Happiness Hour

So may favorite radio host Dennis Prager  has a Happiness Hour (I believe it is on Friday’s… I can’t remember right now for some reason) but he states over and over that we are in control of our Happiness.  He makes a point to say that even if you are having a bad day, it is your responsibility to not pass that along to others (including kids and spouses).  He feels that being in a bad mood is like a sickness and you must do what you can to prevent it from spreading.  Now it does not mean that you cannot tell a best friend or a spouse what is going on in life.  It simply means that you act pleasantly, like what you would tell your children to do if they were in a bad mood in front of company.  You essentially tell them to lie about how they are feeling and make themselves appear to be normal. Which is fine, but for some reason we forget to do that as adults.  We go to work and let everyone know we are having a bad day, not because we confided in someone but because we bit their head off!  NOT OKAY!

And before you think I am on a trip right now, I am not. This is actually something I struggle with.  The bad part is, I do fine when I am at work.  I always have a smile on my face and even when frustrated with a person, I tend to be nice.  The problem is, I am not always pleasant at home and it is not because Trent has done anything wrong.  It is because a certain person at work puts me into such a funk that when I get home I am done being nice. I am done smiling. I am DONE! So what suffers? My marriage.  It effects how Trent and I interact, it effects my affection toward him (as in I am less affectionate because work stresses me out because of ONE person). So this is something I need to work on, that just because I am home in a “safe” spot to be moody, it does not make it okay.

So because it is easier to practice on someone else, than work on yourself… I tried this with Trent last night! HAHA. NO seriously though.  So when we leave for work we do not have the air conditioning on.  We really only put it on right before we go to bed. Well yesterday was super humid and hot, plus we used the oven which can really heat a place up.  So Trent decided to turn on the A/C a bit early. Well lo and behold the A/C decided not to work.  I was on the phone with my dad and I could see Trent getting mad. He was pounding the wall, making noises of frustration, and getting pretty angry (when he gets like this, I do not respond. I stayed on the phone and talk to my dad, when I know all Trent wanted me to do was get off the phone… but I am not about to leave my conversation and going into that snake pit).  Finally, Trent was exhausted with the A/C, he had called up the maintances hotline and asked if anyone was on duty.  They said they would put in a call ticket. Last time it took 2 days. So Trent sat down and glared at the A/C unit. I walked over and said. “Hey, let’s not do this. Let’s not get mad about something we cannot control.  There is nothing we can do to make the A/C turn on.  We both grew up without A/C, I can assure you it is not the end of the world”  He said he still wanted to be mad. So I went over and tickled him and said in a baby voice “Oh life is just so hard! I just want the A/C on and all it wants to do is be off. OH my goodness”  We laughed and it made the moment lighter. 

Come to find out he had hit a switch on the wall, so the reason why the A/C was not working is actually because of Trent! HAHAHA!!!  He said he felt stupid… i agreed 🙂

But you see how in that moment I could have chosen to be angry with him and really elevated the situation. I actively (yes i thought about getting mad with him, I was sweating bullets after my workout) decided not to and controled my emotions so make it so my husband was a happier person. Even if just for a little while.  Next time I will try this on myself.  So I challange you to do the same. When you find yourself in a funk and just being a bit on edge (not even mean) try to think of who you are effecting around you.  Do you really want to bring them down to? I will try to do the same. So far (today) it is working! HAHAHA

 

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Phsycic

So first you need to know that I did in fact grow up in a Christian household.  I always had been told that witchcraft was wrong and phsycic were stupid.  I am sure at some point my parents followed up with Bible versus, but they just did not stick besides the fact that is was wrong.

In college, I had the opportunity to go with a friend of mine and her mother to go to a physcic fair.  At first, I was a bit hesitant but what was I going to say?  I was at this friends house and her mom wanted to go.  So I went ahead and went.  

 I had a foot reading in which the woman stated that I was “An old soul” and have been on this Earth many times. She also stated that my friend and I would be friends for life (which will end up being true). However, she said that this life was going to be a good one for me.  Apparently, I have had some bad ones in the past… WHO KNEW?!

I went and had a card reading done as well. The woman there said that my Grandma was coming through and she was sorry that I had to see her like that.  (My Great Grandma had just passed away and I along with my parents, had found her dead) I cried.  She than stated that she could see me traveling throughout my adult life.  At the time I was going to become a social worker… so I could not really see that happening. I thought maybe I would become rich and travel and that would be nice.  I left pretty uninspired because nothing really came out of it.

Well fast forward, years later. I do travel all the time and I am and will be friends with this particular friend for life.  This does not mean that going there was a good thing. Here is some scripture to back me up:

Leviticus 19:31 NIV. “Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them.”

 Deuteronomy 18:9-12 NIV, “When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord.”

King Saul of Israel sought counsel from a medium called the Witch of Endor. The armies of Israel were about to be attacked by the Philistines. Saul was in rebellion against God and in desperation sought the services of the spiritist. 1 Samuel 28:8 NIV informs us, “Saul disguised himself, putting on other clothes, and at night he and two men went to the woman. ‘Consult a spirit for me,’ he said, ‘and bring up the one for me I name.’ ” Saul then asked the medium to conjure up the spirit of the deceased prophet Samuel, to ask his counsel regarding the Philistines. Verses 13 & 14, NKJV, “And the king said to her, “Do not be afraid. What did you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I saw a spirit ascending out of the earth.” So he said to her, “What is his form?” And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is covered with a mantle.” And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground and bowed down. ”

Saul should have known better than to consult with a medium, for God had warned in Leviticus 20:6, “I will set my face against the person who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute himself by following them. I will cut him off from his people.” The end result of King Saul’s quest was tragic. Shortly after his visit to the witch, the king took his own life following his wounding in battle. Was the spirit conjured up by the medium a genuine agent of God? The answer is in the Bible, 1 Chronicles 10:13-14. “Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord; he did not keep the word of the Lord and even consulted a medium for guidance, and did not enquire of the Lord.” The medium’s spirit was an imposter, for Scripture clearly states that Saul “did not enquire of the Lord.”

Just because a spirit says something and it is true, it does not mean that the spirit is good.  I think we forget a lot that Satan is allowed to tell us the truth as long as he feels the end justifies the means. If it will make you trip up on your walk with the Lord, than he will for sure tell you the truth. 

With shows like Lond Island Medium it is easy to see a great mom who is doing a service for people by telling them about their loved ones. However, this woman is actually pretty sick and does not know it. I do not think she is a bad person, I think she is a lost person who Satan got a hold of early in life so she “never knew of anything different” (concerning her abilities, not her personality).  I do not think that she is actually evil, I think what Satan is doing is making her so likeable that people will not see his work through her (I do not think she knows her abilities come from Satan) .  Because if she did, that would make is scary and Satan is not always one to make things scary.

I don’t know.  This is just something I was thinking about today and decided to post. Just some food for thought and my own personal experience.

 

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Hummus.. UGH

So, I am a huge HUGE fan of hummus.  I eat it every day with carrots for lunch.  On the weekends I have it as a snack with some red chili flake baked pita chips.  I dip cheese sticks in it.. .basically I use any  method I can to get the stuff into my mouth. YUM!

When I lived in Flint before my wedding. I would go to Kamil’s on Corunna Rd. (google maped it for you, you’re welcome) to get their homemade hummus and homemade pita chips.  Seriously it was the only thing I would get from the store and I would STOCK UP!  When my parents move, I will miss Kamil’s the most.  My parents have their hummus for me when I go home.

So anyhow, since I do not live at home anymore I have not found anything like Kamil’s, so I have gone with Sabra Red Pepper Hummus (linked it for you, you’re welcome), I like their original too, but the red pepper is nice with my boring carrot sticks.  BUT Sabra can be a bit pricey when not on sale. I get the family size (for me to eat with my family sized stomach) and it runs me about $4.50-$5.00 bucks depending the store. So I had this idea.. let me make my own.  It will cut down on the “natural flavors” which really means crap in your food and I should be able to save some money (in the long run).  

So I look up making hummus with dried chick peas (cans of anything creep me out!  nothing good comes from a can, unless it is a ball jar and someone canned it themselves!) I found this website!  The guy had done a taste test!  Oh, yay!  I was so stoked about it.  He gave a recipe and everything.  His hummus at the end looked delish and the instructions seemed easy enough.

So I go out buy organic Tahini and dried chicpeas.  I do everything according to detail.  I started to shell the chic peas but than Trent told me online it said I did not have to. So some were shelled others… not so much.  I put it in the food processor (only to realize I have a baby one.), so I put just the chicpeas in and processed them in small batches.  Then i added the spices and mixed by hand.  Everything looked great!  It looked like hummus.  I then decided to taste it and OH MY GOSH it was HORRIBLE!  HORRIBLE… Like please read HORRIBLE.  The texture was horrible (like the shells did not completely break down) maybe I did not let them hang on the stove for long enough and boil enough (they at in water for almost 24 hours) and they ended up getting soft on the stove in like an hour and a half. I could smoosh them with my fork without effort.

Trent said maybe I need to let the hummus cool off and sit in the frige (ya know some things taste better when they hang out for a bit), so I did.  I tasted it again last night, after it had set overnight and it was HORRIBLE.  So, now I am not really sure what to do about the situation. I have no clue where I went so wrong, but I made a wrong turn somewhere and I am super disappointed.

Kamil… I miss you…..

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my summer PSA for young (under 38) people

my summer PSA for young (under 38) people.

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We shall relax

Oooo my! We have made it to Sunday and needless to say our family is in need of some relaxation.  Trent worked yesterday, I cleaned the house, did the laundry, worked out, and laid out (while he took a nap).  Today, Sunday is the day we get to spend together and just be. 

We LOVE routine. If I could be so bold to speak for my husband, I think we both really enjoy our lives routine.  It does not mean we do not know how to roll with the punches or that we never deviate and enjoy it.  It just means that we are content in the life that we have chosen for ourselves.  There are days of being grumpy, of enormous laughter, and everything in between but through it all it is ours and we really LOVE it. 

Today I have been thinking how happy I am with how everything has turned out. I have a husband who adores me (and I him), I have in laws who actually love me (and I them), and I have parents that I am close to (both of them), and I have a sister and a brother in law who already am so close to I invite myself over to their house without their knowledge and my mom is right on board with me. HAHA! 

I am a very blessed girl and I hope that I express that through my actions and words to those around me. 

Hope you are having a wonderful day too!

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It’s Official

MOVING MOVING MOVING TO FLORIDA!  Wanna know who?  MOMMA and PAPPA P!   They got the call yesterday and it was a wonderful and amazing phone call!  I could not tell you how happy our family is for this move. When I was praying with Trent last night, I just thanked God for taking some responsibility off our shoulders (even though my parents have never asked for anything from us) I am thankful I do not have to worry about them…. at least for a while. HA!

So now we get to see God perform some mircles and we are writing them down because it is just going to be amazing and something to remember during those down times, when ya just don’t feel God hears ya.  My parents have to move in 2 months.  That means they have to have the house sold in 2 months, in this economy, in their location!  Houses have been on the market in their neighborhood for literally years, so this is going to be a God thing.

My mom has to retire from her job, which is a huge blessing!  Her back has been failing her for a while, so to get out a job that is so demanding physically will really be a releif and they will finally be able to start saving for retirement!  Which really is wonderful news (thank goodness, they will have some money when they move into my house and I become their mom! haha j/k)

So that it is kids!  Moving on to the next stage in our lives with them. My sister will be close by and they will get be a part of at least one set of grandchildrens lives more than 3x’s a year!

When all said and done, we are so blessed!

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Johnny Keyser

Okay you guys. Time for me to promote some family. Now first off let me say I have only really met the kid a handful of times when I was very young.  However, he is my Aunt’s grandson and he is a good kid (from what I hear in the family).  My cousin (Johnny’s uncle) who I am close to says he is a “good egg” and I trust my cousin completely.  So please guys listen to this cd and if you like it, buy it. If you do not than you will pass.

From Where I Stand by Johnny Keyser

If he looks familiar he was a contestant on American Idol and was cut in Vegas.

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Interview #2

Okedoke, SO before my parents went down to FL for their interview, I kept calling them in the mornings.  Not because I wanted to talk to them but because I kept forgetting what day it was and I did not want to miss out on telling them good luck.  Finally my mom said “Jenna, we get it. But you have to stop calling us at 5am.”  HAHA!  Sorry MOM! (She is up by 5am for work, but my calls are ruining her routine… especially since I let it ring once or twice than remember I am calling on the wrong day. HAHA!)

Anyway, so Friday morning finally arrives!  ( I was told not to worry about calling. HAHAHA!) My mom texts me at 5:30am and says ‘What are the odds that the hairspray sprayer gets clogged up today and starts spraying out in globs rather than an actual spray. This leads to me having huge hair spray stains on my brand new clothes!  SERIOUSLY!!”  I replied that is was REDIC! and we left it at that.

I was able to get on the phone with her in the evening and I found out that the interview went really well.  She kept saying that the international students are just so different than American students.  She said the international students have respect and they came right up to her and hugged her (both the boys and girls).  The girls kept saying “Oh we want you to be our dorm mom next year!” She said they were just so sweet and so willing to learn and love. She said that everyone that they spoke to at the school acted like they had the job, saying things like “This is where you will stay, and this is where you will go. We are so excited to have you here with us.”  Things like that.  My mom said that neither her nor my dad were nervous.  They had a really good time and felt like “Home”. 

So YAY!  They were told they should find out this week if they got the job.  If they have it there is a ton of work to be done. My mom has to retire, they have to pack and sell the house.  Their summer will be a busy one for sure 🙂

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Pinterest Warning

Hey guys,

Please go here and read why this woman has decided to get rid of some of her boards on Pinterest.  It is super unfortunate actually, there are two follow up pages as well. Make sure you click on them too.

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Messy

Sometimes it seems that life is a bit messy.  People who have not spoken to you in over a year call you up and tell you that you need to be more supportive, when they are the ones that said “We will call you when we need you.”  Well if you waited a year and you only call me because you need me… than I guess you can lose my number.  I want people in my life who do not always need me, but want me there to share in their joys and fears. The ups and downs. Now just the downs and the hand outs. So again, goodbye. Do not let the door hit ya on the way out because little did you know I deleted your number after you said you would only get ahold of me if you needed me. Well actually, I put your number in my phone as BAD FRIEND because lets face it thats what you are.

At work I get a little frustrated because my current boss is crazy.  Maybe some anger issues if you will. Like the other day I was asked if the phone list was of the guys cell phone numbers. I replied “It should be because that what I asked them to put down.”  He than decided it was a good time to rip me a new one. G D was used, F was used all about how stupid I was and how could I not know if these were their numbers.  You know.. fun things like that. Trent was in the room during this and him and I both gave one another huge eyes and I sat there and took it.

He has taken his chair and pushed it into the wall so that the wall would get a hole. He threw is phone against the wall so that it broke into pieces. He did this right in front of his boss too, which we all got a laugh out of when he walked out of the office in a tantrum.  He ruined his phone and then has the gull to complain that a woman in an office, states away forgot to send him his tracking number and just got done going on a rant about that for 30 minutes, until I called the poor lady (cause I did not want him calling her) and asked her simply for the tracking number. She than could hear him in the background yelling and shouting and she said “Is he talking like that to you?”  I replied “Yes” and she than said “I am so sorry, if I knew he spoke like that to you about this, I would have gotten you the information a lot quicker. I had no idea.”  I just laughed and said “No big deal, just get it to me when you can.”

Either way I am so sick of people right now. I really wish this guy would leave today so I do not have to listen to him continue on his rant. While I am writing this he is going on and on and on and I am not paying one bit of attention to him.

In other news my parents are at their Interview today!  They flew down to Florida today and I am so excited for them! YAY

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