Girl Time In Chicago!

This past Saturday I took the South Shore Railway to Chicago to meet up with two of my friends from Milwaukee. My friend Kelly couldn't make it because she was sick! I hope you are feeling better Kel! We missed you! Brenda & Jeannine took the Metra train from Kenosha to Chicago. We met up at Shedd's Aquarium and then took the Trolley to Macy's. The store was beautifully decorated for Christmas. Probably my favorite part was when we sat down for lunch and had some female "bonding time". We can relate to different aspects of each others lives. It's always nice to have other Christian friends who can relate to what you are going through. When I'm in Milwaukee and we just meet for lunch, I don't get to spend as much time with them, but I was thankful to be able to spend a chunk of time with Jeannine & Brenda. I miss them! We'll have to meet in Chicago again sometime! Thanks for coordinating this Jeannine! I had a wonderful time! I miss you guys! Oh yeah, Brenda's Birthday was today (Nov 25th). Happy Birthday Brenda! I seriously hope you had a day that was as wonderful as you are! :)

Quality Time With Hannah

My Niece & Goddaughter Hannah is such a sweetheart! I was so happy to be able to spend some quality time with her on Tuesday in Milwaukee. Hannah's big sister Lexi is in all day kindergarten and Debbie stayed home to watch Tyler and the other kids she watches during the day. Hannah is always smiling and is a very intelligent little girl! She is such a joy to be around. She turned 4 in September. I only had about 45 min to chat with my friend Joy at her house on Monday, so Joy & her daughters (Matthea (4) & Brooklyn (2)) came to meet up with me and Hannah for lunch on Tuesday. All of the kids were very well behaved, which meant Joy and I were able to catch up more on each others lives. After lunch I took Hannah to Brookfield Square and we found a new Packers store which just opened on November 1st. I was in 7th heaven! We had a fun time! We also walked to go pick up her big sister Lexi from school. I kinda felt a wee bit like a Mom that day, although I got to just be there for the fun stuff! :) Hannah and her family will be in town for Thanksgiving and I can't wait to see them again!

What Is Unseen Is Eternal!

My friend Joy in Oconomowoc, WI added this verse to her Kitchen wall. I just had to take a picture of it when I was at her house on Monday. I love this verse!

Back Home Again In Indiana!

Didn't that used to be a slogan for the State of IN? I made excellent time on my way home from Milwaukee, WI! It was a great 4 day weekend. I got to spend some quality one on one time with my 4 yr old niece Hannah today and I walked Lexi to school and picked her up too! I just got home to Mishawaka a little bit ago. I'm exhausted and heading to bed now, but my car turned 50,000 miles on my way home, so I thought I'd blog quick before turning in. Have a great rest of the week everyone!

I'm in Milwaukee!

Hello to all of my readers! :) I just wanted to let everyone know that I've been hanging out with friends & family in Milwaukee. This is why I haven't been blogging lately. I'm having a great time, and will blog about my trip later this week! Please keep checking back. Thanks for following my adventures! :)

J-La =-)

Verse of The Day

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:3

The South Bend Permacloud Has Arrived

I had never heard the term "permacloud" until my friend Mary mentioned it the other day, but it's an excellent description of what we actually get here in the Michiana area. What is a permacloud? Well, the South Bend Permacloud is a continuous layer of gray (and I do mean gray) cloud that seems to arrive on cue in November and sticks around until spring. The permacloud has definitely arrived this week, and I'm afraid it's here to stay for a while. It's not like you can see the blue sky through some of the clouds here like you can in Milwaukee. We get the Lake effect here. All we see is that dreary gray sky. We don't usually see the sun or any blue sky in the winter time. If we do, it's a very rare occasion. The Golden Dome at Notre Dame in the pic above actually makes the sky look better than it usually does in the winter around here. The Golden Dome is beautiful though, isn't it? :-) Due to this permacloud, it's even more important to take care of your health this time of year. I'm doing my best to use my light box, get to the gym on a regular basis, get a good night's sleep, and to make myself socialize even when I don't feel like it. I will take control of this depression instead of allowing it to control me, and I'm trying to accept the fact that no matter how hard I try, I am who I am in the winter. I need to accept myself for who I am, whether it's in the summer or the winter.

Things To Look Forward To!

It helps me to have things to look forward to! Here is a list of things that I'm looking forward to in no particular order:

• Having a 4 day weekend in Milwaukee where I get to see family and friends
• Getting together with my dear friend Mary for coffee on Thursday evening
• Meeting up in Chicago with 3 friends from Milwaukee a week from this Saturday
• Getting a $10.00 gift card to Starbucks from work for OT and being flexible with my schedule last quarter
• Watching a movie with my Small Group a week from this Sunday evening
• Hanging out with family for Thanksgiving
• Working the day after Thanksgiving for double time and a half

I'm sure there are more, but that's all I can think of right now.

Change & Growth

Tonight I ran into my roommate Rachel at Church. We sat together at the service and then ran some errands before heading to Legends in Mishawaka to watch the ND game. I have been looking for a book called "Changes That Heal" by Dr. Henry Cloud for a long time, but it was never in stock anywhere. Rachel suggested we try Border's. Sure enough, they had a copy waiting for me! Thanks Rachel! This book was suggested to me in my Boundaries class at Church. I'm excited to read it, especially the 'becoming an adult' section. Yes, I know I'm an Adult, but want to learn more about how to become an emotional adult. There are many emotional children living in adult bodies today. I read this quote in the book tonight, "Becoming an adult is assuming the authority position of life, an important part of the image of God".

Change & Growth can be very hard work, but in the end, it will only serve to make me a stronger/healthier person who is more equipped to serve the Lord here on earth. "People who believe others are above them are still relating from a child's position of being under a person, not under God. This belief makes the difference in one's ability to follow God and to seek God's approval instead of what people want. People who are stuck in this "people-pleasing" stage can't take charge of their lives as God commands." Wow! I have a lot of work to do, but I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me! At least I know the truth in my head. Now if the feelings would follow, that would help! I am blessed to have wonderful friends around me who are helping me to see the areas which I need to improve in. I just have to remember that perfection isn't possible this side of heaven!

I Need To Surrender

Hi! My name is Jen and I'm a control freak! There, I admitted it! Inwardly I'm a control freak and I need to Surrender to God. I found this version of the Serenity Prayer tonight. I love this prayer! I bolded the new parts that I really like and want to cling to as well. I'm always feeling like I need to DO something in order to surrender to God, and then feel guilty when I can't surrender. I think I've been looking at it the wrong way. Surrendering is allowing God to be in control, in essence, to relax/breathe and let Him work. I don't have to "DO"...I just need to "BE"....BE in His presence and rest in Him. The only things I can control are my FAB...my Feelings, Attitudes, and Behaviors. That's what I learned in my Boundaries class. Tonight I'm feeling like I need to retake that class!

Serenity Prayer - By Reinhold Niebuhr

God, grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change
Courage to change the things I can,
Wisdom to know the difference,
Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
Taking as Jesus did this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it.
Trusting that you will make all things right
If I surrender to your will.
So that I might be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with you forever in the next.

Amen

Happy 6th Birthday Lexi! =-)

Alexis Ann was born on 11/4/02! She was my first niece! I'm so glad I lived in Milwaukee and was able to be there when all 3 of Debbie's (my Sister) kids were born. I'm sure Lexi can't fathom that 11/4/08 will be a monumental day in History. I only hope she knows just how special she is! I can't wait to see her on November 15th! Happy Birthday Lexi! :) I love you!

November 3rd, 1940

Was the date Herbert William Latzke (my Dad) was born in Eagle River, WI. I did an internet search for that date in history and found out that Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) was re-elected for an unprecedented third term as President of the United States on November 5th of 1940. That was an interesting tid-bit to me, especially since the Presidential Election is tomorrow. Obviously I'm not much of a history buff, since I didn't even realize WWII was still going on then! As time passes (it's been 9 years since he went home to heaven), these "anniversary dates" get easier. In fact, I pretty much didn't even think about it at work today, but have been contemplative this evening.

I continue to pray for a leader who follows God and values life. Tomorrow's election results will go down in History, but regardless of the outcome, we don't need to fear. God already knows the future and He will work all things out for our good! The President of the United States may be powerful, but God is way more powerful! :)

I Was An Inmate For Halloween!

I had so much fun at work today! Our team dressed up as Inmates and our Supervisor was the Worden! :) It was hilarious! We use our "N" numbers to sign onto the Computer systems, and we all had our "N" numbers on the back of our shirts to serve as our prison ID's! My nick-name was Smiley! Felipe's was "Beefcake"! He was like a kid in a candy store because he is from Manila and has never dressed up for Halloween before or seen people dressed up. He had his video camera and everything! When I got to work this morning some of my co-workers said I looked like a crackhead. To me, that means I looked like an inmate and therefore dressed the part well! It was fun making people laugh just by being dressed up! :) I hope our team wins the Halloween dress-up contest! We should find out on Monday.