Marketing Strategies

Verse found on Starbucks "to-go" pastry bags:

"flavors my senses, sweetens my disposition, stirs my imagination, nourishes my dreams."

Starbucks is promising an awful lot.
If only it were that simple.

Ponderings

Today I am wearing a shirt that is missing a button. There was a time in my life when that would not have happened. I wouldn't wear anything with the slightest flaw on it.
I also discovered that I wore a pair of jeans all day on Saturday, at a conference in the Cities, that had chocolate in three places on the butt. Not pretty.

So, what has happened to me?

Chocolate on the butt...button missing...what's next? Going out without a bra?!?! Gosh, that's sad to think about.

I do think it speaks to the larger points of life, however. I'm not as anal retentive as I used to be, which, in most aspects, is a good thing. I could use a little self-driven purpose in life, though.

I seem to have lost that along the way. Well, I can actually pin-point the time when it happened. I was a freshman in college. I had made it into the top ensemble - the Wind Symphony - I was also playing in the orchestra for the choir's trip to San Diego, and I had done marching band in the fall, and was doing the opera in the spring. Needless to say, I burnt out, and to be honest, I've never gotten it back. Well, I take that back. There was a year in there, 2001, after my divorce, when I had just moved to the Twin Cities, and everything was going my way (for the most part) and I was a little spitfire. But, I burned out then, too, and limped my way thru the rest of grad school, just like I had limped thru my undergrad degree.

Something just occurred to me, though. I've been trying to do my life on my own energy and my own volition for all of my 29 years, even the last 11 years that I've been a Christian. I think that speaks volumes. I know in my head that I can't do my life on my own, that I need God to give me the strength and the fortitude. But, now that I'm typing these words on the screen in front of me, it's more real than it has been before. I really can't do my own life.

How does the rest of the world do it?

Ah. As I typed that I realize what I do to make it thru - coffee and sugar. I guess everybody else uses those as well as alcohol and drugs, I suppose. Believe me, over the past year, I understand now why people drink and get drunk. I've said several times that if I were a drinker, I'd be at the bar. Not a good thought.

So, I guess it comes down to surrender. When I surrender over my responsibilities and obligations, Christ steps in to take them on and help me do them. I don't know how it works, but I'm believing it. I'm at the end of me. I've heard that's where He begins. I suppose that takes some faith and some trusting. Two areas I need to exercise. Hmmm...exercise...another area....

Oh the Beauty

I was driving a lot this past week and I have to say, that even though a lot of the trees had lost their leaves already, there were many that were quite magnificent. There were reds and oranges, yellows and maroons. It actually inspired me to want to write poetry. Interesting what nature can do. The book of Romans says that God reveals himself through nature, that his invisible qualities can be known that way. What a crazy thought! We can know God's qualities by looking around us. You know you've seen Him. Have you ever stood on the beach and watched the sun set, and noticed that the colors seem to be just out of your vocabulary's grasp? Or maybe you've seen a moose standing in the meadow and noticed the strong, silent presence it carries.
We are without excuse.
Anyway, I had a great weekend. Thursday I drove down to the Cities and stayed at Kris' house in Blaine. Friday was supervision and it was somewhat helpful. I always come away with something from my time with my supervisor. (That's definitely a good thing.) It's good to feel like you're growing and becoming more aware of ways that you can help people. Friday night we went to Grand Avenue , where I bought 4 DELICIOUS chocolate truffles from Just Truffles (I bought 1 peanut butter/dark chocolate, which was decadent, 1 grand marnier (orange)/dark chocolate, which was also decadent, and 2 Bailey's Irish Creme truffles (one for husband), and it was probably the best of them all. Absolutely incredible.
I also darkened the doorstep of a new shop entitled Picky Girl. It was a boutique with semi-expensive clothing. It wasn't completely expensive, just somewhat. If I were working full time I would buy clothes there.
We hit Ten Thousand Villages, where I found my birthday gift from my husband - a new, beautiful tea pot. So gorgeous.
We ran through Pottery Barn, which always makes me covet like none other, hence, the running.
At Cafe Latte, I partook of a cup of fruit, a cup of Seattle Smoked Salmon Stew (cream based) with dill, and a slice of St. Paul Sourdough bread. It was all delectible.
Saturday we went to Starbucks for breakfast where I had my second pumpkin spice doughnut (makes my mouth water just thinking about it) and of course, my grande iced nonfat vanilla latte. (Sidenote: the iced lattes seem to be loosing their lustre. I still have one every morning at home, so I'm not spending the money, but when I go out, they're just not the same. I wonder if that'll ever happen with chocolate. Dear God, I hope not!)
After that we went to the Pine Tree Apple Orchard in White Bear Lake. It was a beautiful drive over there; the trees were still changing and it was sunny and gorgeous. I bought a 6 pack of apple cider doughnuts, and a 1/2 peck of Honey Crisp apples. Apparently Honey Crisp apples are a new hybrid that came from the U of M. They are expensive. They are going to become pie and crumble for this weekend when my parents come. YUM!
We also went to a couple cute little shops in WBL. Kris used to live in WB, so she knows the ropes.
And, of course, I am missing living there, still. It went away for several months, and now it's back...with a vengeance. Argh. I'll leave it at that.
And, again, I'm struggling with my chosen career path. Do I really want to be a therapist these days? If I didn't do that, what would I do? How can I make more money? Can I make money and do something I love at the same time? That doesn't seem to be possible right now. Money doesn't seem to like me. That's alright, I don't like it, either. So there! Pblblblblblt!

Oh, funny men...

So I was sitting at my desk yesterday and one of the men who works in our office stops and says to me, "You....look....really mature for your age."

Ummmm.

"How old do you think I am?" I pondered.

"I know how old you are." He replied. (He does payroll, so he has birthdates, I guess). "It's a compliment." He finally concedes.

Well, considering I am 29, and that's not exactly the same as saying to an 18-year-old, "You look really mature for your age," meaning they look like they're in their 20's, which is a compliment. In this case, if I look really mature, does that mean I look 35 or 40? What the heck?!?! I suppose, however, from his point of view, which is probably 45 or 50, 29 is still quite young. Whatever.

Birthday Report:

Cake: two pieces consumed (1 DQ Ice Cream cake, and 1 lucious cheesecake covered in caramel and chocolate)

Presents: flowers from Kris, money from relatives and friends, Starbucks giftcard from friend, husband was going to give me a ticket to the Women of Faith conference in Mpls this month so that I could spend time with a high school friend who lives in Seattle, but it is sold out. He'll have to come up with something else. I'm sure I can help him out with that...

All in all, it was a very nice weekend.

And today is a lovely day, because I'm not busy at my afternoon job, which means I can catch up on all my other stuff. I love catching up. It makes me feel much less stressed.

This week I am heading to the Twin Cities on Thursday afternoon. I'm very, very excited about this, as it's been over a month since I've been there. I'm going thru withdrawal. I really have been missing it lately. Actually, I'm a little afraid that if I go, I'll be all sad again that I don't live there. Oh well.
Friday I have supervision, and that night Kris and I are going to celebrate my birthday at Cafe Latte, and do a little shopping along Grand Avenue. It should be very fun. Saturday we'll begin our day at Starbucks, our usual spot, and then probably do some more shopping. Not sure where to shop yet. Maybe Har Mar - TJMaxx and Marshalls are always good stops. :)

I feel my blog coming to an end. More later.