Psalm 111

Psalm 111
1Praise the Lord.
I will extol the Lord with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly.
2Great are the works of the Lord;
they are pondered by all who delight in them
3Glorious and majestic are his deeds,
and his righteousness endures forever.
4He has caused his wonders to be remembered;
the Lord is gracious and compassionate.
5He provides food for those who fear him;
he remembers his covenant forever.
6He has shown his people the power of his works,
giving them the lands of other nations.
7The works of his hands are faithful and just;
all his precepts are trustworthy.
8They are steadfast for ever and ever,
done in faithfulness and uprightness.
9He provided redemption for his people;
he ordained his covenant forever--
holy and awesome is his name.

10The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
all who follow his precepts have good understanding.
To him belongs eternal praise.

i got a job!!

it's technically not official yet since i don't sign my contract 'til this week; but i got a job offer from perot systems. i will be a healthcare business systems analyst at the tufts medical center in boston, massachusetts. yes, that's right, boston. i'm a little worried that it is so far away and incredibly cold but very excited to try someplace new- boston is supposed to be a fun place to live. i start january 12th and live in boston for 30 days before doing six weeks of training in plano. then it will be back to boston. this is my first job that comes with health benefits and a retirement plan, which makes me feel very adult (since i am an adult, that is a good thing). also, the job involves interacting with physicians and no IT, which makes me happy. anyway, the job is an answer to prayer, but please keep praying because i have to find a place to live and moving up there and getting started is going to be expensive and i won't get a paycheck 'til the 30th. i know God will provide; He always has. i just have to quit worrying and trust Him.

school update: 1 more final to go before graduation!!!
**while i am excited about graduating and definitely ready to be done with school, i am a little apprehensive. i realized that i've been in school for a long time (almost twenty years?) and it is something that i'm good at. what if it is the only thing i'm good at? i've never had an "adult" job before and am kind of afraid i'll be a huge failure. i'm hoping these are just insecurities that come with the fear of the unknown and starting something new and that i'll get over it eventually.

quick brock story: i made a carrot cake for my mom's birthday on friday and when brock and brax came over to give her their present, brock asked if he could see my cake. he stuck his nose right next to it, took a big whiff, and announced, "mmmm... it smells like delicious cinnamon." i'm not sure if he even likes the taste of cinnamon, but he apparently likes the smell.

merry christmas to me!

since i was in DESPERATE need of new running shoes (we're talking incredible foot pain when running in the old ones) i got my christmas present early -in time for the turkey trot. We went to the FW Running Company and they filmed me running on the treadmill and then played it in slow mo on a monitor in order to figure out which pair of shoes would be best for me. i learned that i roll by ankles when i run, which i already knew since i kick my calves with my heel- btw, my calves looked huge! anyway, here are my new shoes... aren't they pretty?!?!?in other news, school is ALMOST finished. i finally finished my huge research paper so now i only have one and a half more presentations and a final exam and i'm finished. now i just need a job. keep praying, please.

it may still be over 70 degrees outside...

but it is officially wintertime (yes, wintertime and not christmastime--christmas comes AFTER thanksgiving people)... because today i ordered my first "double tall peppermint twist mocha extra hot". we will not discuss the fact that there was no "non-fat" put in that order because it was simply amazing.

btw, if you're not a starbucks person, coffee mate makes a wonderful peppermint mocha creamer.

sidenote: i'm interviewing with perot again today (face-to-face), so we'll see how that goes. the new thing is "behavioral interviewing" which is basically when they say "tell me about a time you displayed such and such skill or solved such and such problem or dealt with such and such situation..." For somebody without a lot of experience, coming up with relevant answers without making something up isn't always easy

you can start praying now

as some of you know, i've been worrying about finding a job since i graduate in december and am currently unemployed with not a whole lot of "real" work experience (apparently always being employed doesn't count if it isn't applicable). anyway, i went to a job fair at the end of september and since then have interviewed with one company (HMS) twice- an introductory interview with the hiring manager and a follow up behavioral interview with the senior vice president- and had a phone interview today with another company (Perot) with a behavioral one scheduled for next week that will determine if i get a face-to-face interview. my problem is that if (and that is a big if) HMS offers me a job, i may want to work for Perot but won't be through the interviewing process. i want a job but i also want the right job. i don't want to give up an opportunity for something that doesn't pan out nor do i want to get stuck somewhere when i'd fit better somewhere else. as usually, i'm doing the whole over-analyze/freak-out before anything actually happens. i know God is in control and has a perfect plan (He always does) but please pray that things will work themselves out and i'll end up where i'm supposed to be and have a peace about it. in the meantime, i need to focus on getting through school. 60 days til graduation. which seems like a long time, but there is so much to get done before then.

quote of the week:
we took brock and brax to the football game on friday and grandpa random parked as usual to the embarrassment of all, but grandma and i didn't say anything, just kind of grumbled. instead, brock pipes up, "grandpa, there is something wrong with you." he paused and then added, "i need to disguise myself."
ahahaha... the kid is hilarious... not sure where he comes up with these things, but he has a way of saying what everyone else is thinking.

The mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty spaces between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things-- your family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions-- and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter, like your job, your house, and your car.

The sand is everything else-- the small stuff. If you put the sand in the jar first, there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Spend time with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first-- the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled and said, "I'm glad you asked."

"The coffee shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

funday friday

since my birthday (and thus megan and phil's) was on thursday and i had to be at school for 8 hours, i had my fun on friday. first, mom and i went to the state fair. i love the fair! we saw some attractions (by the way, no amount of money could ever get me to climb to the top of a sway pole and do a handstand), ate unhealthy food, and did pretty much whatever we wanted. however, there are no pictures since my camera is at ry's house and i keep forgetting to get it.



then, lindsey came into town from okc so maria/jayme had a little get together and we went and karaoked . tons of fun: i love my friends!! i stole a few pics from maria so this post wouldn't be totally boring.




i'm not sure why this picture is so small



some of the girls: lindsey, becky, kamini, maria, me



maria and me




maria and bill.. i promise there were boys than bill there

lindsey, jayme, me... we try to see how many faces we can squeeze in a picture

lindsey and me... luv her!

group shot minus boys

maria, becky, me cheesin'

yoda (the dog) likes to have fun too