So I survived yet another semester (though I'm sure I lost quite a few brain cells in the process) despite all the emotional craziness going on in my life and the horrors of the wretched book entitled the Aeneid (if you're a diehard fan of this book then I truly don't mean to offend you, but this thing made a nerd like me want to drop out of college. Just saying....). Following my completion of this agonizing err educational experience that has resulted in lasting benefits for my life (at least it'd better considering how much I paid for it) I spent about a week vacationing from the normal stressful thoughts of my life. However, seeing as how it's me (and if you know anything about me you'll know that I get stressed about such things as what to have for dinner and whether or not someone despises my guts due to his/her not having texted me back in a five-minute time period), my vacation from stress-city was incredibly short-lived. I soon became swept into a spiral of concern over money (I live on my own now and pay my own bills and have determined from this that being a grown-up is incredibly overrated), whether or not I was doing enough to get accepted into graduate school (which is still two years away btw), and the responses of other people to me in my life (never mind that I virtually have no control over such a factor...).
Everytime I get swept into such a spiral, I tend to unintentionally disregard the fact that God is in control and He pretty much has to slap me across the face to get the point across. For instance, about a week ago an old song that has some personal meaning for me regarding to this issue came to my mind, and I thought, "well hmm that's interesting. but oh well. I guess I just randomly thought of it", and then went about my business. Well, a few hours later, I was on the way to work and this song (that is several years old and I literally haven't heard on the radio in months) comes blasting on just when I'm about to get out of the car. I was quite shocked to say otherwise. Yes, you might call it a coincidence, but it really impacted me and I consider it a message straight from God (like I said, I'm a tough person to calm down...).
If that wasn't enough, a few days later I was sitting in the laundromat doing my laundry (yes, I'm too poor to have a washer/dryer in my apt...ain't nobody got money for that..) and this random middle-aged man came over and sat down next to me and commented that he'd seen me at church. Fortunately I remembered seeing him there or else I probably would have run for the hills, laundry done or not, seeing as how I'd never talked to this man a day before in my life and I couldn't think of a non-suspicious reason for him to be randomly talking to me....Anyways, he started telling me about some of his experiences in life, how his faith in God had opened doors for him that he never could have opened for himself, and how if one trusts in God, God will use you right where you are and will provide for you. I was pretty blown away to say the least, and told that that was exactly what I needed to hear today. He responded with, "Yeah I felt that God wanted me to come over and talk to you today..." After that, I went from being pretty to completely blown away. After all, I'd strongly considered not even doing my laundry that day and had decided to go in on a last second whim. Having a total stranger speak to me on a topic that had been bothering me for weeks completely amazed me and was exactly the slap in the face that I needed from Heaven above. God truly does work in mysterious ways...
So no, I doubt that I'll ever completely be a stress-free, happy-go-lucky individual who thinks only thoughts of sunshine and roses for the rest of her days. However, I've truly been taught this week that stress is absolutely pointless when one is a follower of God. The Bible promises that "in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28). As long as we as God's children are willing to serve Him and to put Him first in our lives, He's going to get us through life and use us right where we are. Yes, struggles and unfortunate things are going to happen in life, but God can bring good out of even the worst of situations and if we trust Him, He's going to get us through. He cares about every little thing that happens in your life and wants to help you and get you through your struggles. So instead of stressing and trying to control everything, we need to pray, give all the control to God, and do the best we can with what we're given. If that isn't a winning life philosophy to live by, I don't know what is....
Friday, May 31, 2013
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Hannah the Psychologist
Well okay....so the title is a bit of a lie. I'm actually more like a secretary for a psychologist. But hey, yours truly will be a psychologist herself in......4 years....6 years...a whole heck of a lot more years.....okay yeah it's gonna be a while but if I don't think about the length maybe I won't notice it (a person can dream right?) Anyways, while I am suffering through....err.....thoroughly enjoying my never-ending educational experience, working at an office as a humble secretarial assistant shall have to suffice. Honestly, the job is really not that bad. It's actually sort of epic when you think about how much you can discover about people just by sitting at a desk. For instance, some people appear to have gotten the impression that I exist as a (completely free) extension of their current psychological service. Either they perceive me to be a particularly nice person who will empathize with their problems or they're just bored as heck waiting on their appointment and find talking to me a little more interesting than listening to the clock tick. Whatever the reason, I have heard countless tales of family drama, medication nightmares, bipolar moments, and the list goes on....The awesome part is, all I have to do for this wonderful experience in my future field is sit there, nod, listen with wide, interested eyes, and interject an occasional word of wisdom. Hey if my job's gonna be that easy then who needs all these years of educational nightmare?? haha just kidding. Being a psychologist is no walk in the park so don't get any ideas about that one....Anyhow, being able to talk to a variety of people and hear about all kinds psychological subjects from my boss makes this job absolutely perfect for the psychology nerd that I am. Not to mention, being the only employee at this office, I once received a fax that was addressed to the "Office Manager" (aka me) which made me feel super important and puffed my ego up more than it probably should have.
Despite the awesomeness of this job, it does have its rather non-glamorous aspects. For instance, while at this job, I have experienced lifting boxes crammed with patient folders from the top of an incredibly tall closet (without breaking my back or my face I might add), washing dishes with a very old, very stained paintbrush (not my brightest moment), falling asleep at the desk and jumping about fifty million feet when the phone rang next to my ear drum (only happened once though so don't judge me...I was one sick individual at the time....), attempting to fix a rather large printer (and almost chopping off my finger in the process), and staring at the computer for so long that I literally wanted to gouge my eyes out. But, in the end, none of those things matter seeing as how this has been the absolute perfect job for me and it was a miracle I even got it at all. After all, I got this job with no previous secretarial experience and had absolutely NO idea what I was doing for at least 2 months in. Heck, I wouldn't have even hired me. But, over two years later, I haven't been canned yet and I'm incredibly thankful :) It's been quite an interesting experience, that's for sure, and one of these days (if I survive graduate school that is) I'll be the psychologist myself and I MIGHT even give you a discount if you show up and tell me that you read all my blogs faithfully and never missed a one ;) We'll just have to see ;)
Despite the awesomeness of this job, it does have its rather non-glamorous aspects. For instance, while at this job, I have experienced lifting boxes crammed with patient folders from the top of an incredibly tall closet (without breaking my back or my face I might add), washing dishes with a very old, very stained paintbrush (not my brightest moment), falling asleep at the desk and jumping about fifty million feet when the phone rang next to my ear drum (only happened once though so don't judge me...I was one sick individual at the time....), attempting to fix a rather large printer (and almost chopping off my finger in the process), and staring at the computer for so long that I literally wanted to gouge my eyes out. But, in the end, none of those things matter seeing as how this has been the absolute perfect job for me and it was a miracle I even got it at all. After all, I got this job with no previous secretarial experience and had absolutely NO idea what I was doing for at least 2 months in. Heck, I wouldn't have even hired me. But, over two years later, I haven't been canned yet and I'm incredibly thankful :) It's been quite an interesting experience, that's for sure, and one of these days (if I survive graduate school that is) I'll be the psychologist myself and I MIGHT even give you a discount if you show up and tell me that you read all my blogs faithfully and never missed a one ;) We'll just have to see ;)
Friday, January 4, 2013
Faith in prayer
Over the past few months, I've become caught up in a situation that I'm pretty sure God has wanted me to be in. Yeah, okay, I want to be in it myself too, but I really felt like God has been guiding me through this and has had me going through this for a very good reason. Well, recently I've hit a huge giant wall in this situation that has really got me discouraged and questioning what exactly God wants me to do about it.When I hit roadblocks with this before and prayed about it, God always gave me some kind of encouragement or sign to keep going (and things were going pretty darn well). Over the past few weeks, though, I've prayed and prayed (and prayed some more) about this and really nothing has gotten better. I'm still stuck with no answers and no clue about what to do about it.....
Such discouragement, however painful, serves as a good reminder to me of the importance of keeping faith in God and His plans, even when I have no clue what He's up to. Yeah, it's super super hard not to want to get really mad, stop praying, and just give up seeking God's will and do whatever the heck I want to do in the situation. However, I've come to the realization that it's at times like this when you have to pray and trust God more than ever before. After all, that's what faith's really all about. Faith wouldn't mean a thing if I could see ahead and know exactly how this situation's gonna work out. Rather, authentic faith occurs when you're in the dark and you have no idea what's going to happen. "Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase." (love that quote by MLK Jr.), which means that we must not let doubt or fear prevent us from living our lives. Rather, we must live with the assurance that, if we trust God and seek His will, He's going to work everything out for our good (even if we can't see what He's doing right this very minute).
So yes, I'm extremely downhearted right now and have no idea where this situation is going and how things are going to turn out. But the one thing I do know is that giving up on God and prayer is not the answer. The Bible speaks numerous time on the power of prayer and how God will never ignore those who call upon His name. Some of my favorites: "I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God. Bend down and listen as I pray." (Psalm 17:6), "So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most." (Hebrews 4:16), "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7). No, the Bible doesn't promise that we will get everything we want, right here, right now, when we pray. After all, just as a parent doesn't grant all of their child's wishes (because children often do not know what is best for them), God is not going to grant all of our wishes as He knows full well that some of our requests would prove detrimental to us later down the road. Also, God's timing is not our own. Something we pray for now may not become resolved for months down the road. I have an incredibly difficult time with God's timing as I have rather low levels of patience (never would have thought that of me, right? ;) ) and I give up on things/situations rather easily. However, one thing God has surely taught me over these past few years is to NEVER give up praying for things that are important to you (as God answered a prayer very dear to my heart nearly a year after I started praying for it). Thus, I must remember to never give up on prayer as prayer often proves more powerful than we could ever realize. I often compare prayers to planting seeds in a garden. You plant seeds and care for them for many months until they bloom into new life (just as, oftentimes, you must consistently pray for something before God provides the answer you seek).
I could go on and on about this topic, but seeing as how you probably don't have all day to read my blog (though I'm sure you wish you did) I'll wrap things up with a wonderful quote I found by Oswald Chambers
“We have to pray with our eyes on God, not on the difficulties.” In other words, instead of worrying all the time about the troubles of life and dwelling on the negatives, we must lift our eyes to God and trust that, if we seek His will earnestly and never give up coming to Him, He will answer our prayers. No, He may not give us the answer we want, but He WILL get us through the situation and will provide for us in ways far more wonderful than we could have imagined for ourselves. Scripture reminds us that, "in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28). Thus, I have to remember to keep trusting that God will work out this struggle in my life for His glory and for my ultimate good. I've seen God work miracles in this situation previously, so the only smart thing left to do is to let go, do the best I can, trust, and pray and see what God does. After all, I have no clue what the heck I'm doing in life most of the time and God hasn't failed me yet in seeing me through. So, I don't think He's going to start failing me now......
Such discouragement, however painful, serves as a good reminder to me of the importance of keeping faith in God and His plans, even when I have no clue what He's up to. Yeah, it's super super hard not to want to get really mad, stop praying, and just give up seeking God's will and do whatever the heck I want to do in the situation. However, I've come to the realization that it's at times like this when you have to pray and trust God more than ever before. After all, that's what faith's really all about. Faith wouldn't mean a thing if I could see ahead and know exactly how this situation's gonna work out. Rather, authentic faith occurs when you're in the dark and you have no idea what's going to happen. "Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase." (love that quote by MLK Jr.), which means that we must not let doubt or fear prevent us from living our lives. Rather, we must live with the assurance that, if we trust God and seek His will, He's going to work everything out for our good (even if we can't see what He's doing right this very minute).
So yes, I'm extremely downhearted right now and have no idea where this situation is going and how things are going to turn out. But the one thing I do know is that giving up on God and prayer is not the answer. The Bible speaks numerous time on the power of prayer and how God will never ignore those who call upon His name. Some of my favorites: "I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God. Bend down and listen as I pray." (Psalm 17:6), "So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most." (Hebrews 4:16), "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7). No, the Bible doesn't promise that we will get everything we want, right here, right now, when we pray. After all, just as a parent doesn't grant all of their child's wishes (because children often do not know what is best for them), God is not going to grant all of our wishes as He knows full well that some of our requests would prove detrimental to us later down the road. Also, God's timing is not our own. Something we pray for now may not become resolved for months down the road. I have an incredibly difficult time with God's timing as I have rather low levels of patience (never would have thought that of me, right? ;) ) and I give up on things/situations rather easily. However, one thing God has surely taught me over these past few years is to NEVER give up praying for things that are important to you (as God answered a prayer very dear to my heart nearly a year after I started praying for it). Thus, I must remember to never give up on prayer as prayer often proves more powerful than we could ever realize. I often compare prayers to planting seeds in a garden. You plant seeds and care for them for many months until they bloom into new life (just as, oftentimes, you must consistently pray for something before God provides the answer you seek).
I could go on and on about this topic, but seeing as how you probably don't have all day to read my blog (though I'm sure you wish you did) I'll wrap things up with a wonderful quote I found by Oswald Chambers
“We have to pray with our eyes on God, not on the difficulties.” In other words, instead of worrying all the time about the troubles of life and dwelling on the negatives, we must lift our eyes to God and trust that, if we seek His will earnestly and never give up coming to Him, He will answer our prayers. No, He may not give us the answer we want, but He WILL get us through the situation and will provide for us in ways far more wonderful than we could have imagined for ourselves. Scripture reminds us that, "in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28). Thus, I have to remember to keep trusting that God will work out this struggle in my life for His glory and for my ultimate good. I've seen God work miracles in this situation previously, so the only smart thing left to do is to let go, do the best I can, trust, and pray and see what God does. After all, I have no clue what the heck I'm doing in life most of the time and God hasn't failed me yet in seeing me through. So, I don't think He's going to start failing me now......
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Music is a Gift from God (that's for sure)
If it weren't for music, I honestly think I would curl up into a little ball and flat out die. Okay yes I'm being dramatic (don't judge me. you know you love me for it) but I truly feel that music contributes greatly to my love of life. Music speaks to my soul and, in my humble opinion, is amazing evidence for the existence of God. Who else but an almighty God could have inspired something so transcendent of Earth and so expressive of the deepest of human emotions? Don't even try to sell me that evolution crap. If you try to tell me that music came from apes who had nothing better to do one day than sit around and compose masterpieces I may just slap you. haha just kidding (maybe) but seriously though, God has really used music to get me through a lot of crap and (being a singer) I am constantly listening to it/singing along (REALLY loudly. Sorry neighbors...). No, not all of my favorite songs could be considered masterpieces (okay, probably none of them could be....). but hey, I think they're beautiufl and I think enough of them to recommend them to you :) So, in honor of the end of the year, here are the 15 best songs I've discovered in 2012.
15. "I Won't Give Up"-Jason Mraz-Inspirational stuff
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=i+wont+give+up+jason+mraz+lyrics&oq=i+won&gs_l=youtube.1.1.0l10.511.3546.0.5654.23.11.5.0.0.4.154.992.8j3.11.0...0.0...1ac.1.rOPQDJqe7q0
14. "Lost in the Echo"-Linkin Park- Whenever I'm in a depressed mood, Linkin Park always proves helpful....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aq2ACEznrk8
13. "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven"- Phil Collins- Super catchy. Love his voice.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=something+happened+on+the+way+to+heaven+phil+collins&oq=something+happened&gs_l=youtube-reduced.1.0.0l4.224383.226082.0.227631.18.11.0.6.6.0.137.930.7j4.11.0...0.0...1ac.1.cfBfOQhNPbo
12. "Hall Of Fame"- The Script-Another inspirational one
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=the+script+hall+of+fame+lyrics&oq=the+script+hall+of+fame+lyrics&gs_l=youtube-reduced.3..0l4.87089.90909.0.91012.36.17.3.16.17.0.156.1636.10j7.17.0...0.0...1ac.1.zk6oqPQdj_Q
11. "Paradise"-Coldplay-What can I say? It's Coldplay....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyoXP3w7dp4
10. "In Christ Alone"- Owl City-LOVE this song
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=in+christ+alone+owl+city&oq=in+christ+alone&gs_l=youtube.1.1.0l10.84738.86027.0.87405.15.6.0.9.9.0.121.607.3j3.6.0...0.0...1ac.1.WRGk2a7L0qQ
9. "Welcome to the Black Parade" -My Chemical Romance- Really moving.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-q9q6zl3WIs
8. "Titanium"- David Guetta ft Sia- Yes, it's been on the radio a thousand times. But I still love it.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=titanium+lyrics&oq=titanium+lyrics&gs_l=youtube-reduced.3..0l4.56334.57781.0.57881.15.7.0.7.7.1.108.599.5j2.7.0...0.0...1ac.1.NLk8Cqgujjc
7. "The Last Time"- Taylor Swift ft Gary Lightbody- Best duet Taylor has ever done. Really beautiful.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=taylor+swift+the+last+time+lyrics+&oq=taylor+swift+the+last+time+lyrics+&gs_l=youtube.3..0l7.5625.5625.0.6207.1.1.0.0.0.0.68.68.1.1.0...0.0...1ac.1.u8Yu6TURgOk
6. "21 Guns"- Green Day- I can't explain why I love this song. I just do :)
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=green+day+21+guns+lyrics&oq=green+day+21+&gs_l=youtube-reduced.1.1.0l4.9458.10978.0.12300.13.9.0.4.4.1.145.758.6j3.9.0...0.0...1ac.1.LcNm3I94Uac
5. "God Bless the Broken Road"- Rascal Flatts- So beautiful
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZp6pmgbZyU&feature=g-vrec
4. "Payphone"- Maroon 5- Another overplayed song. But super catchy and enjoyable :)
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=payphone+maroon+5+lyrics+clean+no+rap&oq=payphone+maroon+5+lyrics+clean+&gs_l=youtube-reduced.1.0.0l4.50573.53743.0.55073.31.15.0.16.16.1.144.1298.11j4.15.0...0.0...1ac.1.ub6uitZ3dbw
3. "Vanilla Twilight"- Owl City- Adam Young is amazing in this song. I think it's his best for sure.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdc3RdXoFwA
2. "Run"- Snow Patrol- Absolutely gorgeous
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLMyBBZmL2M&feature=related
1. "A Thousand Years"- Christina Perri- Beautiful, moving, and my absolute favorite :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHkvan-NFnM
And there you have it :) Yes, I'm a music nerd. But who can blame me, right??
Later, world :)
15. "I Won't Give Up"-Jason Mraz-Inspirational stuff
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=i+wont+give+up+jason+mraz+lyrics&oq=i+won&gs_l=youtube.1.1.0l10.511.3546.0.5654.23.11.5.0.0.4.154.992.8j3.11.0...0.0...1ac.1.rOPQDJqe7q0
14. "Lost in the Echo"-Linkin Park- Whenever I'm in a depressed mood, Linkin Park always proves helpful....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aq2ACEznrk8
13. "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven"- Phil Collins- Super catchy. Love his voice.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=something+happened+on+the+way+to+heaven+phil+collins&oq=something+happened&gs_l=youtube-reduced.1.0.0l4.224383.226082.0.227631.18.11.0.6.6.0.137.930.7j4.11.0...0.0...1ac.1.cfBfOQhNPbo
12. "Hall Of Fame"- The Script-Another inspirational one
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=the+script+hall+of+fame+lyrics&oq=the+script+hall+of+fame+lyrics&gs_l=youtube-reduced.3..0l4.87089.90909.0.91012.36.17.3.16.17.0.156.1636.10j7.17.0...0.0...1ac.1.zk6oqPQdj_Q
11. "Paradise"-Coldplay-What can I say? It's Coldplay....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyoXP3w7dp4
10. "In Christ Alone"- Owl City-LOVE this song
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=in+christ+alone+owl+city&oq=in+christ+alone&gs_l=youtube.1.1.0l10.84738.86027.0.87405.15.6.0.9.9.0.121.607.3j3.6.0...0.0...1ac.1.WRGk2a7L0qQ
9. "Welcome to the Black Parade" -My Chemical Romance- Really moving.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-q9q6zl3WIs
8. "Titanium"- David Guetta ft Sia- Yes, it's been on the radio a thousand times. But I still love it.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=titanium+lyrics&oq=titanium+lyrics&gs_l=youtube-reduced.3..0l4.56334.57781.0.57881.15.7.0.7.7.1.108.599.5j2.7.0...0.0...1ac.1.NLk8Cqgujjc
7. "The Last Time"- Taylor Swift ft Gary Lightbody- Best duet Taylor has ever done. Really beautiful.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=taylor+swift+the+last+time+lyrics+&oq=taylor+swift+the+last+time+lyrics+&gs_l=youtube.3..0l7.5625.5625.0.6207.1.1.0.0.0.0.68.68.1.1.0...0.0...1ac.1.u8Yu6TURgOk
6. "21 Guns"- Green Day- I can't explain why I love this song. I just do :)
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=green+day+21+guns+lyrics&oq=green+day+21+&gs_l=youtube-reduced.1.1.0l4.9458.10978.0.12300.13.9.0.4.4.1.145.758.6j3.9.0...0.0...1ac.1.LcNm3I94Uac
5. "God Bless the Broken Road"- Rascal Flatts- So beautiful
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZp6pmgbZyU&feature=g-vrec
4. "Payphone"- Maroon 5- Another overplayed song. But super catchy and enjoyable :)
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=payphone+maroon+5+lyrics+clean+no+rap&oq=payphone+maroon+5+lyrics+clean+&gs_l=youtube-reduced.1.0.0l4.50573.53743.0.55073.31.15.0.16.16.1.144.1298.11j4.15.0...0.0...1ac.1.ub6uitZ3dbw
3. "Vanilla Twilight"- Owl City- Adam Young is amazing in this song. I think it's his best for sure.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdc3RdXoFwA
2. "Run"- Snow Patrol- Absolutely gorgeous
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLMyBBZmL2M&feature=related
1. "A Thousand Years"- Christina Perri- Beautiful, moving, and my absolute favorite :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHkvan-NFnM
And there you have it :) Yes, I'm a music nerd. But who can blame me, right??
Later, world :)
Saturday, December 29, 2012
It's Me
So I'm off work today and got to being all nostalgic and reading all my old blog posts. Then I realized, "you know what, I should probably stimulate my mind during Christmas break and actually attempt writing something that would be of interest to the general public." I can't guarantee how often I'll be on here once school starts back again, but I'll at least try to write something every so often so you won't start planning my funeral or something....
So yeah. 2012 has been super interesting to say the least. I feel like I've really changed as a person (for the better hopefully) and have really learned a lot of about life in general. I've survived 1 1/2 years of college (honors program and all plus a minimum of 18 hours every semester....yes you can say it...I'm certifiably insane), have gotten yet ANOTHER restaurant job (I'm a hostess again because my previous job treated me like a piece of crap....I'll tell you the whole story later....), developed relationships with some people who have absolutely changed my life, and have learned (yet again) that God is with me, no matter what, and provides for me in the most incredible ways when I least deserve/expect it. This year has been up and down and has thrown me for a loop at times (in both good and bad ways), but it's honestly been pretty amazing for the most part and has helped me grow as an individual (wow I sound really philosophical today).
Well I have so much to catch you up on that I really have NO idea where to start. So I suppose I'll start by filling you in on my little job drama. Basically, I started serving at at a restaurant last December and, for the most part, felt I did a pretty decent job seeing as how my boss seemed to like me (and gave me tons of hours) and I always had a smile at my face and did anything and everything to please my customers (okay so what if I just wanted their money? I was still nice....and that's what counts right?) Anyhow, seeing as how my life tends to attract problematic occurrences, I was not surprised when things started to go horribly wrong. It all began when the place got a new manager. Being the nice (humble aren't I?) person that I am, when he first got there I went in and introduced myself and (very nicely) gave him my availability for the summer and he seemed okay with it. Simple right? Think again. For the first TWO weeks he was there, I went from having 30+ hours to (I kid you not) ZERO. I was in shock. After all, he didn't know me from Eve and had no idea whether I was bad or good at my job or not. Seriously, the guy didn't have a clue. So he had no reason whatsoever for giving me no hours. If he was prejudiced against me for being a spoiled college-student, then the guy had another thing coming seeing as how I work hard for my money like everyone else (I live off-campus and have bills like other "normal" people) and am certainly far from being rich (seeing as how I'm spending all my money to go to college in the first place). Anyhow, I asked him for more hours and he came back with, "I'm still getting things worked out with the schedule and then I'll get things worked out." And then this ever-generous man upped my hours to *gasp* FIVE. (I know. He totally deserved the Nobel Peace Prize for that one). Well, after two more weeks went by, I confronted him again (I'm normally not an argumentative person so this was a pretty big deal for me to even say anything at all). This time, he said that he just didn't have enough hours at the moment but that things would get better soon (promises, promises). Feasible excuse, right? Would have been super feasible if two days later he hadn't hired another server AND if he wasn't advertizing on the sign outside that the dang place was hiring (the nerve of this man).
Well, to put it incredibly nicely, I was irritated. I work hard at my job and felt like I was getting seriously gypped. If I didn't have another job, (I still work at the psych office), I would have been on the floor broke. Soo finally, I confronted him yet AGAIN seeing as how his excuses were starting to wear thin. I'm a very reasonable, forgiving person, but I can't stand being fed the same old crap excuses time and time again that make absolutely no sense. This time, he gave it to me straight. He basically told me, in no uncertain terms, that he was of the intellectual opinion that I sucked at my job and wasn't as good as the other servers. In other words, he might as well have taken his foot and kicked me squarely in the face. Being the sensitive, overachieving individual that I am, I left in tears and was quite dejected for the rest of the day. By the end of the day, however, I was more mad than sad. After all, he himself only worked personally with me for one day of the week and there were a lot of days when he didn't work with me at all. The days he DID work with me, I was lots of the times the only server on the floor and had about 11-12 tables at one time. I'd like to see him running around trying to wait on 11-12 tables of demanding customers without having a tiny bit of a hard time. I mean seriously?? I'm not Superwoman here. Anyhow, I feel as though, for some reason, he didn't like me from the very start seeing as how he didn't give me hours from the very beginning (before he even know what I was capable of).
Yes, I was incredibly wrong by this establishment, but the story does have a happy ending. I am now a hostess at a different restaurant where I am actually appreciated by my managers and get the perfect amount of hours. Plus I don't have to rely on tips anymore (gotta love hourly). Soo, despite my awful experience, I am quite thankful that I'm outta there now and at a much better job. Yeah, this job gets incredibly annoying and frustrating and crazy at times, but no one's job is perfect, right? So in the end, I harbor no hard feelings. I chalk it up as one of those experiences that works out for the best. However, don't expect to ever find me eating at that awful, unspeakable restaurant again cause it won't be happening :)
Later (and this time I promise I'll come back. I always do...eventually....) :)
So yeah. 2012 has been super interesting to say the least. I feel like I've really changed as a person (for the better hopefully) and have really learned a lot of about life in general. I've survived 1 1/2 years of college (honors program and all plus a minimum of 18 hours every semester....yes you can say it...I'm certifiably insane), have gotten yet ANOTHER restaurant job (I'm a hostess again because my previous job treated me like a piece of crap....I'll tell you the whole story later....), developed relationships with some people who have absolutely changed my life, and have learned (yet again) that God is with me, no matter what, and provides for me in the most incredible ways when I least deserve/expect it. This year has been up and down and has thrown me for a loop at times (in both good and bad ways), but it's honestly been pretty amazing for the most part and has helped me grow as an individual (wow I sound really philosophical today).
Well I have so much to catch you up on that I really have NO idea where to start. So I suppose I'll start by filling you in on my little job drama. Basically, I started serving at at a restaurant last December and, for the most part, felt I did a pretty decent job seeing as how my boss seemed to like me (and gave me tons of hours) and I always had a smile at my face and did anything and everything to please my customers (okay so what if I just wanted their money? I was still nice....and that's what counts right?) Anyhow, seeing as how my life tends to attract problematic occurrences, I was not surprised when things started to go horribly wrong. It all began when the place got a new manager. Being the nice (humble aren't I?) person that I am, when he first got there I went in and introduced myself and (very nicely) gave him my availability for the summer and he seemed okay with it. Simple right? Think again. For the first TWO weeks he was there, I went from having 30+ hours to (I kid you not) ZERO. I was in shock. After all, he didn't know me from Eve and had no idea whether I was bad or good at my job or not. Seriously, the guy didn't have a clue. So he had no reason whatsoever for giving me no hours. If he was prejudiced against me for being a spoiled college-student, then the guy had another thing coming seeing as how I work hard for my money like everyone else (I live off-campus and have bills like other "normal" people) and am certainly far from being rich (seeing as how I'm spending all my money to go to college in the first place). Anyhow, I asked him for more hours and he came back with, "I'm still getting things worked out with the schedule and then I'll get things worked out." And then this ever-generous man upped my hours to *gasp* FIVE. (I know. He totally deserved the Nobel Peace Prize for that one). Well, after two more weeks went by, I confronted him again (I'm normally not an argumentative person so this was a pretty big deal for me to even say anything at all). This time, he said that he just didn't have enough hours at the moment but that things would get better soon (promises, promises). Feasible excuse, right? Would have been super feasible if two days later he hadn't hired another server AND if he wasn't advertizing on the sign outside that the dang place was hiring (the nerve of this man).
Well, to put it incredibly nicely, I was irritated. I work hard at my job and felt like I was getting seriously gypped. If I didn't have another job, (I still work at the psych office), I would have been on the floor broke. Soo finally, I confronted him yet AGAIN seeing as how his excuses were starting to wear thin. I'm a very reasonable, forgiving person, but I can't stand being fed the same old crap excuses time and time again that make absolutely no sense. This time, he gave it to me straight. He basically told me, in no uncertain terms, that he was of the intellectual opinion that I sucked at my job and wasn't as good as the other servers. In other words, he might as well have taken his foot and kicked me squarely in the face. Being the sensitive, overachieving individual that I am, I left in tears and was quite dejected for the rest of the day. By the end of the day, however, I was more mad than sad. After all, he himself only worked personally with me for one day of the week and there were a lot of days when he didn't work with me at all. The days he DID work with me, I was lots of the times the only server on the floor and had about 11-12 tables at one time. I'd like to see him running around trying to wait on 11-12 tables of demanding customers without having a tiny bit of a hard time. I mean seriously?? I'm not Superwoman here. Anyhow, I feel as though, for some reason, he didn't like me from the very start seeing as how he didn't give me hours from the very beginning (before he even know what I was capable of).
Yes, I was incredibly wrong by this establishment, but the story does have a happy ending. I am now a hostess at a different restaurant where I am actually appreciated by my managers and get the perfect amount of hours. Plus I don't have to rely on tips anymore (gotta love hourly). Soo, despite my awful experience, I am quite thankful that I'm outta there now and at a much better job. Yeah, this job gets incredibly annoying and frustrating and crazy at times, but no one's job is perfect, right? So in the end, I harbor no hard feelings. I chalk it up as one of those experiences that works out for the best. However, don't expect to ever find me eating at that awful, unspeakable restaurant again cause it won't be happening :)
Later (and this time I promise I'll come back. I always do...eventually....) :)
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Hannah's Political Rant
iSeeing as how different political primaries are going on across the country at this time, I thought I'd take a brief interlude from updating you on my oh so fascinating life to say a brief word about politics. Thrilling, I know (you say as your mouse frantically searches for anything that will take you light years away from this website). I used to hate politics myself (and I certainly don't call myself obsessed or enthralled with it as some individuals I know), but I've gotten a little more interested as of late thanks to all the insane things going on.
Firstly, let me implore you to please go to the polls and vote for Ron Paul. Why, you might ask? Well, in my humble opinion he has the best ideas to get our country back on track (such as cutting the insane amounts of government spending, getting our troops out of Iraq/Afghanistan, and loosening the chokehold that our government is slowly imposing on our supposedly free nation). He also appears to have the best shot of all the Republican nominees at beating Obama as he appeals to, not only Republicans, but Independents and Democrats as well.
And why, you may ask, is it important that Obama not be reelected? Oh heavens, where do I even begin? Should I start by noting how Obama is all talk and no action (after all, he promised to get all the troops out by this point in time as well as restore our economy, which he has actually wrecked thanks to all his increased spending), or by commenting on how Obama seems to care nothing for the individual freedoms of Americans? After all, this is the same man who has instituted national healthcare (oh yeah, that doesn't reek of Socialism one bit), as well as, more recently, martial law and has pushed for internet piracy laws that, believe it or not, will end up destroying internet businesses as well as prohibiting free speech on the internet. So technically Obama could prosecute me for saying this stuff about him if these laws got passed. Basically, then, our dear old president has succeeded only at pushing our economy farther down the tubes, taking away freedoms of Americans slowly but surely, and ensuring that our troops will be overseas fighting useless battles for quite some time yet. And people actually want to reelect this guy? If that does happen, I think I'm moving to Australia....
Oh, and one more thing. Don't you find it suspicious that though there's been all this talk of the Republican primaries, there's been nothing about the Democratic primaries? In fact, they're not even having one this year because, supposedly, Obama is a sure win. Oh please. So you're telling me that there's not even one other Democrat who wants to run against Obama? Or any Democrats who will vote for other candidates versus Obama? It seems awfully suspcious to me. As though the Obama administration ensured that no Democratic primary would occur in the first place so as to ensure Obama's lock-in as the Democrat nominee. So, if this administration found the power to do that, who knows what else they have the power to do under the radar (seeing as how there's virtually no media coverage of this lack of Democratic primary). Creepy, right?
So, bottom line is, when your state's primary gets here, VOTE FOR RON PAUL! And then vote for WHOEVER is running against Obama. If you choose to listen to me that is....Okay, I'm done now. I promise. Normal life can resume once more ;)
Monday, January 9, 2012
Oh My
It has been entirely too long. You probably thought I'd fallen off the face of the earth, right? Well, I hope you at least missed me a little. *hint hint*...;) Anyways, I am back, hopefully for good this time. Though you never know how crazy my life will get once my second semester of school starts. Two jobs + the cruel torture of that thing known as the *dun dun dun* honors *gulp* program + plus the massive amounts of homework poor college students receive because their teachers think they have no life outside of it might leave me no free writing time whatsoever. But hey, who says a girl can't make time?
Anyways, what has my year looked like you might ask? Well...where do I begin? I decided on a college, had one of the best summers of my life, started college, had my heart broken and crushed into little tiny pieces, quit my hosting job, got a serving job (recently on top of my job at the psych office that I wouldn't give up for the world), survived the semester (oh the stories I have from this experience known as college...), met some out-of-this world people, and realized that without God I would be a ball of emotional wreckage. So yeah, it's been some year. I might have to catch you up gradually. We'll see....For now, though, I'll end with a quote I found today that I see as particularly inspiring (especially for someone like me who tends to dwell on the past and all the times I've made a mess of things).
“Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Until next time ;)
Anyways, what has my year looked like you might ask? Well...where do I begin? I decided on a college, had one of the best summers of my life, started college, had my heart broken and crushed into little tiny pieces, quit my hosting job, got a serving job (recently on top of my job at the psych office that I wouldn't give up for the world), survived the semester (oh the stories I have from this experience known as college...), met some out-of-this world people, and realized that without God I would be a ball of emotional wreckage. So yeah, it's been some year. I might have to catch you up gradually. We'll see....For now, though, I'll end with a quote I found today that I see as particularly inspiring (especially for someone like me who tends to dwell on the past and all the times I've made a mess of things).
“Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Until next time ;)
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