good readin'

I'm reading a book right now that I really want to recommend to all of the ladies reading this. It's about the lies that we, as women, are fed by Satan every day - and the Truth that sets us free from those lies. It may sound like it doesn't apply to you, and that's what I thought when I was first introduced to it. But the further I get into the book, the more I realize how applicable the subject matter is to me. I highly recommend this book!!

GALS!

I went on the girls' retreat last weekend, where Katie, Lindsay, & I got to hang out with 10 teenage girls from Vaughn Park. We had a blast! It was a relaxing weekend, and the girls were great. Here are a few pics from the weekend.

{cruisin' on the boat}

{more cruisin}

{Lindsay & Katie in the Dance Dance Revolution tourney}

{everyone joining in the DDR tourney :-) }

{group pic}

angry words

We had a meeting today during lunch. This was our monthly "talk about a lot & don't accomplish much but get free food" meeting. Usually we discuss random issues, and occasionally the boss will tell us that we need to work on getting to work on time. (Which never works, because there are a handful of us that still stroll in 5, 10, or for some folks, 30 minutes late.) Anyway, our meeting today ended on an interesting note.

The boss wrapped up the usual discussion about office technicalities & said "Now I'm gonna do some preachin' even though I'm not qualified." Well, I thought she was going to get onto us for unnecessary internet usage (which of course I'm doing right now...even though technically this is my "lunch break"...or maybe that's my justification for it), or excessive personal phone calls, or the usual tardiness lecture. Instead, she passed out copies of a devotional that she had received this morning via e-mail. It's titled "Reckless Words", by Susanne Scheppmann (whoever that is), and it talks about having a positive attitude and speaking kind words to/about others. Our boss proceeded to "preach" to us about not being negative at work, and trying to have a good attitude even when we're having a bad day, etc. Wow! This is something I struggle with at work, because we have a large open sea of cubicles that open up to each other, and I have the pleasure of hearing every single grumble & complaint of my co-workers. It really has had its toll on me over the past several months. I recently decided to just try to ignore it, and that makes it better, but it's still aggravating. Anyway, apparently our supervisor had gotten some, or one, or several, complaints about the negative attitudes and she felt it was important enough to mention in our meeting. While this may not solve the issue, it does help me to know that I have a boss who sympathizes with those of us who are discouraged by the negativity that surrounds us.

short & sweet

For some reason, I felt the urge to post something insightful, thought-provoking, etc. But I'm sitting here at my desk at work, and I saw these scriptures that I have posted on my cubicle wall to help me cope with day-to-day stuff, and I decided to just let scripture speak for itself. This is a verse that helps me a lot. I have casually read it over & over, but when I stop & really think about it, it means the world to me. I challenge you to think about this verse and what it means to you personally.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~Jeremiah 29:11

If you really & truly think about what that passage means, it is incredible! God is actually FOR you. Awesome.

more fun with pics...