and pissy, then you're going to be grumpy and pissy until either the day ends or you eventually snap out of it. Harsh truth, I know. I'm not trying to be harsh, just genuine. So anyway, there actually is a point to all of this. For me, I think about things or people that make me happy and focus on them. There's too much negativity in the world as it is, and I'm trying to not let the weight of it bring me down. So far I think it's working. And trust me, people DO notice. Sometimes not right away, but they do. I cannot tell you how many times people have told me that I am a joyful person. Someone once said Holly and I have "contagious" personalities...interpret that however you wish.
One of my favorite movies is "The Bucket List." If you have not seen it, please do. Anyway, one of the last spoken lines is actually a letter that was written. One of the lines read says this simple phrase: find the joy in your life. Simple? Yes, actually it is. Another favorite movie of mine is Amazing Grace. Again, definitely worth a look. One of my favorite parts in the entire movie is when William Wilberforce is sitting on the dewy grass in his backyard, despite the fact he has a busy day. Anyway, he's about to start a prayer when he is interrupted by his butler or cook. He asks if he's ok, and Wilberforce's response is this:
It's God. I have 10,000 engagements of state today but I would rather prefer to spend the day out here getting a wet arse, studying dandelions and marveling at...bloody spider's webs. His butler then replies "You found God?" Wilberforce replies "I think He found me." Joy. Joy from the simple things even if you have a crazy day ahead of you. My challenge for me is to let God find me so that I may get lost in the joy of life and the little things around me.
Holly: "My challenge for me is to let God find me so that I may get lost in the joy of life and the little things around me." I could not have said that better myself.
It's suffice to say that Kelly and I have A LOT of apartment-related issues/things not getting taken care of. Aka absolutely nothing to do with us and entirely out of our hands and control. While on our short drive Kelly and I were debating on what we think the difference is between joy and happiness. To me, happiness is sort of just a feeling. Like I see stuff that makes me laugh, or a dog at work licks my arm...oh, that makes me happy. But joy is more of a choice. I was saying that it's a choice...DESPITE all the ^%@#$%^& going on, I'm choosing to have joy because the joy of God is my strength. I also gave us a new mindset challenge: to look at every day as if it is a miracle...because....if you really get down to the nitty-gritty of it, IT IS!! Back at Berea when Kelly and I were in our gospel choir (we've blogged about it many times), our learless feader/phenomenal woman of God would always say that we have to look at each day as if it is precious, because somebody went to bed last night and didn't wake up to see the new day. Somebody didn't wake up this morning. Somebody didn't make it home from work this afternoon. Some little kid didn't make it home from school. That's just the sad reality of it.
Earlier today I learned that a dear friend, mentor, and mother figure of mine had a heart attack last night. I had just spoken to her yesterday morning at church. My heart stopped, and it made me realize that life is way too freaking short and precious to have a bad attitude all the time. And it all comes back to joy. And people do notice. It sets you apart from everyone else. You become a light in such a dark world, and people reach out for just a glimpse of that light. Make sure to not burn it out!
I have a challenge for you: Have joy. Yes, I have absolutely no idea what is going on in your life, and I won't bore you with the details of mine. But I urge you to look at each day, and thank God/whomever you thank. Look to each sunrise and say "Thank you for a new day, a new start. I'm still HERE!" :)
We're still here.
"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." -Thorin Oakenshield, "The Hobbit"
So I started thinking about it. There are A LOT of things that make me happy, but the joy in life comes from having God in my life. This morning I woke up, still dead tired but I uttered half-asleep but half awake "God. Thank you that I woke up this morning to live another day." Simple. And despite hearing some rather frightening news, I've been ok. I got out of bed happier and was not grumpy today. At all. Not even a bit. Well...no. No I wasn't. And that was God. That was all God and nothing else. Now I'm not trying to preach, but it's really true. I think that finding joy in your life involves making choices. Some choices will be big, others just small and subtle. But if you really think about it, in my opinion it really isn't that hard. You can choose the minute you wake up what your attitude is going to be like. If you wake up grumpy and pissy, then you're going to be grumpy and pissy until either the day ends or you eventually snap out of it. Harsh truth, I know. I'm not trying to be harsh, just genuine. So anyway, there actually is a point to all of this. For me, I think about things or people that make me happy and focus on them. There's too much negativity in the world as it is, and I'm trying to not let the weight of it bring me down. So far I think it's working. And trust me, people DO notice. Sometimes not right away, but they do. I cannot tell you how many times people have told me that I am a joyful person. Someone once said Holly and I have "contagious" personalities...interpret that however you wish.
One of my favorite movies is "The Bucket List." If you have not seen it, please do. Anyway, one of the last spoken lines is actually a letter that was written. One of the lines read says this simple phrase: find the joy in your life. Simple? Yes, actually it is. Another favorite movie of mine is Amazing Grace. Again, definitely worth a look. One of my favorite parts in the entire movie is when William Wilberforce is sitting on the dewy grass in his backyard, despite the fact he has a busy day. Anyway, he's about to start a prayer when he is interrupted by his butler or cook. He asks if he's ok, and Wilberforce's response is this:
It's God. I have 10,000 engagements of state today but I would rather prefer to spend the day out here getting a wet arse, studying dandelions and marveling at...bloody spider's webs. His butler then replies "You found God?" Wilberforce replies "I think He found me." Joy. Joy from the simple things even if you have a crazy day ahead of you. My challenge for me is to let God find me so that I may get lost in the joy of life and the little things around me.
Holly: "My challenge for me is to let God find me so that I may get lost in the joy of life and the little things around me." I could not have said that better myself.
It's suffice to say that Kelly and I have A LOT of apartment-related issues/things not getting taken care of. Aka absolutely nothing to do with us and entirely out of our hands and control. While on our short drive Kelly and I were debating on what we think the difference is between joy and happiness. To me, happiness is sort of just a feeling. Like I see stuff that makes me laugh, or a dog at work licks my arm...oh, that makes me happy. But joy is more of a choice. I was saying that it's a choice...DESPITE all the ^%@#$%^& going on, I'm choosing to have joy because the joy of God is my strength. I also gave us a new mindset challenge: to look at every day as if it is a miracle...because....if you really get down to the nitty-gritty of it, IT IS!! Back at Berea when Kelly and I were in our gospel choir (we've blogged about it many times), our learless feader/phenomenal woman of God would always say that we have to look at each day as if it is precious, because somebody went to bed last night and didn't wake up to see the new day. Somebody didn't wake up this morning. Somebody didn't make it home from work this afternoon. Some little kid didn't make it home from school. That's just the sad reality of it.
Earlier today I learned that a dear friend, mentor, and mother figure of mine had a heart attack last night. I had just spoken to her yesterday morning at church. My heart stopped, and it made me realize that life is way too freaking short and precious to have a bad attitude all the time. And it all comes back to joy. And people do notice. It sets you apart from everyone else. You become a light in such a dark world, and people reach out for just a glimpse of that light. Make sure to not burn it out!
I have a challenge for you: Have joy. Yes, I have absolutely no idea what is going on in your life, and I won't bore you with the details of mine. But I urge you to look at each day, and thank God/whomever you thank. Look to each sunrise and say "Thank you for a new day, a new start. I'm still HERE!" :)
We're still here.
"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." -Thorin Oakenshield, "The Hobbit"
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