Summer Goals!!

Well.. Summer is here.. I'm about two weeks in... and I find myself making goals for the duration of time that I am off work. If you are reading this than you are most likely friends with me on facebook and know that I had a really hard time deciding whether or not to work this summer.

I didn't have to work.. being a teacher I still get paid during the summer.. but I thought well.. since we don't have kids yet and I want them sometime in the near future.. I should work while I can and get a little $$ saved up. Because I know without a doubt I will not want to work during the summer when little ones are around.

Well, plans were all a go and I even had a job interview to do a summer teaching job at a daycare I used to work at taking care of the School age program. I knew I was going to get it by the sounds of the Directors phone calls... so I really didn't worry too much.

Well... I was visiting with my grandmother one day at the Nursing home and It all of a sudden hit me like a ton of bricks that I wouldn't get to spend much time with her during the summer.  The School program job was from 9-6 so I wouldn't get to see her but in the evenings and on weekends. The thought absolutely made me want to cry. I did tear up once I got out to the truck... Poor Eric was thrown for a loop.. "What's wrong Jenn" He was completely surprised considering we had just come from a really good visit (Which doesn't always happen with her, Dementia is an evil illness)

So there I was blubbering in the front seat sitting outside the nursing home explaining to Eric that I didn't know if I wanted to work this summer. I wish I could have taken a picture of his face. His only comment was "Well then don't work"

It was never his idea for me to work this summer, I came up with it on my own. I wanted to get a little extra $. I wanted to pay off a couple bills. I wanted to put some money in savings.  He didn't seem to mind that I didn't want to work. His outlook was that he wouldn't want to work if he had the option... so that was that.

Well.. not so much for me it wasn't. I struggled and struggled whether to work or not to work for about two weeks. I just remember laying on the bed praying for God to show me what to do. Because I honestly had no idea.

Well, I have a wonderful Godly Woman that I work with named Trish... I went to her one afternoon and just told her everything. I said Trish.. I just don't know what to do... So being the wonderful wise woman she is she sat with me and weighed the pros and con's. Finally she put it in simple terms for me. She said "Jennifer... what are you going to regret more... not spending time with your grandmother ... or not earning a little extra money"... When put like that there was no comparison... I know that I probably don't have all the time in the world left with my grandmother.. with anyone for that matter. So there was my answer. I'm not going to work.. I was so happy! I went home and told Eric.. "Eric... Guess what!!!?!?! I'm not going to work this summer!! "He was like " I thought we already decided that" lol  I explained everything to him that I was feeling and he agreed whole heartedly... so now here I am... a little under two months from having to go back to school and trying to figure out what to do with myself.

Once I realized that I wasn't going to work, I started asking God right away to help me better myself over the Summer. There had to be a reason he didn't want me to work... so I'm going to do all I can to serve him and better myself.

So my summer goals emerged.

Goal # 1: Read at least five books
Goal # 2: Find some way to help others
Goal # 3: Go spend time with my grandmother as much as possible
Goal # 4: Get my house in order and keep it that way
and last but not least
Goal # 5: Learn to cook

lol.. If you know me, you know I HATE to cook.. absolutely hate it. If I didn't have to eat to survive i wouldn't.. This has been hard for the husband because he comes from a long line of amazing cooks.... cooks that make everything home made cooks..
I remember a year or so into our marriage he was like.. "You know... I really thought you would start liking to cook by this point in our marriage" my response was " yea, me too.." but I hadn't lol...

Well anyway.. I'm well on my way to achieving my goals.

Last week I made two home cooked meals :) which were pretty tasty if I don't mind saying so myself..
I spent several hours with my grandmother.. not as many as I would have hoped... but Mine and Eric's brother came home from the Marines last week.. and we were busy doing a lot of family things with them. I still have a little more work to do on that.
I'm finding ways to help others... I have a few ideas that I will be checking on this week. I hope to do some volunteering with meals on wheels... and a few other things that I'm looking into.
I have our house semi-clean... as clean as it can be coming off of remodeling a room. I still have some things to put away that got tousled around in all the hoopla.

And the thing I'm most excited about!!!!! ............

I have already read Two books!!!


I'm so excited!! I have several more that I want to read that I am ordering off of amazon.com.

I will be posting about the books in just a few days. I really want to share with you some of the things I have learned from them.

Oh!! And I can't forget... God has been so amazing and revealed himself to me so many times in just this last few weeks. I got a call the other day from the daycare I was telling you about wanting me to do some sub-work for them. I was pretty Leary at first, because I was afraid they would put me with the babies, and as much as I want one of my own.. it scares me to death to think of taking care of someone Else's... I don't think I have ever changed a diaper before... so I knew that that was not going to be a good idea.

But I'm getting to sub with 3-4 year olds and only just for a few days this summer... so it works out great!! I'm getting to do everything I want this summer without being tied down to  a job, but I'm still getting to earn just a little bit of mad money.

I caught myself talking to my mother-in-law the other day about my goals and how excited I was that I am well on my way to reaching them.. and how proud of myself that I was... and then... It hit me...

This is not me.. This is God... He is the one that gets the credit. Not me.. he is the one providing all of these opportunities for me. Yes I have a say in it, but ultimately It's all God.

Can't wait to get my blogs up about the books I read!!

If you are reading this.. and have made it this far ( sorry it's so long) help me out by holding me accountable to my goals..
If your friends with me on Facebook... shoot me a message... if you see me in person.. bring it up in conversation.. I need accountability.

I'm so excited about the things God is doing in my life right now!!
To God be the Glory!!

= )