#5: The Last Mattress Sleeping

So, I did it. I actually went through with it. I've been wanting to for almost a year now but have been waiting for perfect transition timing. And I've finally found it. So...

Today is the Last Wednesday Morning that I will wake up on a twin mattress.

Yes it is true. I have finally purchased a new QUEEN mattress and it is going to be delivered to my new place of residence next Tuesday... which means that next Wednesday, I will have the pleasure of waking up on a wonderful, comfy, perfectly designed mattress instead of my old downtrodden twin mattress.

Yes!

Okay people. This is BIG. Like, really B.I.G. I don't think you quite understand how BIG this really is. The fact is that I have been sleeping away on the same twin mattress for the past TWENTY YEARS of my life!!! It is about time I make this glorious transition to a new, updated, better, bigger bed that will treat my back with a little more comfort and care.

And I'm excited.

#6: The Last Late Eastside Tuesday

To continue with my week of "lasts," today is thankfully the...

Last Late Eastside Tuesday

This morning was one of those days where the night before you decide you want to wake up a little early. Since you have such trouble waking up in the morning, you usually set two alarms on regular work days. But this time, you figure that since you're setting the alarm early you won't need a second one to get you up on time... First mistake...

So, you set your one alarm and quickly fall asleep curled up under the covers. 

Then it happens, you suddenly wake up and a sixth sense knowledge clearly flows to your brain that you woke up late... again.

This is in fact what happened to me today. I had originally planned on waking up 20 minutes earlier than usual (had some stuff I wanted to get done), but since I only set one alarm instead of the two alarms 5 minutes apart that I usually set, I ended up sleeping right through my only "you better wake up now!!" reminder that I had set. In result... I woke up with only 10 minutes to get ready. Gasp! 

And so, this is the last late tuesday on the Eastside I will ever have to endure. I'm sure that once I move I will encounter more late days, but at least this is one last that won't ever happen on the Eastside again. And just for the record... I did make it to work on time. And I think I'll be receiving a gold medal in the mail for this years Olympics for fastest time getting ready in the morning (for women mind you)... or at least personal best record. 

And on top of it all, I think I look pretty darn good despite it.

Day # 7: The Last Eastside Monday Commute

In seven days I will be moving to Seattle. Wow! So excited!

In order to commemorate this amazingly awesome change in my life, I have decided to count down the days till I move with stories of "lasts." What I mean by this, for example, is that today is the last monday that I will ever experience commuting to work from the eastside... well, at least for a year. So here's to the "lasts" for Monday commuting.

Today is the last commuting Monday that I will:

• Not be able to sleep on my way to work due to an overly crowded, steamy bus that requires me to ride standing up if I want to get to work on time 
• Be jerked around during my bus ride since this particular driver does not understand the need for finesse when it comes to breaking and accelerating
• Be a few minutes late to work since the bus had to take a detour off the freeway since I-5 was too jammed pack due to an accident (PS. this is actually the first time that a bus has ever gotten off the freeway early due to an accident or any other traffic blunder... crazy)
• Walk by the same woman asking for change each morning and saying "no" even when you want to say "yes" but are too worried about what she is actually using the money for or if it is all a con act since she is there EVERY morning
  
• Walk the necessary seven blocks from my bus stop to work believing that maybe this really does count as exercise for the day
• Walk the six blocks to my bus stop to go home again trying to figure out how many "miles" my total walking counts up to... good enough for the day? (probably not even half a mile... too bad.)
  
• Almost miss the bus going home like i always do. Seriously. Thank you red light that happens to change exactly when i need it to EVERY DAY.

The last Eastside Monday Commute.

  Cheers to riding the wave.

There's A Bigger Picture

" People ask me, 'What is the purpose of life?' And I respond: 'In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven.'

One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body - but not the end of me. I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal. 

God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity. We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense.

Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one. The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort. God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy. We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness...

I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore.

Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like to rails on a railroad track, and at times you have something good and something bad in your life. No matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for. You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems.

If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, 'which is my problem, my issues, my pain.'

But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.

Am I going to be driven by pleasures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes for my life?

When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, 'God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know you more and love you better.' God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do. That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.

Happy moments, praise God. Difficult moments, seek God. Quiet moments, worship God. Painful moments, trust God. Every moment, thanks God."

- Rick Warren

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Such a good reminder. Life on earth is a mere moment in time. A snap of two fingers. Therefore, my actions and decisions should reflect big picture thinking. Eternal thinking. Not momentary self-centered thinking. This is what I'm working on. I want to be more than just a doer. I don't want to have my eyes focused on the short term. I want to be focused on eternity. 

To Do

• Get boxes to start packing for the September 1st move to Greenlake
• Water office plant - its looking a little "famished"
• Register business with the state
• Return a belt to Macy's (decided I didn't need it)
• Go to small group tonight and maybe learn something cool about life and God
• Try not to be so self focused all the time
• Buy my sister-in-law a birthday present
• Maybe buy a fish (since I'll be leaving my dog when I move... and i like pets)

How Do We Know?

How are we supposed to know what is good or bad? We can ask countless people, do surveys, research trends and past results, but most of the time we just end up with an overbearing amount of different, opposing opinions that don't match. And that doesn't leave us anywhere except back to where we started... ground zero with no answers.

This is the situation I'm in. I've been intending to register as a business (freelance graphic design and marketing consulting) for the past five months or so. The problem is that I cannot decide upon a  business name.

It is super important to choose a business name that is remarkable... not just ok. But herein lies the problem. The response I've received about the names I've come up with are scattered across the board. It seems like people either hate or love each name I've thought up.

So, are the names remarkable... or really stupid? Who am I supposed to listen to?

And that's just it. I think I've finally realized that I'm supposed to listen to myself... my gut feeling of what is good and what is bad. Do I like the name and does the name speak to me? Do I think the name will represent the values of my business and express creativity and thought? These are the questions I must ask myself in order to decide on a name... because it's just too hard to listen to everyone. So, I think I've got to listen to myself.

I currently have a name I've been sitting on for a couple of weeks now. Friends and family keep persuading me both ways... yes... and no. But now its time to stop and think about it for myself... and make a decision. 

I'm leaning toward a yes.

How will I know if it is the right choice? I don't know if I'll ever know. But you know, if the business name ends up being the wrong one... I guess I can always change it right? I won't be stuck in a box forever if it turns out to be the wrong one.

So, I think in the next week I'm going to take the plunge into business ownership. Crazy. I seriously do feel so old. 

The Weekend Has Arrived!

My weekend has finally arrived! I'm about to embark on a weekend long bachelorette party in one hour and counting...

So excited!

Hope everyone has a super amazing weekend!

Hump Day

Yep... it's hump day... Wednesday that is... 

Wonder why they call it hump day. I guess it is the middle of the week day. Maybe they did label it correctly.

But who are they anyway? Who is the they that comes up with all these things in life? And how have they become so smart and so famous? Cause you know its true. They are so smart. And everyone knows them and quotes them and calls on them for reference. Really everything they say seems to always be true. I wonder how cool it would be to be a they someday. Maybe they will be my new form of inspiration. Hmm... 

Regardless, it is still hump day and because of them I can say that it is hump day without eliciting any kind of actual... umm... (insert your own verb here).

I guess what I'm really trying to say here is that I'm glad its wednesday because that means I only have two more days until the weekend. And that makes me happy. Because I love weekends. And this one is going to be fun. 

So... the countdown begins... two days left.

---------

Side note: tomorrow morning at 7:30am is not going to be fun. I have a "meeting" that I do not want to attend. Its one of those "awkward, wish I could avoid my entire life" type of meetings. Ugh. Talk about a total bummer. Wish me luck.

Celtic Mondays

A great discovery was made yesterday: Celtic Mondays.

Imagine a pub full of irish hippy wannabes, men and women, ages ranging from 21-60, with "normal" people scattered sparingly throughout the bar... combine that with an an authentic crazy celtic music group (electric violin and guitar included)... and you get one of the most amazing nights of insane irish dancing, crazy birthday celebrations (there there 4 going on) and an absolutely mind blowing good time! Seriously one of the best nights of my life!

You see, one of my besties had a birthday yesterday. And to celebrate, four of us girls went to the Wylde Rover (an Irish Pub) to hang out, shoot some pool and just be cool. What we got was one of the best Monday experiences of our lives!

From here on out... if you ever wonder why I can't hang out on Monday nights its because I will be living it up and enjoying every single moment of Celtic Mondays. Oh but don't sit at home alone... come join me!! I guarantee it will be a night you won't ever forget!

I think I now know what Columbus must have felt like to discover the "new world"... 

Celtic Mondays... my life is now complete :)

Polar Bears and Publishing

I am not the type of person who has the desire to climb Mt. Everest... swim across Lake Washington... run a marathon... or do battle with self discipline.

However, I do have two goals... two dreams... that I hope to accomplish before I leave this world behind.

1. See polar bears in their natural habitat.

Now please don't make fun of me here because I'm serious. I desperately want to see polar bears in real life some day... not the "zoo" real life (been there, done that) but the "arctic" real life. I so desire to make a trek up to Manitoba, Canada or the Norwegian Archipelagos and watch polar bears run on the open ice, catch a seal for their dinner, play with their cubs in the snow, interact with one another in the only way polar bears know how... ferociously. The day I get to see polar bears my life will have reached its peak. There's nothing greater that I want to see than a polar bear... or even multiple polar bears... in real life. Sigh.

2. Be published.

Some day I want to publish a story... a narration... a tragedy... anything. I just want to be published. Maybe I'll write a fiction novel about the dichotomy between good and evil. Or maybe I'll publish a short story about something I've personally experienced (God knows that the most outrageous things happen to me... I really could write about some of them). But the main thing is... I just want to be published. Even if it means Reader's Digest style. I'm not necessarily shooting for the stars here. I don't expect to be a world class writer some day. I simply want to make a mark on the world by providing something of substance that elicits the opportunity to be published. Sigh.

I don't know if I will ever reach these two goals... these two dreams in my life. But I know I'm going to try hard. Maybe some day I'll get to look back on this silly blog that I really do love (again, don't make fun of me here... let me have my fun...) and be able to say... I did it... that my dreams became reality. Sigh.

And so I will continue to try and save money so that I can afford to go visit my polar bears... and I will attempt to write something someday that is good enough to maybe publish... maybe. But I know I'm going to try hard. :)

Idols

I decided to read the Bible today.

Yes, I am a follower of Jesus... but I am the first to admit that reading the Bible is very hard for me. So, the fact that I read the Bible today is pretty cool and I don't feel bad about patting myself on the back for it. In fact, I even noticed something I never have before. I know its hard to believe, but I don't know everything about the Bible :) So, today has been a good day. 

First, some background information. I decided to read 1 John...all six chapters of it. The "Johns" are some of my favorite books of the Bible and I haven't read them for quite some time. So, I thought it'd be a good place to start as I finally concluded my unplanned hiatus from the Bible. 

But here's what I noticed: Instead of the usual concluding remarks, salutation and encouragement included, John ends his discourse by saying: 

"Dear children, keep yourself from idols."

That's it. No "Grace be with you." No "Amen." No "To our God be glory forever and ever. Amen." 

Instead, John concludes with one last pleading remark: "Dear children, keep yourself from idols." And its important. 

It's like he's saying...

"Friends! Don't forget! Stay away from idols! You don't need them. They do nothing. They aren't worth your efforts. There's no eternal value in them. Don't give yourself to them. They will only push you further away from Jesus. They will confuse your minds, change your goals, influence what you believe is important. They will tear you away from Jesus. Don't let them tear you away from Jesus. Run toward Jesus. Only He can fill your heart, make your life complete, mold you into the person you were created to be. Don't forget! It's too important to forget!" 

This is what I noticed today... Idols... I have idols... and its too important to forget.

The sneaky thing about idols is that they can be anything... anything that we put in front of Jesus... anything that becomes more important than our relationships with God... anything that holds greater value than the grace and forgiveness we receive on a regular basis due to our consistent sinfulness: money, friends, clothes, status, careers, cars, family, appearance, vanity, personality, TV shows, traveling, polar bears... seriously they can be anything...

And they have the ability to destroy.

Maybe that sounds overly dramatic. A little intense. But its true. And I think that is why John concludes his first letter with this reminder. Instead of concluding his letter in the usual way, John catches our attention with this last important cry for change in our own lives. Keep away from idols. They destroy and cause us to stray from the things we know to be true... from the things we know have eternal value... and from the things we try to hold on to.

I know the power that idols have since I have some of my own. Today I was reminded about how great is the need to get rid of them before they slowly work their destruction in my own life. Its hard work breaking down idols. Its hard work acknowledging that they are there. But its worth it. Majorly worth it. And because of that I will try. 

Watch out idols. Its your turn to be called out for what you are.

 

Addictions. Stalking. Stupid Applications.

I remember when MySpace became the new popular adolescent tool to keep in touch with friends, meet new people and make a defining personal statement. I think it must have been hard for the older generation to understand why an online social network could ever make such an impact among so many people worldwide... but it did... and it still does... well, at least for many anyway... but not for me. No. I have always rejected the MySpace fad.

But then there was the "F-book," more commonly known as Facebook.

Since then, all bets have been off. I have jumped headfirst into the depths of Facebook and it has become an addicting force... a force worth reckoning with. In fact, the "original" Facebook was amazing. Simple. Easy. Awesome.

But now that Facebook has been around for a while there are several things that cause me to reconsider the amazingness that has always been Facebook.

For example:

• What is with all the new "applications" that are now available? Like, what is Jetman and who would want it on their profile anyway?
• I don't like it when people poke me in real life so why would I want someone to "poke" me or even "super poke" me over the F-book? Who does that?
• What's the purpose of the News Feed? I must be so cool that the world truly does want to stalk my every move. That must be it.. Alas, I am forced to stalk my friends due to the News Feed... but just for the record, I really don't care when anyone else writes on someone else's wall, or who is now friends with who, or whether anyone I know became a fan of "Mastodon" or not.
• And then there's status updates... I will be the first to admit that I change my "status" throughout the week from "Dawn wishes it was Friday already" to "Dawn is excited that is it finally the weekend" but do I really need to know if "____ can't stand immature teenagers" or if "_____ is santa clause" or that "____ is thinking of fund raising ideas"? Hmm...o
• The new "Chat" feature... remind you of IM anyone??
  

While there are definitely things about Facebook that I do not appreciate, it is still my day-time addiction that helps me get through the day in my office as piles of work stack up. When I need a little break, it gives me the opportunity to reminisce about that amazing camping trip I went on with some of my favorite friends as I peruse posted pictures... or write a little comment on my friend's wall telling her she's awesome. Creating events are also an amazing part of Facebook... not to mention the birthday updates, funny notes to read and personalized profiles. Because of these things, Facebook will always be near and dear to my heart... a way to keep in touch with those friends that you really don't want to see, and a way to remind your super close friends that you are here to stay as a central part of their lives...whether they like it or not :)

Thank you Facebook. An addiction you are. A means of stalking others and to be stalked by others... good and stupid applications included.

It couldn't be better.

"Little Girl" Gone

You know, there are certain life experiences that truly set us apart from our childish tendencies and lead us into adulthood: Graduating high school, graduating college, embarking on a first "real" job in the world of business, moving out on your own, and... traveling on business trips.

There's something about business trips that communicate "old" or at least "experienced" in the world of business... something I definitely do not feel. And so, it is somewhat an anomaly to me that I am sitting in an office in Mt. Shasta, California on... yes you guessed right... a business trip. What is even more astonishing is the fact that not only am I on a business trip... but that I was put in charge of presenting a twenty minute training session to people significantly more "experienced" than I am.

At only a mere 23 years of age, I feel much more like an adolescent in the realm of business than an "expert" with the knowledge to present training sessions. I have truly embarked on a path of adulthood. Yet, I still feel young... a little inadequate... and a lot less experienced than those I work with and those I am supposedly "training."

I guess that's just how life is. It throws us into opportunities to grow and challenge ourselves with obstacles and experiences in order to learn.

I LOVE presenting. In fact, I have discovered that I thrive off of the opportunity to get in front of a group of people (let it be 5 or 35 people) and present valuable information... any information... to help others grow, learn and advance in their training... all the while feeling like I am the one learning more than what I am teaching.

Anyway, I guess I'm just loving the fact that I'm in Mt. Shasta on a business trip and having the opportunity to grow, learn and challenge myself in new areas. This is what becoming an adult is all about... taking the opportunities that present themselves and using them to stretch ourselves as much as possible so that we may continually strive toward becoming who we were made to be.

I guess I'm growing up... its just a little strange.