Even though I’ve been a terrible blogger lately, I decided to try out Posterous a new blogging site.  It has a very simple format, but it can update to all of my sites (WordPress, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) at once.  Anyway, I thought I’d give it a try and see if it might motivate me to start blogging again.  Please pardon me as I figure things out! 

http://juleenkenney.posterous.com/

Posted via web from And They Lived Happily Ever After…

I’ve got so much to say, and so little time to say it in. I guess I’ll just have to do a whole lot of updating once things slow down a bit.
One little interesting tidbit for those of you who read my blog and also attend Riverview Church, an excerpt from my blog was featured in the June edition of This Month at Riverview, the church’s monthly newsletter.

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Photos By Mikenna White:

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I just realized that it has been quite a while since I’ve written, and quite a lot has happened since then, so I guess it’s time for a brief update!  Some of you may already know all this, but to those who haven’t heard, it might come as a bit of a shock! 

First of all, I have moved yet again!  This time I have moved to Haslett, MI which where I also work, and my apartment is literally just minuted away from my salon.  My new address is 5946 Bois Ile Dr Apt 2-A, Haslett, MI 48840.

Now, more importantly is the reason for the move… I’M GETTING MARRIED!!!  Noob/James proposed on March 29, 2009 and we opted for a very brief engagement and will be getting married on June 26, 2009!

I will update further on the engagement and wedding in an upcoming post.

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“My Lord God I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that my desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope that I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.” (Thomas Merton)

“You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is about the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.” (Dr. Adrian Rogers)

1 ) Gerber Daisies are my favorite flower.

2 ) I stole the magic from Disneyland (according to a guy who once took me there on a date… and NO, that was definitely NOT a compliment).

3 ) I once ate a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup filled with maggots. (NOT on purpose)

4 ) I have broken both of my ankles, my foot, and most of my fingers and toes (to name a few).

5 ) I have dated someone 15 years older than myself, and 9 years younger.

6 ) I absolutely love my job as a hair stylist, I would continue doing hair even if I never had to work another day in my life!

7 ) I am mildly obsessed with text messing.

8 ) I saw the movie Twilight 8 times (at least) in the theater. Not because I necessarily wanted to see it that many times but people just kept asking me to go see it, so I did!

9 ) I want to learn how to REALLY play the guitar someday, I can play a little and have an awesome guitar, but I want to be great!

10 ) I am terrified of heights, but my fear motivates me to do crazy things like rock-climbing and repelling and riding roller coasters.

11 ) I am a severe control freak, and I am in the process of learning to just let go!

12 ) I love cheese!

13 ) If for some reason I wasn’t able to be a hair stylist, I would probably be an interior decorator.

14 ) I love to read and am an extremely fast reader.

15 ) Pepperidge Farm Orange Milano Cookies are my favorite!

16 ) I have severe stage fright but have performed in front of crowds for most of my life.

17 ) I taught first grade for only one year at a Christian School in California.

18 ) I am a perfectionist who likes everything to be structured, scheduled, and orderly (Although my bedroom would seem to indicate otherwise at the moment).

19 ) When I die, I want people to remember me for how much I loved others. (I am definitely working on this!!)

20 ) I want to learn to be a better friend. (I think this goes along with #19)

21 ) I have a slight shoe fetish.

22 ) I love to cook, but rarely follow a recipe!

23 ) When I was a toddler my family lived in a K.O.A. campground for 6 weeks when we were moving from CA to MI and we did not yet have a house.

24 ) I desperately want to visit both Ireland and Italy someday.

25 ) I want to get married someday, but have no desire to have a traditional wedding ceremony.

26 ) I am currently taking a class at my church called Financial Peace University by Dave Ramsey and am learning how to budget, get out of debt, and make responsible financial decisions for my future!

27 ) I despise washing dishes, even if it’s just rinsing them and putting them in the dish washer!

28 ) Soggy bread disgusts me! I won’t eat it, or touch it, I won’t even look at it. It makes me nauseous!

29 ) I absolutely love Facebook because it has helped me to reconnect with so many long lost friends, and has allowed me to keep in much better contact with all of my long distant friends.

30 ) The most difficult thing about my job is having to make small talk with new clients.

This morning I had to take my car in to get worked on. Not sure what the problem is, but last night when I was driving home, all of the lights on my dashboard started flashing as well as the clock and the cd player. It kinda freaked me out because the seatbelt, the anti-lock brake, AND the airbag lights were all flashing. That’s defintely not something you want to see while driving along extremely icy roads! LOL! I was afraid I’d slide, my brakes wouldn’t work and I’d end up flying out the window because of a non-functional seatbelt and airbag! Yeah, that would have been a real bummer! So they are supposed to look at the car either later today or sometime tomorrow and get back to me about what is wrong. I am hoping that it is nothing too serious (a.k.a. Expensive). I am so thankful that I now have an Emergency O.S. Fund that should at least cover a good chunk of it! Thanks to Dave Ramsey and FPU (and God, of course)!

I recently (23 days ago, to be exact) began reading The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren.  For the uninformed, this book is a 40 day spiritual journey that is designed to help you to discover God’s purpose for your life.  This is the second time I have read it, the first being about 5 or 6 years ago.  The first time through, I enjoyed it and thought it was a pretty good book, but didn’t really get what all the hype was about.  In re-reading it now, I am having a completely different reaction.  I am truly blown away by it!  Every single reading has been just what I needed for that day.  I am really excited about all of the things that I am learning each day and the amazed by the changes that God is making in my life!  Please pray for me that I will continue to grow in my relationship with God and that his unconditional love for me would spill out on those around me!  If you haven’t read the book, I highly recommend reading it.  If you’re like me and you’ve read it before and didn’t get much out of it, I encourage you to try again!  God might have something new in store for you!

I am starting a new professional blog.  It will not replace this one, but will be in addition to it.  I am hoping that it will help me to increase my business in the salon as well as keep my friends and clients updated as to what is going on in the salon industry and in my business in particular.  It is still under construction, but be sure to stop by and have a look.  My brother, Todd Luter, designed the header logo at the top of the page.  It is also the design of my new business cards.

salonjuleen.wordpress.com

It’s been a while since I’ve written so I just wanted to update you on my current living situation.  I did actually end up moving (way back in August).  Once word got out that I was looking for a place to live, offers started coming in for roommates, rooms to rent, etc.  I ended up moving in with Shannon McKendry, a girl I know from church.  We didn’t know each other very well before hand, but she was some one that I would frequently chat with in the hall at church or at church events.  Since I moved in, we have gotten to know each other better and she has already become a good friend.  I am living in Aspen Lakes, a newish community in Holt, MI.  There are houses, condos and apartments all in one neighborhood.  Shannon owns our condo.  It is a beautiful place, very spacious.  I have my own room and bathroom, and lots of privacy.  There is a pool, hot tub, fitness center, and clubhouse, all of which I have definitely taken advantage of so far. I really do hope that this will be a place that I can settle into for a little while, I have done way too much moving around in my life.  Please be sure to update your address books with my current information.

Juleen Luter  3602 Flying Gulch  Holt,  MI  48842

Due to unexpected circumstances I am in need of a new place to live (again)!  I am currently looking for a room to rent in a house or an apartment somewhere in the general area of Lansing, MI.  If you have any leads for me, please let me know ASAP.  I would prefer to move no later than October 1st, but am available to do so at any time between now and then.  If something is available at a later date, I also have a temporary place to stay until I can get moved in somewhere.  I would really appreciate any help I can get!  Thanks!

I know, I know… it’s been a minute since I’ve written.  I’ve had several people question whether I ever even came back from my trip to California, so I just wanted to clarify for everyone that I did in fact return to Michigan.  I’ve been staying pretty busy lately and haven’t been keeping up on the blog.  I promise I will write about the trip soon and catch you up on the rest of my life as well!

On Saturday, May 24th, 2008 at 2:45 pm I will be boarding a plane headed for California.  My friend Breannon and I are heading off for a much needed week long vacation.  We will be staying with her cousin in Solana Beach, which is just north of San Diego. 

It has been 4.5 years since I left California and moved back to Michigan, and I have not been back there since.  I once thought that I would eventually move back, but I don’t really foresee that in my future any longer, but who knows… Over the last several years I have dreamed about California, and cried over California.  I’ve always feared that if I ever went back… that I’d never want to return.  Fortunately, now I have so many amazing things so come back for… so for anyone who is concerned that I may be doing some sudden relocating… don’t worry, I’ll be back!

 WOW!    Thank you all for praying.  There were over forty of you wrote and said you would pray.  Here is how God answered.

I was told to be at the hospital at ten am for noon surgery.  We showed up at 9:45 and they said we are taking you right in for surgery.  They seem to be in a hurry.  Evidently God wasn’t.

When I got into the pre-op my blood pressure decided to take a trip high, 217/104.  They did not like that.  I told them God was in control of it because all of you were praying and God’s timing was always right.  I was able to give God the glory and praise to each caregiver through the whole procedure.

Pastor Royce showed up to pray with me but I had already gone.  Also our two daughters showed but were too late.   Then there were two good friends, Ken and Ken, but they were late also.  But God was never late.

After being given three shots to bring the pressure down and waiting over two hours it came down.  Of course, my family thought I was already in surgery.

Well, for the next three hours I really don’t know what happened.  However, this is what I was told.  Dr. John Flood found a little more damage then he expected.  Not only was the rotator cuff tendon torn but it was kind of shredded, which made it a little more difficult to attach.  Then there was some calcium that had built up that had to be cleaned up.  Then they had to cut off the end of a bone.  I’m not sure what that meant.

Finally, at five pm I got to see Ruth.  Andrea and Juleen gave up and went home. (Ahem… Juleen had to go back to work… and Andrea had to pick up her children)

Dr. Flood said that my worst time would come about two to three o’clock in the morning.  So, Ruth decided to stay the night with me.  Thanks to your prayers and God’s blessing I had a good night.

Remember I asked you to pray about my back pain?  Well, since the surgery the back pain has not returned.  Please don’t stop praying.  Praise the Lord!

About three pm Friday I got to come home.  I now wait for two weeks and then see the doctor.  If all is well I will begin several weeks of physical therapy three days a week.

What a time to have such a loving and caring wife.  Ruth has always been such a blessing to me.  I thank her and all of you for your prayers and concerns.

This has been typed with my own left hand.

Blessings,  Frank

Just a quick update on my dad, post-surgery.  The doctor said that everything went very well.  He ended up doing a little more than was originally planned though.  He discovered in the process that part of my dad’s collarbone was severely riddled with arthritis and so they removed a section of the bone.  Dad is home now, and heavily drugged, but doing well as far as I can tell!  Please keep praying as he recovers, that he will be patient with his progress, and not try to overdo it!

On Thursday, May 1st my father, Frank Luter, will be having shoulder surgery to repair his rotator cuff that was damaged last spring when he was hit by a car.  Please pray for him that he will be at peace about the procedure, pray that his body will heal quickly and that he will experience relief from the pain he has been in.  Pray also for Dr. John Flood who will be performing the surgery.  Pray that the Lord will guide his hands and that he will be focused and do his job well!

Who says that money can’t buy happiness?  I just got some cute new shoes and had a Victoria’s Secret shopping spree today, and it certainly put a much needed smile on my face!  

OH YES,

there are worse things than
being alone
but it often takes decades
to realize this
and most often 
when you do
it’s too late
and there’s nothing worse
than 
too late.

-Charles Bukowski

It’s been a minute so I figured I better at least write an update about my new house.  Everything has been awesome so far, I’m totally loving being here.  I have a lot more room, and I’m closer to work, and those are just a few of the perks about the new place.  The best thing about it is it’s really quiet here and I’ve been sleeping quite well!  I have also done quite a bit of entertaining already, which has been fun.  Everyone seems to want to hang out at my new house, which saves me money on gas! LOL!  Anyway, everything has been wonderful and I’m so glad that I made the decision to move!  I will post photos of the new place soon!

Today is the big day!  After weeks of packing and anticipation, I am finally moving today!  I’ve already moved a ton of stuff, so today should really be a breeze (at least I hope so, for the sake of my dear friends who are helping me).  I’ve just got my bed, and a few other large pieces of furniture (anything I couldn’t carry on my own) and several smaller boxes left to move.  I am hopeful that it shouldn’t take more than a few trips and a couple of hours.  Next time you hear from me, it will be from a new location!  Woo Hoo! Juleen Luter 921 Cleveland St Lansing, MI 48906 

I’ve missed out, and it looks like I’m gonna have to wait another four years… I just discovered that “Leap Year Day” is the only day that it is legal for a woman to propose to a man (it would’ve helped if I’d actually had a man to ask, but that is just a minor detail we’ll overlook for now).  Apparently, historically it was illegal for a woman to do the proposing.  The women fought against that law and were eventually given just one day, every four years in which they could do the asking.  I just thought that was an interesting little tid-bit that I’d share with you all.

I finally got a haircut today.  I’ve been trying to grow it out for quite some time now, and it was just starting to get dry and unhealthy, so in desperation I decided to chop it off and start fresh.  I lost about 3 inches today, and it’s feeling really short at the moment, but it’s kinda fun and nice to have something different!  Even more fun was the fact that it was cut by my “old” stylist who used to do my hair before I was a hairstylist and who I now work with.  It’s the first time she’s cut my hair in years… and I love it!  

Great news! Grace was discharged from the hospital and went home on Saturday! Her white blood count, heart rate, and temperature levels returned to normal; she began eating solid foods and responding to oral pain meds, so the doctors felt it was safe to discharged her! She is relieved to be home and sleeping in her own bed. Thank you all for your support, prayer and encouragement during her 10-day stay. She is asking that you pray that her bowels continue to strengthen and heal, and that her pain  would continue to decrease. 

“Communication delivered is not the same as communication received”

Lately I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about relationship in general and how I interact with the people in my life.  I heard the preceeding quote the other day and it really made a lot of sense to me.  I tend to believe that I am a pretty good communicator, but often times peoples response to what I say seems to indicate otherwise.  I feel like I am communicating my thoughts clearly, but the other person is not always hearing what it is that I really intend to say.  Sometimes it’s not a big deal and is an easy mistake to clear up, but other times these misunderstandings can have huge ramifications on a relationship.  The other day I off handedly said something to a friend that was taken completely in the wrong way.  This led to some tension and frustration between us until we finally talked it out and realized what had brought about the confusion.  I assumed I had communicated clearly, he assumed that he understand what I was saying.  We both were wrong!  What a mess!  How do you communicate in a way that you know without a doubt that the listener understands both your words and your intent?

Here are the rules:

1. grab your preferred digital media player.

2. push play in shuffle mode.

3. report … the first 10 tunes that pop up

.…

5. cheating is prohibited, as it would be in poor taste.

6. this will decide whether you are a likeable person or not.

7. at least that’s what my friend told me.

8. when he said this, the part about being a likeable person, i panicked.

9. but it turned out he was kidding.

10. sort of

.…

15. you’re still a great person.

1. I Didn’t Ask And She Didn’t Say-Tim McGraw

2. Elevation-U2

3. Have It All-Foo Fighters

4. The Noise We Make-Chris Tomlin

5. Runaway-Bon Jovi

6. Starting Now-Ingrid Michaelson

7. We Are The Champions-Queen

8. Steal My Kisses-Ben Harper

9. Amazing Grace-Flogging Molly

10. New Resolution-Azure Ray

Definition of Fine:  Freaked out, Insecure, Neurotic, and Emotional

Something I have recently come to realize is that the biggest hinderance to any relationship (friendship, dating, marriage, etc.) is most often our own fears and insecurities.  We are afraid to just be ourselves, or speak our minds because we don’t know how the other person will respond.  We fear rejection, we fear judgement, therefore we hold back a part of ourselves, usually the most important parts.  Our insecurities can keep us from ever truly forming deep connections with others.  We just let people skim the surface, and never allow them see who we really are.  I am realizing that there are people in my life who only see what I want them to see, the small part of myself that I’m willing to risk, to put out there.  These relationships lack a certain level of sincerity, and the other parties may not even realize it.  We say that everything is fine between us, but it’s not… there is always something lacking, a missing piece.  I’m convicted that I need to learn to let my guard down, choose to tear down the barriers that I’ve put up, and allow people to see the real me.  Take it or leave it… Like it or not… THIS IS WHO I AM! 

A post-surgery update from Grace’s sister:

Hello Family and Friends,

  Good news! Grace’s surgery went really well today! The surgeon told Tim that he was pleased with the removal of the ostomy bag, and the (minimal) intestinal work done to “start up the plumbing” again. We met with Grace in her hospital room around 4 today as she woke up from the anesthesia. It was endearing to see her tears of relief as Tim told her that the surgery went well. Perhaps even more sweet were her tears of joy as she looked at her abdomen to see the long-awaited absence of the ostomy bag. Grace asked me to forward along this request:  “Would you pray that my intestines begin to move things through and that I don’t experience a lot of nausea?”. Grace anticipates her discharge to be in 3-4 days. If you’d like to send her a note, please feel free to write to her email address because she will be able to check messages soon: gracielu725@hotmail.com

    Thank you to all for your thoughts, prayers and support. Hannah

I am moving in two weeks!  Not too far away though!  I will be living with my friend Brie in her cute little house near downtown Lansing.  I have been busy packing over the last couple of weeks and have actually been able to move quite a bit of my stuff in already.  Saturday, March 1st is my official move in day when I will be finishing the job and bringing all of the big stuff over!  If you’ve got nothing better to do that day and want to help me move, be sure to let me know!  :) In the future you can contact me at: Juleen Luter 921 Cleveland Street Lansing, MI 48906 

Thank you to everyone who has prayed for my friend Grace over the last several months.  Here is an up to the minute update!  She is having surgery at 12:30 pm today!  Please pray that everything goes well and that she has a quick recovery!  The following is a message I just received from her.

Hello Everyone,
I am writing with wonderful news to tell everyone that I am cleared and scheduled for my next surgery! Some may find it strange that this is good news, but for those of you who don’t know, this means that for the past 6 months my bowels that were torn and damaged have now healed and are ready to be used again! This mean no more bag and that I will be able to use all that’s left of my small intestine. The surgery is scheduled for Wednesday Feb. 13th at 12:30!!! Please keep me in your prayers, as the recovery will be slow since I am going to have to re-learn to use the part of my digestive system that has been ’sleeping’ all this time. I am very glad to be back in MI for this surgery, as I am under the care of my wonderful surgeon. We have taken every precaution, multiple testing and screenings and we are all confident that this surgery will go well! I feel strong these days, and I have gained all but about 10 pounds back!!! Please keep the surgeon, myself and my family in your prayers, that there will be NO complications and that everything goes as planned! I will have Hannah or Tim send an update on how everything went. Thank you so much for all you’ve done for me, and please feel free to forward this to those whose email addresses I don’t have!
God Bless!!!
Grace

I have but one complaint in life at the moment!  I am getting very poor this month!  January is typically a very slow time of year in the salon industry, and this year it has been particularly unkind to me!  It seems like every single day I have had a multitude of clients either cancel their appointments at the very last minute or just not show up at all.  I don’t know if people just don’t get how that affects my day and my income, or if they just don’t care!  I really don’t mean to get all bitchy about it, but I honestly don’t think that people understand!  Therefore, I’m going to take a minute to educate you all on the proper etiquette of scheduling appointments!  I am self-employed, and so I pay rent at my salon every week.  I have to pay my rent regardless of whether I have any clients or not.  If I don’t make enough money in a week, I am actually paying to go to work!  Consider this, If you don’t show up for your appointment, whatever amount your service would have cost is essentially deducted from my weekly income.  For example, if you cancel a highlight appointment, my income for that week is approximately $100 less than it would have been.  When people cancel their appointments at the last minute, it also causes two other problems.  First, it leaves a gap in my day where I just sit there and wait (and hope) for the next client to show up.  Second, it also eliminates the possibility of getting someone else to schedule in that time slot.  YOU are my income!  If I don’t see you, I can’t pay my bills!  I NEED YOU, DEAR CLIENT… WHERE ARE YOU?

Yeah, so I have been slightly preoccupied and haven’t felt particularly motivated to get up to date on my past posting as I had previously promised (Could I possibly put more “P’s” in that sentence???).  I will get around to it, but I just have been busy doing other things lately!  Keep checking for updates though!  It will happen, I swear!  I finally got a digital camera for Christmas, so I will now be posting with photos as well (or at least more so than before).

I’ve been a little behind on posting lately and have some big events, such as the holidays that I need to get caught up on. Over the next few days I will begin adding some new posts around the actual dates of the events, so scroll back through November and December and see if you’ve missed anything!

I’ve been having a lot of really awesome spiritual conversations with some close friends lately.  It seems like they are suddenly becoming more fully aware of God reaching out to them, and they are finally allowing Him to take hold of their hearts.  I have recently seen some pretty dramatic changes in many of their lives, I’ve see them focusing less on their own selfish desires and longing for something more meaningful and satisfying.  They are making better choices for themselves, some very unexpected and courageous decisions have been made.  It is so exciting for me to see, and is definitely motivating me to take stock of my own life and seek out what changes could/should be made.

*****If you have to ask, then this post isn’t for you!!! *****

Apparently, there was a third glass that I was not aware of at the time.  Whilst lounging on the sectional, discussing the “finer side” of St. Johns, MI, a third glass was served.  A minor detail which I suddenly recalled at 5:45 this morning!  Just thought I’d clear up any confusion.  Sorry, I’m an idiot!

The above definition is merely amusing, not something I seriously believe, but I can totally relate to the thinking behind it!  I always think that I’m such a patient person… until I’m forced to wait!  Right now I am waiting around for a phone call and it is driving me nuts.  I know where the person is, and why they haven’t called yet, and even have a round-about idea of when they will be calling… but in the mean time I am just sitting here twiddling my thumbs and watching the clock.  I am learning that I don’t like waiting for things to happen.  I like to make plans that immediately follow my work day, because I hate the downtime of going home and waiting around for the next thing to happen.   That time in between always seems like such a waste to me.  I don’t like to really do much of anything when I’m waiting because I always seem to have to stop right in the middle of whatever I started, or I end up getting distracted and wind up late for where I was supposed to be!  I think that is one of the reasons I spend so much time online these days, it’s something I can do to fill those gaps in my day, and yet don’t usually get so sucked into anything that I can’t easily wrap things up and leave when I need to.  

Loneliness is a weird feeling… and not one I often experience.  But today has been a long lonely day for me.  I’m not really sure what is wrong, but I’ve just been in bit of a funk all day.  I didn’t have to go in to work until mid-afternoon and so I spent the morning hanging around the house all by myself.  Normally, that is something I really enjoy but today it just made me sad.  At work this afternoon, my friend Melissa came in to get her hair done, but even that didn’t cheer me up.  Then I had to work late tonight, and all of my friends went to a movie without me.  I’m just bummed out today, and really need to find a way to cheer up!

 

ENTJ – The “Chief” Myers-Briggs Personality Types (Free Test) ENTJs are strategic, organized and possess natural leadership qualities. They are master coordinators that can effectively give direction to groups. They are able to understand complicated organizational situations and quick to develop intelligent solutions. ENTJs are outspoken and will not hesitate to speak of their plans for improvement. They are decisive and value knowledge, efficiency and competence. About the ENTJ Expert Quotes & Links “ENTJs are natural born leaders. They live in a world ofpossibilities where they see all sorts challenges to be surmounted, and they want to be the ones responsible for surmounting them. They have a drive for leadership, which is well-served by their quickness to grasp complexities, their ability to absorb a large amount of impersonal information, and their quick and decisive judgments.” - Portrait of an ENTJ (The Personality Page) “…have a strong natural urge to give structure and directionwherever they are — to harness people in the field and to direct them to achieve distant goals.” - The Portrait of the FieldMarshal Rational (Keirsey) “leader, ambitious, hard working, dominant, prepared, hates to be bored, confident, opinionated, analytical…” - Jung Type Descriptions (ENTJ) (similarminds.com) “”Unequivocating” expresses the resoluteness of the ENTJ’s dominant function (Extraverted Thinking). Clarity of convictions endows these Thinkers with a knack for debate, or wanting knack, a penchant for argument. The light and heat generated by Thinking at the helm can be impressive; perhaps even overwhelming.” - ENTJ Profile (TypeLogic) “At work, ENTJs contribute a wealth of energy directed toward the goals and those of the organization. Their sense of identity is closely tied to how they carry out their responsibilities. They are curious about new ideas and theories, evaluating them in terms of their goals. They are very efficient, competitive,strategic, and task focused.” - ENTJ – The Leader (Lifexplore)

Musical	100%
Visual/Spatial	95%
Intrapersonal	90%
Verbal/Linguistic	90%
Interpersonal	85%
Bodily/Kinesthetic	80%
Logical/Mathematical	65%
Naturalist	55%

So, I haven’t written much lately…  I’ve been super busy with work, holiday stuff, weddings, birthdays, etc…  I’ve got plenty of good stuff to write about, just not the time to actually do it in!  I’m kinda stressed out because it seems that I’ve got more to do then the days will allow for. I’ve also been sick for the entire month of December.  I don’t want to sound like a Grinch or anything, but I’m really looking forward to the holidays being over. Too much has been going on lately, and I’m just excited for January.  In January I can be lame and do nothing, I’ll actually have time to return phone calls, and e-mails (sorry, friends!) and be able to hang out with all the people I haven’t seen in a while.  Sorry I’ve been such a bad friend, and a bad blogger this month!

Please continue to pray for my friends Lance and Laura Ostman, missionaries in the Philippines.  They have both had some on going health concerns over the last few months and it appears that the problems may be more serious than they originally thought.  They are both waiting to be emergency airlifted out of the tribe and taken into the city to a hospital.  Please pray for wisdom for the doctors that they will perform the right tests and will quickly be able to diagnose the problems and will know how to treat it.  Pray for both Lance and Laura that they will experience physical healing, and will be at peace in the midst of this traumatic situation.  Pray also for their children, Robert and Nicole, who are in the U.S.A. and are unable to be with them at this time.

You all knew I’d be a star someday, didn’t you?  My friends Bert and Jared made this film for the East Lansing Film Festival 48/5 Contest.  Local filmmakers wrote, shot, edited and premiered original five minute films within a 48 hour period of time.  Certain themes, props and lines of dialogue were required to be incorporated in the film for eligibility.  The films were all viewed at Scene Metrospace on Monday December 3, and Finders Keepers won 2nd place!  It was a blast to be a part of this… but don’t blink, you might miss me!  And please be sure to take note of my misspelled name in the end credits! 

Below is another little devotional that was passed along to me.  It’s a good reminder to keep our lives and our problems in their proper perspective.  

Evidence of Hope

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

2 Corinthians 4:17

Recommended Reading

2 Corinthians 4:7-18

If you have ever had to practice football twice a day in 100 degree heat, endure nine weeks of military basic training, or live with nausea for six weeks of chemotherapy, you were likely told, “Hang in there. You can do anything for a short period of time.” The difference between “temporary” and “permanent” can seem like the difference between life and death.

The apostle Paul knew the difference between the two. There were many occasions in his Christian life where he felt terrible, but he never lost heart (2 Corinthians 4:16). In fact, his favorite phrase was “but not”: Hard-pressed, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed (verses 8-9). Paul knew that every difficulty was temporary. Even if it lasted his whole life, he still saw it as temporary compared to the hope of eternity. If he ever lost hope, it was only for the moment. His permanent perspective was eternal hope in the goodness and purpose of God.

Have you learned to separate the temporary from the permanent in your life? That distinction is evidence that hope is alive and well.

“The future is as bright as the promises of God.” Adoniram Judson

Everyone always gives me a hard time about my texting obsession, so I thought that this would be funny to share!  I’m so glad that other people can relate to me and my addiction!

 1. You never go over your minutes because you run out your text messaging limit. 2. You have more incoming calls than you do outgoing. 3. Depending on how crazy of a texter you are, you have to clear out your in/out box quite frequently. 4. You are annoyed when someone calls you while you are txting someone. 5. You hold serious conversations through txt messaging. 6. You risk your life to do it while driving. 7. You are the master of the T9 and ABC function. 8. If necessary, you can text without actually looking at what you are typing. 9. You are a speed texter. 10 You have texted the person you are talking about. 11. You hold multiple conversations via text messaging. 12. You are a drunk texter. 13. You get caught at work or in class texting someone. 14. If you aren’t texting, than you are sending picture and video messages. 15. You have been known to mass message 10-20 people at once. 16. You kill your battery because you text all day.17. You are annoyed when people don’t text you back because it cost $.10, get a freaking txting plan! 18. You like to be in constant contact with someone. 19. People tell you that you text too much. 20. You have initiated or received a booty call through text messaging. 21. People call you and you don’t answer, but you send them a text immediately after. 22. You have texted someone when they are in the same room, building, or within eye sight of you. 23. Basically you fear verbal communication with the outside world and you are the slave of text messaging. 24. You are not afraid to call; you just don’t feel like it.25. You’ve texted someone the same time you were talking to them on the phone26. You’ve run your phone bill over $1,000 due to obsession with texting and not having a texting plan, resulting in your phone being cut off and you having to go through withdrawal….27. You text someone while talking to someone else on the phone.28. Similar to #8, but you do it with your hand in your pocket. 29. You break up with your significant others through text messages.30. You initiate all dates via texting.31. You find ways to text in the weirdest situations i.e. right after sex, at a funeral, blowing out your birthday candles.32. You get annoyed when you text someone and they don’t reply within 15-60 seconds. It really pisses you off when you text someone and they don’t reply at all, especially when are trying to ask them an important question. You could just find out your answer in a few moments if you just called them…screw that!33. Even though there is no urgency, you race to your phone faster to look at your new text than take a call.34. You are carrying a text conversation, they then get tired of texting you and they call you. You don’t answer because you’d rather text than talk on the phone.35. You will wake up in the middle of the night if someone texts you and will get out of bed to read it at 4 a.m.36. You text while talking on the phone. You have to do it fast because the person on the other end hears you pressing buttons and asks what you are doing. All you say is “oh sorry” or “nothing”.37. While reading this list, you have been texting the entire time and texted someone about this group.38. You get mad when you send texts that are so detailed and you get one word texts back.39. When bored you just randomly text a whole bunch of people the same thing just to see who will text back the fastest40. You get annoyed when someone calls or texts you while you are typing a text. You are just trying to type once sentence, but keep getting interupted.

I am falling short of my goal of 30 posts this month.  I’ve not been feeling well today and have been sleeping on and off throughout the day.  I am starting to feel a little better now, but am in desperate need of more sleep, so this will be my 29th and final post for NaBloPoMo.  It is rather tragic… but I’m choosing to worry more about my health at the moment!  I hope you’ve enjoyed the extra thoughts this month.  I am definitely motivated to keep it up in the future!  Good Night, all!  Good Bye November!

Some time ago I wrote that I was debating whether or not to continue to “waste” my time (and yours) with blogging anymore.  In response I received several messages encouraging me to continue blogging.  Apparently there are people out there who are either amused by me… or at least feel better about their own lives after reading about mine! ;o)  I received one e-mail in particular that pretty much just made it all worthwhile to me.  A woman came across my blog when she Googled the name Juleen.   She had a daughter named Juleen who passed away about a year ago.  She read several of my posts from back in July about comfort and grief and said that she felt as if some of the things I had said were written just for her.  She proceeded to tell me about how my words had encouraged her, and she felt so blessed after reading it.  Some of my emotions and struggles were the same things that she had been going through.  She shared personal details from her own life and told me all about her daughter. A few days later as she read further into my blog, she came across my father’s name and realized that she had actually gone to college with my parents and that her daughter was named after the same woman that my parents had named me after.  What an incredible divinely appointed encounter!  I’ve since communicated with her via e-mail a couple of times and hope that she will continue reading and being encouraged by my words! 

+ =   

Ok… maybe not EVER… but it was pretty darn good never the less! For some unknown reason I didn’t have any clients scheduled at the salon today.  I decided that instead of pouting all day about not making money, I would make the most of it and take advantage of a day off.  I got up this morning and met my friend Kristi at Beaner’s (soon to be Biggby’s) for coffee (actually, I had a carmel apple cider).  We ran into Randi-Kay while we were there.  We caught up on life as usual until she had to head off to work!  Then I went to Target and bought myself a new winter coat.  I couldn’t decide whether to get it in deep red or in army green, so I put my handy-dandy little camera phone to good use and took a picture of myself in each and sent them off to Bree who was happy to assist in my decision making.  I went with her advice and got the olive green coat!  I think I might love it!  I also did something a little crazy… I bought a shirt that isn’t black!  Not only is in not black (it’s gray) but it’s got little sparkles all over it!  It was a bold move on my part, and I’m rather proud of myself!  I bought the movie Catch And Release as well.  I’m not gonna lie to you, the main reason I bought it was because of the cute boy!  I’ve recently developed a minor crush on Timothy Olyphant.  I’d seen him in a few things recently and thought he was adorable… but then last week I saw the movie Hitman… and he was soooo HOT!  He clearly worked out a little bit before filming the movie… and spend a large portion of it with his shirt off.  Who knew I could get so excited about a half naked man!  ;-)  He kind of looks like the love child of Josh Duhamel from Transformers and Barry Watson from Seventh Heaven (even if that was in some way possible, he’s actually older than both of them) Anyway, I digress… I bought the movie Catch And Release and came home and watched it this afternoon while doing some “work” on the computer (this is about when the aforementioned  J.T. incident occurred).  I may or may not have watched it twice…  I got a few things done around the house (although not as much as I would have liked… but what do you expect, I’m trying to ENJOY my day off).  Then tonight I went over to Andrew’s house with Bree and Noob and we watched a movie.  Bree made Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Cookies.  I think I had eight! Well, over all this has been a pretty fantastic day!  I certainly can’t complain!

My goal was to have 30 posts for the month of November in honor of NaBloPoMo.  Not necessarily a new post written on each day, but at least one to represent every day.  This here is #26 (yes, it counts even though it’s lame) and I have 2.5 days left to finish off the next 4.  I actually have a whole list of unpublished blogs just waiting to be completed… so hopefully I will be able to muster up the inspiration necessary to either finish a few of those off or come up with some new ideas.  I’ll try really hard not to be totally lame… I promise!

You’ve got to be kidding me… the J.T. Devil is at it again!  I’m in the middle of doing a million things on my computer right now and can’t shut down for a while.  I was listening to some music on iTunes and it just started up again, completely overpowering the music I had on.  So, I keep hearing “go ahead, be gone with it… and get your sexy on…”  Maybe it’s a sign!  Who knows!  Well, keep reading for future updates! And GET YOUR SEXY ON!!!!