Tanning Beds

Don't you want to be beautiful?
Don't you want to be tan and beautiful?

I admit, I went to a tanning bed for a little while in college.
I also went a little bit during the summer after college.
My reasons were because I couldn't lay out and get a tan, I would look weird if I didn't.

That all changed once my mom was diagnosed with cancer.
I saw how painful chemotherapy was.
I saw how awful surgery recovery was.

I realized something that I hope others will realize:
Why would you purposely put yourself at MORE of a risk for cancer?

I don't smoke because it's gross but because I don't want lung cancer.
I go to the gynecologist to prevent cervical and ovarian cancer.
Why in the world would I go to a tanning bed?
Because being tan makes me more beautiful?
Because I get my Vitamin D?
So I don't have tan lines?
That's ridiculous.
NEWS FLASH:
No one cares how tan you are!

Don't get me wrong, I do prefer being tanner than paler. When I have the opportunity to lay out by the parents' pool, I do...but I put on massive amounts of sunblock to take preventions.

I can't help but hold my tongue when I hear brides talking about tanning,
almost as if it's a part of the wedding planning:
1. Dress
2. Hair
3. Nails
4. Shoes
5. Tanning

Tanning is not necessary to be a beautiful bride. I did not touch a tanning bed for my wedding. I just dealt with it, but also because I got married in December.

Friends, please be smart about tanning.
It's not worth it.
I have never ever heard a doctor say that it is necessary for someone's health to lay in a tanning bed. Even if it's "only for 15 minutes a few times a week."
Believe me I've heard that one before.
Be smart.
Being Tan is not worth hours of chemotherapy.

Zumba!

Zumba!!!

It is all the rage right now.

I was so excited to find that the community center at the next town over was offering Zumba for only $3.oo. The class is taught 3 nights a week, but I can only attend twice due to class.

I was so excited, but I became even more excited when my friend Elizabeth said that she would go with me.

We walked into our class a little nervous.

It was in an old classroom.

There were 5 of us, and we were all about the same size.

After class, I knew that I had found my true calling...

a Zumba instructor!!

I was good! I was picking up the moves quickly.

All I needed to do was to get to where I wasn't breathing so hard and memorize the dances.

I was set!

When Thursday night came along, I was so excited to enhance my zumbaing skills.

Elizabeth and I had even convinced another friend to come with us.

There was a problem though...we had a different teacher this time. A skinny, peppy girl that I have known for about 10 years. Bridgette.

Bridgette and I had done colorguard during the same time and her friend dated my friend for several years in high school. Andrew was even a groomsmen for that friend's wedding.

She murdered me.

Any thoughts I had about being a successful Zumba teacher flew out of the window.
I looked as if I had never had control over any of my arms or legs.

Bridgette was like a cat on speed. I looked like a fish out of water.

I couldn't help but think while I was watching her, that I used to be able to move my body like that.

Today I am a little sore, but I can't wait to go back and learn. Just you wait, I am going to get it!

When to say goodbye?

I'm having some problems. When you are emotionally attached to your job and the people that you work with, when is is a good time to leave?

That might sound a tad bit crazy, I realize this. I do love my job and I love my boss and office manager more than I love my job. I enjoy the relationships with my clients. I enjoy the fact that my boss let me pick out the paint color of my new office (lavender by the way). I love that every year I feel myself improving with my organizational skills. I have not reached the point at my job where I am burnt out or feel as if I have learned all that I need to learn.

Why do you want to leave you might ask?

Well...I'll tell you. I don't make very much money AT ALL. I work for a nonprofit which means that we have to fundraise the money for me to get the green. I haven't really gotten a raise either. They try to make up for it with little things, such as paying for my mileage and giving us a long time off of work for Christmas, but I've got bills to pay. I don't want to have to live almost paycheck to paycheck. Why would I stay at a job that I enjoy for little money when I can find a job that pays a lot more that I could also enjoy.

Did I mention I got punched in the nose working a fundraiser for my job? Yup. A full on "Bring it on, Sista" fight. It would be nice to not only be at a job where I don't have to worry about my job security every year when it's time to make budget cuts in the state and it would be even nice to not have to work on fundraisers.

There is never a good time to leave my job.
If I leave now, that would be right before Christmas and that would leave even more stress on the people that I love because they would have to pick up more of the slack. During Christmas time, it is normal for us to work til about 4 am several nights in a row to get Christmas worked on for our clients.

If I leave after Christmas, that's right before Dinner and Auction, our biggest fundraiser of the year. The other girl who had the job before me did that. Not cool in my boss's play book.

If you leave after Dinner and Auction, I will leave all of my clients to be seen and notes to be completed by a boss that doesn't have time to focus on her duties as a supervisor because she is so busy with everything else.

I also don't want to spring anything on anyone. She asked me to tell her when Andrew and I start to make a family because she told me that nine months wasn't long enough to process what to do while I'm on maternity leave. I'm guessing that this goes the same way. We've had people leave before. My friend Katie left after being on the job only a few months because the job that she really wanted came open and they were going to pay more and pay for her college. Nobody could really blame her for that one. My friend Robin left after working here for 3 years and she wanted a job at the school system so that she could have breaks with her children. No one could blame her for those reasons either.

I know that I will leave eventually. I'm getting my Masters and I don't get much of a raise once that is completed and I don't want to be a director.

I found a job opening that I might enjoy. It pays almost $10,000 more than my job does now. It's enough to start making me think.

Jealousy

My entire life I have struggled with not being good enough. With being ordinary. With not being pretty enough. Skinny enough, and the list could go on and on.

I've been dealing with the feelings of being ordinary. God uses the ordinary. He has to use the ordinary and not the spectacular because only God deserves the glory for the work He has done. I heard a woman who struggles with dyslexia talk about how she has written more books than she has read. She believed that that was possible because God had to take a person who didn't have a thought in her head in order for the book to be completely from Him.

I can't handle your good or your bad.
Sometimes I look at the beautiful people and wish that I had their jobs, body, life, spirit, faith, family....
But I have to remind myself that, yeah, their good is GREAT but could I handle their bad as well? Yes, she's a great writer but that is always expected of her. Yes, she's beautiful but is that all the people see when they look at her?

God has put me where He wants me for a reason. He has given me skills and the faith to deal with my good and my bad.

I'll take Steph for instance. She has a "glamorous" job where she gets to talk to all sorts of important people. Every day is different and she can move anywhere she wants. Hawaii anyone? That is so great, but I couldn't handle being in a job where my looks are very important and I worked in such a hostile and unChristian environment every day. I don't think I could handle being away from my family or spend the majority of my days begging for interviews.

I can't handle her good or her bad.

My friend Jessica. She seems to got it all together spiritually and is very smart when it comes to the bible. Her home is clean and she can cook better than Paula Deen! Her husband has been layed off for like a year now and they were wondering what they were going to do when his unemployment check runs out and they just found out that they are pregnant with twins. I couldn't handle that stress. Jessica can. Jessica just got a promotion and they have decided that her hubby is going to be a stay-at-home dad. God provided, but it was that inbetween where I don't think I could handle it.

I can't handle her good or her bad.

I hear all the time from Stephanie, "I don't know how you put up with [insert situation here]. "

She can't handle my good or my bad.

I have to trust and rely on the fact that God knows what He is doing. Don't get me wrong, I'm not unhappy with my life. I love my husband, job, house, dogs, and family but sometimes I just get caught up with comparing and dreaming about what if.

I am Selfish

Today I was reminded about how truly selfish and ungrateful I really am.

I had to go out and see an old client this morning and as an afterthought, I brought her several bottles of dish soap. When I arrived at her house, we caught up on what was going on in her life and how her granddaughter was doing in school. I finally gave her the wal-mart sack to show her what I brought for her.

It was nothing. It was soap.

When she looked into the sack and saw what was placed so haphazardly in there, her eyes grew wide and her mouth dropped. Thank you, Ms. Dana she said.

She then went on to share with me that she had run out of dish soap three days ago and she had been unable to wash any dishes because they did not have the funds purchase the soap. This lady has a yard sale every day and the money that she collects from her yard sale helps get her family through the winter. The day before I brought the soap she said she made $2. $2. She was worried about how her family was going to make it through the harsh winter and she was afraid that their lights and heat were going to be turned off if she did not make enough money with her yard sale. Her son has been digging through trash to find scrap metal. I am not making this up. He has found a place where people are illegally dumping their trash and he seeps through other people's junk to find metal to help take care of his family. He has gotten bitten by a tick and his foot has swelled up, but he is more scared that someone will make him stop than his foot falling off.

The night before I brought the soap to their house, they were discussing prayer and how God works. The son told his mother, some people say not to pray to God for the little things because He already knows our needs, but I think that we should be able to pray for the little things. That night his mother and himself got down on their knees and prayed for soap so they could wash their dishes. They prayed that someone would come shop their yard sale and that an angel would bring them soap to wash their dishes.

My sweet-hearted client told me,"You are my angel from God." I'm not telling you this story to make you think that I am so wonderful that I can sense my client's needs and that God uses me. I'm not that great. God worked through me today, but He also taught me something in the process. Today I am thanking God for soap.

I have never prayed for soap, toilet paper, or clean clothes. There have been times in my life where I have been overdrawn in my bank account due to unwise decisions, but I have never hungered nor have I ever had to pray for something as small as soap.

I can count on one hand the number of times that I have cried in front of a client while doing my emotionally charged job. This time my right eye failed me as a tear sneaked through my tear ducts. She told me that she was blessed. She told me that she knew that God was at work in her life and she still had joy even though they continually struggle financially. How many times have I looked at my closet and thought that I have nothing to wear or glanced in my stocked cabinets and thought I have nothing to eat? Too many times.

I have a nice house, a great car that runs, my bills are payed every month, and I know that God is taking care of me. All of my worries seem so small now. I know that I will probably forget this moment in my life, but God used a sweet older lady in a nightgown with stringy unwashed hair to show me that my Lord is still in the business of caring.

Great Week!

Today is Monday, which is wonderful because that means that tomorrow is TUESDAY and Tuesday means one thing only to this girl: WICKED!!!!!!! I'm so excited about it. I love love love musicals, but this is the one of the most popular musicals that I have never seen. I have been excited about it since I saw that it was coming to Memphis. Everyone I know that has seen it loved it and I can't wait!

Friday, I am leaving for a Women's Conference in Tupelo, MS with my church group. I was excited about it because I love being with the women. I was also excited because Chonda Pierce will be there. I've heard that she's funny and I will also get to worship with MercyMe. Those are both very exciting, but I found out something even better will be there Friday night. Two Words. DAVE BARNES!! This will be the 3rd time I'm seen him and I'm planning on seeing him again in November when he comes to Union.



Enjoy!

No updates in a month?

I have been MIA from my blog. Why? I don't really know. Here are some quick updates:

• Andrew got his diploma in the mail!! We paid too much money to both of our diplomas frames and we will put some track lighting about his, just to illuminate it like a Thomas Kincaid. Completely kidding about the track lighting.
• School started back for me. I am slowly realizing that I need to love and appreciate this semester because the class that is a year ahead of me is going to have a stroke because they are so swamped with school work. On the negative side, I am in class for 6 hours straight on Monday nights.
  
• We got a new puppy. Her name is Paisley and she a an adorable yellow lab. Portia thinks that she is a little toy. I can't wait until Paisley is bigger than her and can give Portia a run for her money.
  
• I broke my toe when I decided to ride my bike to a carwash. I KNOW that I should not have been wearing flip flops, but we used to wear flip flops all the time when we were little AND I was going to a carwash for goodness sakes. It wasn't just a normal broke toe either. I was swollen and bruised and sore for weeks.
  

That's pretty much the update. Not much as gone on in the Hampton House. We are starting the Dave Ramsey money system and we are really excited about it. We aren't bad with our money, but it will be interesting to see how much we can save. Our first goal is to pay off my car. After we pay off my car the only bill we will have will be Andrew's student loans. We need to get crackin' on that because after I graduate with my Masters Here Come Mine!