I am happiest when dancing.
Cheers,
jess
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Sunday, December 19, 2010
winds of change
So minutes on my last post...
I went to Child Protective Services to volunteer with Partnership for Children. Best night of volunteer work ever. I spent four hours wrapping presents for foster care children. Kids ages 6 months through 17 1/2 years old. The youngsters' wish lists consisted of board games, video games and puzzles. The oldest kids wished for suitcases and work clothes. Heartbreaking. At the same time, so rewarding. At age 18, they are out of the foster care system, on their own. When I was 17, I was wishing for Cd's, gift certificates to Delias, and cash. These 17 year olds want real life things- like toothbrushes and shoes. Not cute in-style shoes, rather the kind you can wear on an interview. I learned a lot about charity that night. I was the only volunteer that came on my own accord. I was not with an organization that made me feel obligated to participate, I was not some one's mother that made a pledge to help, I didn't have a hand outreached for something in return. Somehow this was surprising to everyone involved. I was asked if I needed hours for a transcript. Or to go on a resume. Nope. I just want to help. Apparently this is hard to believe. Wow. Needless to say, there is a lot of work for me in the future. I made myself available to the director for any work she can throw my way. Letting her know that I have two hands and a strong will.
Winds of change are blowing my direction.
I cut off all my old hair. Just about 6 inches. Fueled by champagne and a want for change, I stood over my bathroom sink and started chopping off two years of determination. Ha. I was so determined not to cut my hair until it made its way to the middle of my back. But why? So i can spend more time brushing it in the morning and then throw it in a ponytail? That stopped sounding fun. It was just 10 days before my birthday and I felt old. So I did something to make me new.
How can I go from talking about foster children to haircuts in one post? I guess it's all relative. Well, I know that I'll be back at CPS soon, helping where I can and this time my locks won't get in my way!
I waited about a week between my first entry and this second one, and I took some time to think about the reason for this outlet. I might be revising my blog's purpose. I don't believe I'll ever have a thousand-reader-strong following, rather a few eyes that can relate or maybe feed me advise, answers, or a good wake up call. This is going to be about my next year alive- as was originally intended. The difference in motive from the post past is
nope, I'm lost. I can't make a statement that will shape a year's worth of writing. Maybe I don't need to.
Cheers,
Jess
I went to Child Protective Services to volunteer with Partnership for Children. Best night of volunteer work ever. I spent four hours wrapping presents for foster care children. Kids ages 6 months through 17 1/2 years old. The youngsters' wish lists consisted of board games, video games and puzzles. The oldest kids wished for suitcases and work clothes. Heartbreaking. At the same time, so rewarding. At age 18, they are out of the foster care system, on their own. When I was 17, I was wishing for Cd's, gift certificates to Delias, and cash. These 17 year olds want real life things- like toothbrushes and shoes. Not cute in-style shoes, rather the kind you can wear on an interview. I learned a lot about charity that night. I was the only volunteer that came on my own accord. I was not with an organization that made me feel obligated to participate, I was not some one's mother that made a pledge to help, I didn't have a hand outreached for something in return. Somehow this was surprising to everyone involved. I was asked if I needed hours for a transcript. Or to go on a resume. Nope. I just want to help. Apparently this is hard to believe. Wow. Needless to say, there is a lot of work for me in the future. I made myself available to the director for any work she can throw my way. Letting her know that I have two hands and a strong will.
Winds of change are blowing my direction.
I cut off all my old hair. Just about 6 inches. Fueled by champagne and a want for change, I stood over my bathroom sink and started chopping off two years of determination. Ha. I was so determined not to cut my hair until it made its way to the middle of my back. But why? So i can spend more time brushing it in the morning and then throw it in a ponytail? That stopped sounding fun. It was just 10 days before my birthday and I felt old. So I did something to make me new.
How can I go from talking about foster children to haircuts in one post? I guess it's all relative. Well, I know that I'll be back at CPS soon, helping where I can and this time my locks won't get in my way!
I waited about a week between my first entry and this second one, and I took some time to think about the reason for this outlet. I might be revising my blog's purpose. I don't believe I'll ever have a thousand-reader-strong following, rather a few eyes that can relate or maybe feed me advise, answers, or a good wake up call. This is going to be about my next year alive- as was originally intended. The difference in motive from the post past is
nope, I'm lost. I can't make a statement that will shape a year's worth of writing. Maybe I don't need to.
Cheers,
Jess
Sunday, December 12, 2010
tick tock. ding dong
it's time. open the door.
i have three weeks left of being 26 and my age has not yet caught up with me. i think i am much younger than this, but i am beginning to feel old. not that 27 is old, it's just that i will be older than i ever have been before. what have i done with all the numbers past? do i have children? a masters? fully stamped passport? nope. but i do have a lot of things that are super cool. i have a husband, two rescue pups (a chuweenie-Andy Too and a pit-Amos Moses) and a head full of arts & crafts ideas. now i also have a blog and i'm gonna treat it well. so while this initial entry might seem negative, i promise you that's not my intention.
so, tick tock. it's time. my birthday is just before the new year and that's perfect timing for resolutions. i don't prefer to make resolutions on that holiday- too cliche maybe? rather on my own holiday, to keep them a bit more personal i guess. none of that quit smoking, lose weight, save money... while those are all wonderful, i think i'll stick to what is most important to me. things i want to accomplish at 27. maybe i'll write out a list.
maybe later.
ding dong. open the door. i am a believer of karma. i believe in the golden rule. i believe that making a difference in someone else's life will effect yours in the same manner. so i randomly (or not so*) decided to begin volunteer work. i have wanted to be part of something that is bigger than my own life for some time now. so i sent an email to the director of partnership for children in austin. i felt good. the first step in the right direction. the very next day i received a bit of karma in the mail. it came in the form of a check- one that was belated from my september wedding to steven. so what's next? i start on wednesday, after work. sorting and wrapping presents for kids. i'll let you know how it turns out.
*not so random decisions. i love my job in retail. i work in one of the most beautiful spaces and i get to help create that beauty everyday that i'm there. for the winter season we created a blanket of snow- by knitting yarn into icicles. we have die-cut cucoo clocks and hand-died mittens. we have sweaters that look like wearable works of art. we have all the elements that create the best place to work. that said, even we have bad days. on these bad days i must remind my self that there is more to life than work. this is my job, not my life. and even on those baddest of bad days, it could always be worse- here i go again- i promise this won't be negative. i am beginning to realize (at almost 27) that i will get back what i give.
i think this will wrap up my first ever entry. so here's to the year to come, and here is where i will document it.
No. 27
cheers,
jess
i have three weeks left of being 26 and my age has not yet caught up with me. i think i am much younger than this, but i am beginning to feel old. not that 27 is old, it's just that i will be older than i ever have been before. what have i done with all the numbers past? do i have children? a masters? fully stamped passport? nope. but i do have a lot of things that are super cool. i have a husband, two rescue pups (a chuweenie-Andy Too and a pit-Amos Moses) and a head full of arts & crafts ideas. now i also have a blog and i'm gonna treat it well. so while this initial entry might seem negative, i promise you that's not my intention.
so, tick tock. it's time. my birthday is just before the new year and that's perfect timing for resolutions. i don't prefer to make resolutions on that holiday- too cliche maybe? rather on my own holiday, to keep them a bit more personal i guess. none of that quit smoking, lose weight, save money... while those are all wonderful, i think i'll stick to what is most important to me. things i want to accomplish at 27. maybe i'll write out a list.
maybe later.
ding dong. open the door. i am a believer of karma. i believe in the golden rule. i believe that making a difference in someone else's life will effect yours in the same manner. so i randomly (or not so*) decided to begin volunteer work. i have wanted to be part of something that is bigger than my own life for some time now. so i sent an email to the director of partnership for children in austin. i felt good. the first step in the right direction. the very next day i received a bit of karma in the mail. it came in the form of a check- one that was belated from my september wedding to steven. so what's next? i start on wednesday, after work. sorting and wrapping presents for kids. i'll let you know how it turns out.
*not so random decisions. i love my job in retail. i work in one of the most beautiful spaces and i get to help create that beauty everyday that i'm there. for the winter season we created a blanket of snow- by knitting yarn into icicles. we have die-cut cucoo clocks and hand-died mittens. we have sweaters that look like wearable works of art. we have all the elements that create the best place to work. that said, even we have bad days. on these bad days i must remind my self that there is more to life than work. this is my job, not my life. and even on those baddest of bad days, it could always be worse- here i go again- i promise this won't be negative. i am beginning to realize (at almost 27) that i will get back what i give.
i think this will wrap up my first ever entry. so here's to the year to come, and here is where i will document it.
No. 27
cheers,
jess
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