tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86148912009-10-11T14:14:13.165-05:00the continuing search for the unattainablejennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02340928433267193380noreply@blogger.comBlogger101125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614891.post-85485951930739293732009-01-14T14:50:00.001-06:002009-01-14T14:53:28.698-06:00

Until i can get my crap together and think of something brilliant to write, here are the results of the StrengthsQuest test I took at my new job...i thought they were pretty interesting. Anyway....RESTORATIVEYou love to solve problems. Whereas some are dismayed when they encounter yet another breakdown, you can be energized by it. You enjoy the challenge of analyzing the symptoms, identifying

jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02340928433267193380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614891.post-65054523527752323632008-08-18T14:13:00.003-05:002008-08-18T14:24:40.928-05:00

A train wreck.There are no other words that can accurately describe what happened yesterday morning.Normally, our church worship team, of which I am a part, has practice on Thursday evenings. This week, however, practice was not possible, so we simply met an hour before service to run through the songs.Now, if we were all expert musicians and vocalists, what happened yesterday morning would

jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02340928433267193380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614891.post-45257128355937472322008-08-05T16:41:00.002-05:002008-08-05T16:44:36.705-05:00

I spend so much time not working these days that you’d think I’d be blogging like mad. But, alas, I just can’t get anything profound to stick in my head. There are a million little scattered thoughts racing through my brain at any given moment and I just can’t nail down any one pattern or stream of thought. So, I thought I’d take this time to tell you about the books I’m reading.1. Fresh Wind

jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02340928433267193380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614891.post-78517142044962502462008-07-09T15:22:00.003-05:002008-07-09T15:24:56.322-05:00

Sometimes I start things and never finish them. And sometimes when faced with something uncomfortable, harsh or difficult, I run away. I am trying to be more resolved, more faithful, less distracted and self-conscious, but I’m not really sure how to do that; so, I started going to counseling again.I like counseling because I feel like the person sitting in the over-stuffed chair across from me,

jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02340928433267193380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614891.post-58576952108985585762008-06-10T11:27:00.004-05:002008-06-10T11:36:14.119-05:00

One of the things you may or may not know about me is that I love politics. I have always been fascinated by the legislative process and its mysteries, i.e. the electoral college or the art of the filibuster. For a time, I really tried to distance myself from the intrigue because I get so invested in what’s happening that I start to forget that, no matter what they say, most politicians have an

jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02340928433267193380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614891.post-23894116343199683332008-05-13T15:49:00.003-05:002008-05-13T15:55:47.734-05:00

Trying not to hope too hardFor what I wantTrying not to go too farWith all the dreamingAll the disappointmentSo hard to handleI am still in the darkLighting candles-From Lighting Candles, by The WeepiesThis may turn into one of those blogs that doesn’t flow at all because my thoughts are so random and unpredictable. I just got back from “vacation” with my family, though I’ve been told that a

jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02340928433267193380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614891.post-81934859055243345622008-04-14T11:03:00.002-05:002008-04-14T11:13:51.053-05:00

"I Need You To Love Me" Why, why are You still here with me Didn't You see what I've done? In my shame I want to run and hide myself But it's here I see the truth I don't deserve You But I need You to love me, and I I won't keep my heart from You this time And I'll stop this pretending that I can Somehow deserve what I already have I need You to love me I, I have wasted so much time Pushing You

jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02340928433267193380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614891.post-10532084753199720332008-04-01T16:33:00.001-05:002008-04-01T16:37:37.227-05:00

So, I have a “weight problem.” I admit it! I don’t like it, but I think it’s time to be honest with you and with me.I have struggled with my weight for as long as I can remember. My mother used to put my sister and me on diets and sign us up for aerobics classes, all while she was gaining weight steadily because she is an emotional eater. So is my sister and so am I. I mean, I can track the

jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02340928433267193380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614891.post-81172810552330092682008-03-11T14:53:00.002-05:002008-03-11T14:59:05.126-05:00

Watching: Nothing. My roommates and I just shut off our cable in hopes it might help us reconnect with the outside world.Hating: My immune system! 2 ear infections and strep throat? Why do you hate me?Loving: My small group…10 hilarious and lovely ladies, many of whom are single if you’re interested.Wishing: Spring would spring! It’s still too cold! This girl is ready for flip-flops and

jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02340928433267193380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614891.post-8310465764375328272008-02-14T16:54:00.002-06:002008-02-14T16:57:42.855-06:00

So, its 2008 and I’m on my 2nd job of the year. I’m hoping this one, which I started this week, will work out, and I won’t have to write a short “I quit” note and sneak out the back…that’d be awesome.And today is Valentine’s Day, and I find myself sans Valentine for the 29th year in a row. That’s gotta be some kind of record, people.Honestly, I feel like this has been the worst start to a year

jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02340928433267193380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614891.post-61692933808066255792007-12-13T16:39:00.000-06:002007-12-13T16:48:30.492-06:00

Do you think, as grown ups, we’re supposed to reach a point in our lives where we have it together? You know, where we’ve discovered who we are going to be and we are pursuing that with no thoughts of anything else. We are dedicated and ambitious for right things and we don’t let anyone goad us into being lesser versions of ourselves.I feel that this is impossible for me, but I see other people

jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02340928433267193380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614891.post-48057694767146453032007-12-03T11:37:00.001-06:002007-12-03T11:44:46.548-06:00

It’s hard to say, without being cheesy or overly dramatic, exactly how blessed I feel today - a Monday of all days. On the heels of what has been one of the more tumultuous months of my life, I’m finally ensconced in a beautiful new apartment, fully moved in and settled. And I’m feeling better, sleeping better, and letting myself relax for the first time in weeks.Mostly today, though, I am

jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02340928433267193380noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614891.post-45281605166282251262007-11-16T16:39:00.000-06:002007-11-19T13:13:16.201-06:00

Let the world's sharpness, like a clasping knife,Shut in upon itself and do no harmIn this close hand of Love, now soft and warm,And let us hear no sound of human strifeAfter the click of the shutting. Life to life---I lean upon thee, Dear, without alarm,And feel as safe as guarded by a charmAgainst the stab of worldlings, who if rifeAre weak to injure. Very whitely stillThe lilies of our lives

jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02340928433267193380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614891.post-69323063163552350492007-10-19T13:32:00.000-05:002007-10-19T13:34:08.433-05:00

I remembered something today…I don’t even know how or why it came into my mind.I was in 8th grade and sitting in Algebra class, one of four 8th graders in the class. The rest of the students in the class were 9th graders – Freshmen. And, at Bonham Junior High, being a Freshman was about the best thing you could be. Our teacher, Mr. Ross, was a kind, caring and, I thought, handsome man who made

jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02340928433267193380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614891.post-26780086892903770222007-09-26T16:22:00.000-05:002007-09-26T16:23:25.591-05:00

Something you need to know about me if we’re going to be friends is that I am capricious, at least about important decisions. Take the future, for example. Just when I had decided for certain that I was going to stay in Chicago, I am gearing up to move again. I’ll stay through the winter, because, let’s face it, who wants to move in the wintertime? But come spring, I’m going to pack my things

jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02340928433267193380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614891.post-5644500745686159522007-08-22T15:01:00.000-05:002007-08-22T15:06:47.371-05:00

I have, on occasion, been told that I am wise, or that I at least say wise things. In those moments I feel proud, but awkward, like if these people really knew how foolish I am, they wouldn’t be saying such things. And the thought of being wise or having wise things to say makes me excited because I feel it adds purpose to my life. But it also terrifies me because it’s an encumbrance and I fear

jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02340928433267193380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614891.post-46917594453501320652007-08-10T14:50:00.001-05:002007-08-10T14:51:24.513-05:00

I hardly know what to write about today, with 10,000 thoughts swimming around in my head and my fingers frozen from the glacial conditions inside our office building today. And I have nothing to keep me from my thoughts because we’re at half-capacity today in the Enforcement department, so I’ve been reading the Wall Street Journal to stay busy…that’s how bad it is.I always thought the Wall Street

jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02340928433267193380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614891.post-83869191783921233172007-07-19T16:41:00.000-05:002007-07-19T16:45:15.520-05:00

I’ve been reading a book that, though I am not its target audience, has been comforting and thought-provoking in its way. It’s called To Own a Dragon, and it’s written by one of my favorite authors, Donald Miller. His style is not for everyone. He’s honest, sometimes awkwardly so, and writes in such a way that you think maybe someone got a hold of his journal without him knowing and published it

jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02340928433267193380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614891.post-31225617222667839082007-07-16T13:12:00.000-05:002007-07-16T13:17:19.070-05:00

"Not Your Year"by: The WeepiesScattered shadows on a wall, you watch the long light fall Some impressions stay and some will fadeTattered shoes outside your door, clothes all on the floorYour life feels like the morning after all year long. Every day it starts againYou cannot say if you're happyYou keep trying to beTry harder, maybe this is not your year. Movies, TV screens reflect just what you

jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02340928433267193380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614891.post-5093214370975668612007-07-02T16:13:00.000-05:002007-07-02T16:14:50.825-05:00

Road-weary and tongue-tied I return from a 2-week vacation, if I can call it that, to Texas. I rekindled old friendships and dowsed old flames, fought my way through family drama of the ugliest kind and spent some time reflecting on my life, which was easy to do with 24-hours of driving between me and home.Far from the wind and rhythm of Chicago, I did not find myself as I had thought I ought to

jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02340928433267193380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614891.post-13340606206913329462007-05-17T16:51:00.000-05:002007-05-17T16:54:55.413-05:00

The dream was always running ahead of me. To catch up, to live for a moment in unison with it, that was the miracle. – Anais NinI wonder, sometimes, if I’ve missed out on my dreams. But then I think about it and realize that I don’t even know what I dream or desire for my life. I only know I want to get to the end of it and have few regrets. There is something within me that keeps me from being

jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02340928433267193380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614891.post-47156130243247817882007-04-13T14:47:00.000-05:002007-04-13T15:03:51.328-05:00

I got this list from Simon Lamont's Jencyclopaedia. Its hilarious, ridiculous and mostly true. Enjoy and Happy Friday the 13th! (And even though she doesn't read this, Happy Birthday Mom and thanks for naming me Jenn!)1. Jen is an exceptional person who is to be worshipped and adored at all times2. Jen is always special3. Jen is frequently up to something4. Jen can usually get away with it.5.

jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02340928433267193380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614891.post-69296965203073944092007-03-26T15:21:00.000-05:002007-03-26T15:24:22.563-05:00

Look not mournfully into the past. It comes not back again.Wisely improve the present. It is thine.Go forth to meet the shadowy future, without fear.Henry Wadsworth LongfellowAt the request of a dear friend, I started reading a book called Boundaries by Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend. Its one of those books I put off reading because everyone was reading it and I typically shy away from doing

jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02340928433267193380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614891.post-23465079197292041522007-02-27T16:44:00.000-06:002007-02-27T16:47:26.209-06:00

The best time for you to hold your tongue is the time you feel you must say something or bust. –“Josh Billings” (aka. Henry Wheeler Shaw)I’d like to preface the following by saying that I am a verbal processor. When things happen to me or around me, as I learn and experience new and different things, I feel a strong need to talk about them or else I feel I never really resolve the issues in my

jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02340928433267193380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614891.post-72998242298143876542007-02-22T12:41:00.000-06:002007-02-22T12:43:00.354-06:00

what do you call a week like this? I have been elated, frustrated, tired, angry…the whole gamut of emotions has been mine to experience. Sunday was a brilliant day – a good cup of coffee, a great sermon and an hilarious lunch complete with good food and sparkling conversation…Monday was even better – the day off work so that I could hang out at Africa Revolution and update iTunes on my computer.

jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02340928433267193380noreply@blogger.com2