11 Odd Questions

This is a challenge from my friend Patti. These questions were posted on her blog which is simply divine.

1) Do you hit the ground running when you first wake up or are you slow to warm up? I hit the ground running! I usually give myself 20 minutes from the time I wake up to the time I am out the door.
2) What is your favorite movie of all time? The Notebook because I believe it en captures the love story I am going through. The last half of the movie will hopefully be the next half of my life.
3) What is the best vacation you've ever taken, and why?
I liked going to Hawaii and going snorkeling. I got to see coral, dolphins, large fish and taste pineapple ice cream.
4) Do you have a hero in your life? Who and why? God is my hero because he won't give up on me.
Patti is my hero because she has stuck by her man. Tylor is a hero because he has stuck by me.
5) Cat person, dog person, or other?

Cat person. Purrrr, dogs are kinda intimidating. Cats are gentle and they like to sleep. So they are like me.
6) Favorite subject in elementary school?
English! I love words. My second favorite would be technology.
7) What is your favorite kind of food?
Chicken nuggets. I know its gross, but its what I grew up on. Nuggets and ketchup!
8) If you could ask God for ANYTHING what would it be?
If he could give me some heat in my apartment to keep warm.
9) What do you like to do in your spare time? Don't have
any? Pretend. I like to curl up and read a good book and drink some hot chocolate or tea.
10) What helps you get your creative juices flowing?
Journaling or day dreaming.
11) What genre of book do you tend to read the most?
 Right now I am reading Cake Boss and I am learning about business, life and cooking.

My questions for you are:
1. What is your source of heat in your house?
2. Is that heat source expensive?
3. Which one do you like best? Hummingbirds, dragonfly's or butterfly's?
4. If you could be free from one thing what it would be?

Bringing Hope To the Suffering

Acknowledging that there was pain in my life was a tough realization to come to last year. But last year I had to start over and take a hard look at myself. In September 2011, I found myself living at home, working part time, scrounging for money, barely being able to hold onto the idea of hope, and running (in the literal sense) from any pain I might possibly feel while living out my life.

I think it was fair to say that while I did have a home, friends who had a home that let me in and a boyfriend whose family welcomed me into their home, I had my bags packed and was ready to run. It sounds cowardly, but it was the sad truth.

Granted I still struggle with communicating and responding to people, rather than just reacting, fixing, and fleeing from painful situations. But in July, 2012, after graduating from a year at Freedom Session at Faith Assembly of Lacey, taking a self employment business class that taught me how to hone my skills as a professional, learning to budget money, and examining in my heart what I wanted to do with my life, I ended up finding, applying and subsequently taking a position with the Red Cross in Tacoma as a (Listener/Story Teller).

I also became a facilitator's assistant and signed up for an other round of Freedom Session. I am still the secretary for Lutheran Women's Missionary League, and I am going to be on the Board of Evangelism at Trinity Lutheran Church come January. Life and Times as my mom always says!

My Red Cross job entails bringing hope to the hopeless and alleviating suffering endured by those affected by a natural disaster or emergency. Just recently, I was creating a flier about our Holiday Giving Campaign and the graphics on it that were created by National, said Let it Hope, Let it Hope, Let it Hope. I just smiled knowing personally that for me, hope is the result of faith and faith is something I realized I had to hold onto last year when times were bleak. Faith & Hope is what I cling to now to stay sane and healthy.

After a year of getting to know my mom's passion for healthy living, I now leave my apartment every morning with a vi shake in my hand and vitamins in my pocket. I want to lose weight and know that I can if I eat healthy, drink my vi and exercise. I look forward to holding Challenge Parties at my apt complex's community room soon too. What I am really excited about is that I have my own apartment now (#B52, wifi is titled "Rock Lobster Network" and it looks like a pink bomb went off when you come in).


Life has suddenly become fast, furious and fulling, but I feel so incredibly blessed to be able to say that my life's entire work whether it be Mon-Fri or on the weekends is to bring hope to the hopeless and alleviate people's suffering. God is surely an amazing God who is full of grace and mercy and will use what you have been through to help others.