When God Calls

In just a few weeks I'm going to be starting work.  Not just a part-time job during school, but a real 9-5, this is your career job.  I'm kind of nervous about it, but excited as well.  I know this is where God wants me to be, because He couldn't have made it any clearer.

I was working as a teaching assistant and the professor I was working for submitted my resume to KPMG.  They were looking to fill a full-time position in the DC office and knew that she always had students to recommend.  So, she submitted some girls resume along with my own.  Telling them that I wanted to work in Norfolk, and asking if they had any openings.  Before I knew it I had an on campus interview.  Which led to me visiting their Norfolk office and being interviewed by 5 different people. Then I got the job!

I didn't have to do anything to get this job.  God just dropped it in my lap and was like "Jen, this is where I want you to work. Love God"  He answered my prayers for a good job and He even put me in Norfolk!  I don't know what I did to deserve such a wonderful gift.

Furthermore, He has blessed me with a wonderful apartment (pictures to come).  It's in a great location, half way between work and Sean, and is within my budget.  One bedroom, one bath, all mine for the next year.

I really like it when God makes it clear what He wants me to do.  So many times I just wonder "Am I making the right choice? Is this what God wants me to do?"  Usually I'm wishing that God would audibly speak to me. Or if that's not in His plan, maybe an email or even just a text.  Something like "Good decision. Love God" or "Don't do that. It's not what I want for you. Love God" He has yet to do any of these, but I still keep hoping :)  But not this time. I know where He wants me, and I'm so thankful that I do.

Sometimes I know exactly what God wants me to do and sometimes I just hope and pray that the choices I make are what He wants for my life.  I just want to please Him and make Him proud. By following His leading down to Hampton Roads I hope to accomplish just that.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight." ~ Proverbs 3:5-6

Dairyness, Dairyness, Dairyness

 Last week I went up to PA to go to the Crawford County Fair. It was so much fun! While I was there, I was able to work in an ice cream booth with one of my best friends Beth and her sister Trish.

I learned how to make the perfect soft serve cone and ate more ice cream than I would like to admit.  It was just so delicious that I couldn't resist!  My favorite was the black raspberry shake... makes my mouth water at just the thought of it!

Every morning that I was there, Beth took me to cow showings. I learned so much about cows.  The different breeds, how to show your cow to make it look its best, what features are desirable, and even how new calves come into the world.

On the last couple of days that I was there, Beth and I took to writing down some of our favorite quotes from the cow judges. I have so many that I'm just going to list the best of the best...so, here they are!

-"She's big, she's long, she's incredibly dairy."
-"I just want to open her up and flatten her out"
-"It's important to find the good ones, but more important to breed them."
-"I do prefer the heifer in first, just a little harder through the loin area."
-"When a heifer shows up this beautiful, you don't care if she's brown, blue, or green"
-"I really like her rump structure"

-"We have a pretty handy winner with her size and scale and angularity."
-"Fantastic mammary system. A Tremendous bloom of utter."
-"It's a real milk cow"
-"Tremendous dairyness"
-"I just love the overall youthfulness of those mature utters."
-"It's hard to get past the revenue producing cows."
-"There's four of them out there that ring my bell"
-"Not the biggest model out there, but if you go through her part by part, not a lot of holes."

-"Yes, she has a bit of a reverse tilt, but that mammary system isn't going anywhere."
-"Quite the advantage int he teat size and placement."
-"Overall cow power"

This guy  was one of the judges that gave some of the best quotes. Some of those quotes just crack me up.Oh the dairyness of cows. Dairyness apparently is a great complement for a cow and the judges like to use that term a lot.

I had such a great time. I really hope that I have the opportunity to go back next year!

What!? A Blog?

I would like to start my very first blog by saying... I hate writing! Writing for me is like pulling teeth, slow and painful.  I've never liked writing for school. It didn't even matter what the assignment was for or if I liked the topic, I hated them all equally.  When writing for school you have to think about spelling, correct punctuation, paragraph formation, correct citation of sources used, and the rest of that grammar stuff.  Professors always had minimum page requirements or as I always thought of them as I just hope that I can think of enough things to say to get close to that number (I rarely ever had issues going over the maximum page limit). 

But here it's different.  No professor is going to grade my blog post and if people can't stand the fact that my grammar is atrocious then you don't have to read it :)  I might even write on blog post in on continuous paragraph just because I can.  And the best part is I can use the word "I"!  This may seem strange to some, but being an accounting student, most of my writing has been in the third person where the use of the word "I" is strictly prohibited.

Never in a million years would I have thought that I would decide to write a blog.  To me blogs have always been for people who enjoying writing and have something witty, profound, or a point of view that they want to share with the world.  I don't qualify for any of those requirements, but I'm going to put my thought out into cyberspace anyway.  Who knows, maybe one day, when I'm super old, I will reread this blog and remember who I used to be and be so grateful that God changed me into the woman He wants me to be.

I want to thank/blame/actually thank Sean for encouraging me to embark on this writing adventure.  At first I didn't think anyone would want to read what I have to say, but the he reminded me that it doesn't matter how many people read my blog, its about documenting what's going on in my life. Just like my own personal journal, only that other people are allowed to read this one.  

On my last note before I end my first post ever, I would just like to say that God likes to make me do things that I've told other people I would never do. Like write a blog.  So now I think I've learned to not tell people what I'll never do because whatever I tell them, God is going to make me do :)

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

~ 1 Thess. 5:16-18