November 30, 2013 by Stephanie

My Favorite Holiday

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. I love the message of being with those that you love and being thankful for what you have.

It is a time for us to focus on what really matters: our relationships. It gives us moments to cherish one another and deepen the connections we have with those that we love. It is a time to create memories and reconnect with fellowship.

As a kid, it was a time where a family who seemed disjointed by divorce was able to have togetherness and celebrate that family is what you make of it. These moments around the holiday table made me realize that I had a normal loving family even if it looked a little different than a cookie cutter family. So I always enjoyed the holiday get-togethers. And who doesn’t love three Thanksgiving meals?

I love that it encourages everyone to be thankful for what they have. It just is a happy holiday for me.

And then Friday comes.

I have never really understood Black Friday. First of all, I am a woman who loves my sleep, so getting up that early has never made sense to me. Also I hate lines, so nothing seems worth waiting in line to get into the store, then another line for the item, and yet another line for checkout. My time is worth something people.

Most of all, I feel that it is completely opposite of the meaning of Thanksgiving. The idea is erroneous to me. It is like the day before was a sham and all that we were thankful for is no more. To me it is a day spent being greedy and wanting more of things we don’t necessarily need. (Don’t even get me started on the commercialism of Christmas.)

I am human just like the rest of you, and I would be lying if I didn’t say that I didn’t want a new car or a new laptop like the rest of you. I am no better in that I have those urges too.

I do also know that for some people Black Friday is a family affair and it is time spent together. For some people it is a rush to get those deals, and they find so much joy in the activity. If that is the case, rock on and have fun together! I will remain in my pajamas on my couch eating the tons of turkey left overs.

But for the most part, I fundamentally disagree with the idea of the day and the message it sends. As I said, it seems as though the world is dismissing the day of thankfulness we had not even hours before. (For some stores they are doing Brown Thursday-What?) It perpetuates this desire to always want more. The stories out there of people fighting over linens and getting trampled to get that new thingymabob just boggle my mind at what we are doing as a nation. We compare ourselves to what others have, and we become envious. If you live your life always looking for your happiness in the next thing or sale, you tend to miss out on what is happening right now and enjoying the little blessings that you already have.

1 Timothy 6:6-10 “But godliness with content is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

Thanksgiving was extremely important to me this year. I have talked about how this fall I have been on the struggle bus. I have been waiting for the “next” thing to happen. I have been wasting my life in a line of unfilled expectations waiting to get a bargain in my career. These wants of having a big time job have had a disastrous effect on my psyche and my relationships. My anxiety was controlling my life, and all because I wanted to be in a different place.

All the while I was missing out on the wonderfulness of right now.

I have spent a good amount of time the past month pondering on a few verses. I needed to refocus and re-center myself around what matters.

I needed Thanksgiving.

my Thanksgiving decoration…

Philippians 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God”

I wrote about making this a reminder to help with my anxiety. I have this verse on repeat in my head when I am having a moment. It is so helpful just to throw up your requests to God.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus”

I have really tried in the last few weeks each day to count my blessings. I have a notebook where I jot down things that I am thankful for. Some are simple things like having a DVR or the chocolate chips in my banana bread, and others are more grandiose things like the ability to cultivate a long distance relationship over the phone with my parents or having all day yesterday to lay around with Tom and just be in love. If I am having a really low moment and have lost sight of where I am, I can look back at these scribblings and know that I am truly blessed.

God has blessed my life, and that is something worth taking a moment to be thankful. I don’t want discontent to run my day.

Psalm 139:14 “I praise you because I am fearfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

Walk faithfully with God every day of your life and enjoy each gift he gives you now. I have been amazed at how my attitude and perspective have changed once I stopped the comparison game and was more content with where I am in life and the things that I have.

So if Black Friday is your thing, awesome. I’m not one to stand in the way of a good deal. You do you, and I will do me. I just hope you remember to be thankful for what you do have and focus on what really matters in life. I will tell you those sheets on sale isn’t it.

Thanks to Susannah for the Thankful for All link up idea!

Simple Moments Stick

How do you remember to be thankful? Do you keep a journal; do you say them out loud to yourself in the car? How do you remain mindful of your blessings?

November 26, 2013 by Stephanie

A Little Bit of Thanks

I work in a profession that you cannot always do show appreciation with flashy things or a raise. Often the students that I work with do so much for very little pay or none at all.

I really try to show them that their time and effort means a lot, and there are so many ways to show this gratitude without breaking the bank.

My favorite way is baking because you can always find something to hit a sweet tooth. This is a great way to personalize a token of appreciation to what that particular student likes.

But sometimes I decide to do other things.

I coordinate our volunteer note taker program at work. This is were a student who is registered in our office cannot take notes on their own due to their disability and have requested a note taker. I then recruit within their class for someone to volunteer to turn in a copy of their notes. It sounds easy, but semester after semester we still have 40-50% of our class requests unfilled. So I have been working to decrease that all semester. And successfully, I have gotten the unfilled request to about 25%. Whoop whoop.

One way I have found effective is constant contact with the classes and the students who do volunteer their time.

I wanted to say thanks for taking the time take effective notes and let us copy them. Although it may seem easy to turn in something you should be doing already, it can be added pressure to these students. Their notes are supposed to help someone else be academically successful, and that is a big reason why most people don’t follow through with this volunteer role. So I wanted to thank the 100 students who did this semester.

I made these treat bags to hand out one Friday when they all typically come to turn in their notes.

We got the candy bags from the dollar store, and the candy was on sale from Halloween. Then I just made the tags in Publisher and whole punched them to use the twist tie to attache them to the bag.

Since I had a lot of students, I went this route. I have made more intricate things in the past for a smaller group.

I made these “dynamites” out of Rolos, construction paper, and string.

You roll the Rolos in the red construction paper and glue them in place. Then tie three “sticks” together in the middle. You will also leave a little string out on the end as the “part you light.” Then I glued the circle in the middle with my note to the student.

I love the cheesiness factor, which I understand may get lost on some students. It is the thought that counts!

Do you have little ways/small gestures to thank people in your life?

November 25, 2013 by Stephanie

Armucation on Ribbons

Have you ever wondered what all the ribbons on the uniforms are? As I watch Tom make sure his uniform is ready for his layout (which is basically an inventory), I thought I would explain just a couple things for you. An Army educational moment for you on this Monday.

There are so many things that can be added to the uniform, and they all have a special meaning. Badges, ribbons, even the berets mean something.

Some are given because of the unit you are in, but most are earned through a specific action done, task or course completed.

Right now Tom’s unit is going through EIB warm ups. EIB (Expert Infantryman’s Badge) is a 2 week long course where they do various tasks to prove they are “experts” at their job.

The tasks range from physical endurance, land navigation, to rifle ranges. It takes a lot of work to get it. They have to score a certain number on each task to be qualified for the badge. The bar is set really high on all the tasks. For example, they have to clear/load/fire/correct malfunction/re-clear a m249 (a type of gun) in 30 seconds. It would take me that long to pick up the SAW.

Although, Tom’s says that if you don’t know how to poop using an E tool as a stool, you aren’t an expert infantrymen. So I guess that is a task they can consider if they ever update the course in the future.

They have been training for the EIB the past month or so. They go through the official course after Thanksgiving.

Some would say a more coveted badge is the Combat Infantryman’s Badge. This is one that Tom received while on deployment. Only infantrymen can receive this, and they can only get it on deployment (hence the combat part). They have to be direct contact and personally fight in active combat to qualify for this award. It is a huge deal for an infantrymen to receive this.

So while the EIB is the non-combat counterpart to the CIB, the CIB comes with greater risks and thus more honor (in my humble opinion.)

There are also other badges that are listed in the same categories for other MOS (military occupational specialty aka job).

Combat Action Badge is given to soldiers who are not in the infantry but are stationed in an area where there is hostile fire.

Combat Medical Badge is given to anyone who is part of the medical unit that assists and provides medical support to ground troops who are engaged in combat.

These are explained from my perspective from what I have pulled from various places online and what I have heard from Tom. As you can see, they all have value and have different merits.

Those are just a few of the gazillion badges and ribbons that the Army can earn. It is really fascinating to learn about the stories and experiences behind each one. The service is humbling when you think about it.

So there you have it. Welcome to my world of “Eye Spy” badge version. I hope you enjoyed the Armucation.

November 22, 2013 by Stephanie

Talks with Tom #13

This past weekend we traveled back to Missouri for a friend’s wedding. It was beautiful, and it was great to see some friends from Iowa. I have been really homesick for my Ames people, so it was fun to catch up with a few of them for a bit.

I miss having friends in my office all the time!
(And Tom and I missed the purple memo, but it is ok. We matched in our mature primaries.)

It has gotten a little cooler here, which for me affects my “driving” clothes. Usually I will hop in a car in shorts or comfy running pants and a tshirt. With the temps dropping, my winter driving gear is usually jeans and a tshirt/hoodie.

Tom however is always in shorts.

Always.

Tom loves wearing shorts. He doesn’t really every wear long pants unless it is a special occasion or when he is being mandated. He believes that he should dress for the temperature inside since he wont be outside very long. So you will find my husband in shorts and flip flops all year round. He is all about the maximum amount of comfort.

We were in a mad hunt this weekend several times for his ranger panties. Oh you don’t know what those are? They are shorts that basically show off a man’s leg, and they have the inner liner (panty). They are also made of a silky thin material (panty). Think of 80s men’s basketball shorts or track shorts. Because they are so small, they get lost easily. We thought the dogs may have eaten them at one point this weekend. It was serious people.

They do make their legs look super nice. And I gotta say, it is fun to watch these Army men push people’s clothing social normities. The things people have called Tom because of these shorts is both funny and awful.

Anyway, naturally I was complaining about it being too cold on the drive home.

Tom- “Yea, I had to bring the winter shorts.”

They are maybe a couple inches of fabric longer than the ranger panties. Shorts are meant for summer to me no matter the length, but even 6 years later I am still laughing at Tom’s perception and infatuation of shorts

He did wear pants for the special occasion this weekend.

I like that the woman behind me is my color block opposite. Love the mature primaries (cardinal, navy, and gold)!

Happy Wedding to Chris and Krystal!

Fun fact, Tom and Chris were in Scouts together. Then I worked with him at Iowa State not knowing until his first day on the job that he knew my husband’s family. Small world!

November 20, 2013 by Stephanie

Combining Passions

I have really tried to be more positive with my work and find different ways to feel fulfilled with my current employment.

One of the ways I have done that is asking/seizing small opportunities to bring some of my outside hobbies into the work place.

I have talked about how I love bulletin boards which has allowed me to bring some creativity, even if in small doses to my job. I love love love cutting out and decorating boards. This is the elementary school major coming out in me. (That was about the only thing I liked about being an elementary school major, which is the reason why I promptly changed after the first semester to secondary education.)

Another hobby/passion of mine is photography. I have always been fascinated by capturing moments in time. Memories, glimpses of life, emotions, so much can be expressed in one shot.

I can still remember my parents getting me a camera when I was 5 that had the disposable flashbulbs. I took pictures of everything. I mean literally everything-flowers, vases, tables, bed spreads, dog hair, you name it I had a picture of it. I also cut off everyone’s head when I took their picture at this age.

(I promise I have improved from the head cutting off stage.)

I really started learning the art of photography in high school where I worked on the school publications. There I learned the technical things about composition, lighting, editing (although much has changed since then), and my favorite place -the dark room. We shot on manual film, and to me one of the greatest moments is to watch film develop right before your eyes. And you feel pretty cool taking the film of the reel in complete darkness.

I stayed away from photography as a major in college outwardly because I did not think that I could afford all the “stuff.” But inwardly, I didn’t think I could measure up in the digital age we were coming into. So I shied away and stuck to “point and shoots” that could fit in my back pocket.

Luckily, the art has recently come back full-force when Tom and I decided to take the plunge and invest in a wickedly nice set up (camera, lights, tripod, lenses, etc…). It has always been a dream of mine to open my own studio, and my hands down dream job would be to be a sports photographer. Slowly we are creating a base for this to occur, but that is another topic for another day.

So a passing comment at work about someone needing to be in charge of capturing a shot at the opening office BBQ turned into a wonderful opportunity for me to combine my passions.

Education Photographer. (Yeah? I think it works.)

I have become the office picture lady. We have many more than a “shot” on hand now of our office activities. They may have gotten more than they bargained for by letting me run with this.

It has been really fun to find a way to be more involved outside of my spreadsheets and emails. And I am developing my photography all the same. (There has been somewhat of a learning curve going to a completely digital system.)

We just had our annual Wheelchair Basketball game, and I was giddy to be on the sidelines clicking away. This may be my favorite photographer moment I have had ever to date. It was cathartic for several reasons.

I had that sports photography going.
Basketball is my favorite sport.
Working with this population is always a humbling experience for me. I felt honored to hear their stories and capture their strength and determination.
It was the moment that I realized that I was going to do just fine here. I felt energy again; it was like electricity running through my veins. I was pumped to be doing what I am doing. I finally thought, “This isn’t so bad. I’m not so awful at this transition.” Part-time failure freak out over with.

Boom. It feels good to feel needed.

These are just a few of the several hundred shots I sifted through.

One of my favorite shots of the night.

I had so much fun.

So I would tell everyone who may be struggling to find small ways to find joy again. You will quickly see how that joy will flood over into other things.