Super Woman

"and even Wonder Woman gets her nails (hair) done..." i was excited to put this as my first line in this post because I thought he said hair instead of nails. i've had to reschedule my hair appointment 4 times in the past 2 weeks. so busy. this song plays at LOFT all the time and i hate it. but it reminds me of myself in that I am always crazy busy and because my old roomie Caitlin Hull used to call me Super Woman- because i always did so much. i miss her.

..............................

i'm unsettled. it's been a year and a half of feeling unsettled. life did not turn out the way i hoped after graduating almost 2 May's ago. it's been a year and half of working at least 2 jobs, deferring or forebearing loans, trying to figure out how to pay for my last few (pointless) classes and what to do with my life once i have a degree. i've felt stuck for the past year and a half. it's been a season of rowing.  

see. life did not work out the way i wanted it too. after i 'graduated' i had sweet internship opportunities. i was supposed to finish the classes in the summer. i was ready to change the world. then life happened and things changed. the Lord had a different plan. i got a tattoo on my left wrist in 2009 that says 'made perfect in weakness' from 2 cor. 12:9-10. i got it on my wrist to serve as a constant reminder because i found this verse at a really really low point and it was like the Lord was saying- "Jen- give it up to me and let me make it better." i can't count the number of times in the past year and a half i have been forced to realize i need to just become weak and let the Lord work in me during this time. it's hard because i don't especially like this season of life. i feel like it is lasting forever and for once, i just don't know exactly when it will end or what to do when it ends. 

i feel like the Lord taught me a lot during my Christian music fast about prayer http://thecreativefight.blogspot.com/2011/09/month-without-non-christian-music.html. had alot of encouragement from psalm 103. emery- inside our skin talked about being refined by the fire and this providence- my beautiful rescue. for the first time i really realized that the Lord has purpose for this time, as hard as it is. 

i am at a point right now of feeling excited, nervous and scared. while the whole season i am in might not be over, school will indeed be over by mid-january (i WILL make it happen) and then i will be...free. i feel like the biggest burden of the past year and half will be lifted and i will finally have a degree (hopefully i will finish by jan 15 and get a dec. 2011 diploma). i've been itching to get out of indy for quite some time now. i the past couple months i realized i really want: 1. to have a job where i can work to empower teen girls. 2. work/volunteer with anti-trafficking organizations and do policy work. 3. live in a big big city. 4. go on an adventure and take a chance. i've been playing it safe and responsible for so long that i am just ready to do something new! this means that by mid-jan/early feb. i will hopefully be moving. which also means i need to figure out where to go.

……………..

ideal choice: boston. love love love the city. had some great info meetings with anti-trafficking organizations and i am so excited about the potential to be involved in abolitionist work there. also, there are alot of organizations that work to empower young women. and already found 2 churches i like. only issue would be that it will be expensive unless i find a couple roommates. i am considering just transferring to LOFT out there and then trying to find a job...

choice i feel like might happen: moving out to columbus, oh. love the city and lots of friends are there. there is some abolitionist work going on that i could be a part of and i already have some connections there. it might be easier to find a job. i wouldn't mind this option, but i feel like i'd be playing it safe.

……………………………………………

praying expectantly is hard. a couple months ago, during the fast, i did an awesome Bible study on God's abundance and provision. "when i conclude my prayer with: 'God do this or something better.' while my request might have been good, i want to always leave room for god to do beyond my expectations." (Priscilla Shirer) i started doing this. i felt like for the first time, it was okay to pray for big things. [[in the past, i always felt like i shouldn't pray for certain things to happen because it might not be what God wanted, like He would do the opposite of what i hoped. like praying for opportunity in boston, but me thinking i'll be stuck in indy forever.]] i guess after that study, i just realized i should be open to adventure and where God is leading. and to pray expectantly. i'm not wanting to go to boston, just to go, there are specific reasons related to the way i feel like God wired me. what i see as something great in boston, might be, but adding that 'God, do this or something better' is like saying, boston would be ideal, but if you have something even better than what i think would be the best- bring it on!!

i still worry a little bit though. 

i'm fearful. fearful of what the 'something better' might be, that i won't like it. which is crazy- it will be something better than what i think is best! i'm fearful of finances. fearful of potentially just picking up and moving. as weird as it may sound, fearful of what life will be like when i don't have school- it's been hanging over my head for so long, that i am not sure what life will be like without it- i'm thinking awesome. but- i just remembered this verse the other day- "such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. if we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love -1 john 4:18." you could say i am afraid of 'punishment,' of the Lord putting me in a place that i don't want to be in- being in this season longer.

 it is crazy when we are fed lies and when we believe them. just a couple months ago, all fear was gone. i was confident in the Lord and in his plans. life and chaos get in the way and confidence in the Lord turns into confidence in the flesh and i start to get to the point where the Lord says, 'jen- remember that verse on your wrist..." and i say-right, Lord's got this. just trust. "true abundance is really seen when you're sitting in a prison circumstance, when you're eye to eye with an impossible situation, and right in the heart of your impossible, you experience the fullness of God."- Priscilla. holla. TRUTH- 2 cor. 12:9-10

………………………

hopefully that flowed. it is usually a jumble of thoughts in my head that i try to form into sentences and paragraphs. so, tomorrow starts 2 weeks until I have finals. i also start my final class- astronomy. i’m fasting or breaking from a few things that just take up too much of my time- trying to simplify and focus on school and the Lord. also, going to start applying for some jobs, prayingexpectantly about things. maybe i’ll end up working for IJM in D.C. who knows. just giving life up to the Lord- ready to see what He will teach in the next month or so. going to try and not stress or worry. lots of journaling and running, baking and maybe painting….

Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits- who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

Who are you?

Guest Post for Girls Inc. Indy!
http://www.girlsincindy.org/the_inspiration_project/who_are_you

a month without non-christian music

i went a month with listening to only Christian music. it was rough. i love music. all kinds. i'd rather answer the question of what kind of music i don't like as opposed to my favorite (acoustic-indie...old school Ella...). techno is probably one of the only types i cannot stand, maybe irish music as well. Christian music can sometimes be added to the category. i love me some Gospel and there are a few Christian bands that i like- EMERY and THRICE. but for the most part, i can't stand the fluffy, pop-y mainstream Christian music that all sounds the same. i need good music, but most importantly, solid, legit lyrics, i.e. emery and thrice.


i started this fast a week or so before i left my big kid job. just stressed about life and feeling like i needed to be listening to 'positive and encouraging (k-love)' music. the first week was killer. i wore out my emery and thrice cd's (yes, cd's) and began to love mumford and sons (who are technically not a christian band, but such positive and encouraging lyrics). i had every intention of doing the fast for a week, but on the 1 week mark, i was driving home from pittsburg with my thuggies and we chatted about moving to boston.
we were all three excited about it. it is really crazy how the conversations went, how it felt like the Lord was in it all. we all decided to legit fast from something until we met again (this weekend) and then chat about if we felt the Lord speaking about moving to boston. also, we wanted to fast to hear the Lord speak in general. we were/are all three going through interesting times in life and we just wanted to hear the Lord.


what i learned from 1 1/2 months without non-christian music (except for what played during work):
-learned more about trusting the Lord. started doing a Bible study and it talked all about how the Lord provides. how he works in the midst of suffering (all suffering he can use for good!). trusting him with the hard things- with things i want to handle on my own. praying more- about everything.


- boston. i finding lots of different organizations i want to work for/volunteer for. randomly found 2 churches that look pretty legit. found schools with great MSW programs and public admin programs- Harvard has a human trafficking and modern day slavery program within their public admin degree- is that perfect for me or what?! 


-moving away. i was so hesitant to actually pray about moving to boston (or any other place for that matter) because i always wanted to make sure that the Lord didn't have something for me in Indiana- like maybe I should pray for opportunities here instead, or maybe i should really just stay and it's foolish to want to leave. BUT. i feel like he has showed me more about how he made me/wired me. he put such a HUGE desire in my heart to do anti-trafficking work and Psalm 103 says that the Lord will fulfill my desires with good things (which helps me be confident in this 'waiting' period as i am finishing school- finishing something in order to get someplace else...) i feel like he also wired me in such a way to love the city, to be in a fast paced environment, etc. even if boston is not the place, a city like it is where i feel like i should be. not that indiana isn't great- i just don't know if it is the place for me. not to say that the Lord doesn't have a sweet job here- i think i also am understanding that the Lord can use me anywhere and just to be open to being used by him. but i feel like boston could be a good place for me.


- girls inc.. i started co-facilitating a program called 'redefining beauty.' best part of my week. another realization that i want to work with teen girls doing this kind of stuff, doing outreach. or do human trafficking policy type work. the cool thing- if girls have positive role models who can invest in them and teach them the importance for having a high self-esteem and showing them that they can do big things, they will be less likely to fall prey the schemes of pimps and traffickers. prevention work. boom. 


- finances. it's tough. working on a second job. bath and body works perhaps. :) money has always been the hardest thing to trust the Lord with. my buddy made me a budget- gotta love the math nerds. i'm attempting to follow it- save some money. plan a bit. i feel like this is good preparation if boston is to work out. it is expensive to live there- i will be doing a lot of trusting the Lord with finances. good time to practice now. :)


-music. i listened to some joshua radin last night on my drive home. some snow patrol, swell seasons and ryan adams. oh how i missed it. but, i listened to christian music every time i got in the car today. i want to listen to it actually. crazy little turn of events. 
-90 challenge. started this 90 challenge with my church- i'm reading through the new testament in 90 days. it has been so great. and i can listen in the car on my iphone. the guy who reads the bible has this cra cra british accent. it felt like i was watching a movie or something when i listened to Acts. so dramatic. 


the past month has been so good. i feel like i see how good it is the more i talk about it. the Lord is doing some crazy cool things. hopefully visiting boston in november with the bestie thuggies .


ps. i'm also making jewelry again these days. check out my etsy and buy something: http://www.etsy.com/shop/laurenj117
               Got to see these beauties the weekend :) happy wedding weekend.

new adventure

(make sure you read 'roll away your stone' first. or you will be lost.)
i had my first class at ball state today. definitely drove around for 20 minutes trying to first read my map the correct way and figure out where i was. then i tried to figure out where to park. luckily, i got to class on time. oh, how i miss being on a college campus...hah. 


what the Lord teaching.
to me, a plan to quit a big kid paying job, enroll in school full-time, defer loans, pay less on a credit card that with the big kid job, i can have paid off in a few months, and work only...1 job...part-time, sounds like crazy talk. i decided all this saturday and then went to church sunday where i realized...this past year has been full of MY attempts work finish school and pay off loans, etc. i know this new crazy plans is the Lords and i feel like he is saying, jen- you've been trying it on your own for a year and it hasn't worked. i know my plan sounds crazy and it is not anything like what you would choose or even want to do, but just try it out and see how i work it all out.
ok Lord. 
and then sweet things started happening. just like the Lord would do. 
i registered too late for my online classes and had to have Cedarville sign something. did not think it would get processed in time to take the classes-- got processed a day before it should have and was able to register. thought i would have to pay everything upfront- which turned out to be almost $200 more than i expected and had.-- was able to work out a payment plan. thought i would have to order my books online from the university bookstore- $200 bucks.-- was able to order them from amazon for $40 WITH expedited shipping!!


there were some changes in management at my LOFT store so instead of working at my store which was 5 minutes away, i was being transferred to a store in carmel- 30 minutes away. found out that my dear girl- another sales lead got a big kid teaching job and was stepping down- i'm back at my store. 
haven't been able to defer the loans because they are being consolidated, but pretty sure that is going to work out too. it's been a hard but great time of learning to trust the Lord and also to see how he works things out. 
i've been thinking about the future and where to go after i have my degree- in DECEMBER! holla. i'm just restless, ready for something new and big. thinking of moving to boston with some besties. thinking about grad schools- Harvard please. thinking about AmeriCorp for a year. all kinds of ideas, away from indiana. i know once i am done with school, it will open so many doors to do something that i am passionate about. i just feel like school is holding me back from doing so many things. ready to be done. ready for a new adventure.


also been reading in the Word more. checking out Job- learning more about suffering. just learning that the Lord uses everything for good, even bad things. been listening to Christian music lately. i'll be honest- it is so hard. i dislike so much of the pop-y christian fluffy music. but, lecrae and emery are helping me through. and technically, they are not 'christian', but mumford and sons is legit and solid. can't get enough of them.

so, new adventure for the next 5 months. lots of rowing will be happening. i'll get rocking biceps. i don't know if i can say i am excited, per say. i'm longing to be done with school and i am going to bust it out. i'm really ready to see how the Lord will work and eager to learn new things....i'm sure this new adventure will produce many a new blog posts.
until then, check out the best songs ever right below... :)
peace.
............
mumford and sons: stars hide your fires/these are my desire/and i will give them up to YOU this time around... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2O-BwV0DDUY

emery: i'll be happier when i've give up/wisdom, light my way into the dark/your words, the melody that carries me/we can't make a change until we know who we are/fire refining me...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yYFwMB5_h4

roll away your stone, i'll roll away mine.

i'm sitting in my bed listening to mumford and sons (love them) and looking at Harvard's public policy Master's program- they have a human trafficking and modern day slavery program. i think i want to go there... :)


it's been an interesting few weeks, an interesting year actually. i've again slacked on the blogging, but such is life. it has been really busy. for those that don't know, i started a new adventure today. i quit my job at CGI and had my last day friday. i'm back to working part time at LOFT. and i will be a full-time student this semester, FINALLY finishing up my undergrad. holla. it's a big change, and a hard one.

it all started about a year ago around this time when MY plans for finishing up my last few classes for my undergrad fell through and i decided to take matters into my own hands. this past year consisted of trying things on my own, holding multiple jobs, basically, trying to be superwoman, only to find out that whatever powers i had in college that allowed me to do a million things at one time and still survive, apparently vanished as i drove away from cedarville. in the midst of the craziness, i was able to finish on class this spring and MY plan after getting my first big kid job was to pay for classes as i went, one.at.a.time. for those of you i talk to on a regular basis- you know that i hate that i have school to finish, that i want to be done so badly, and that i have considered quitting on multiple occasions.
so, fast to a few weeks ago. i was stressed at work already. but add to that driving every tuesday/thursday to muncie (45 minutes away) for class, a 2-3 hour volunteer session each week, AND a few nights at LOFT just so i could save to pay for my classes, which now have to be finished by MAY 2012. i  knew i could barely do it- remember, the powers had disappeared.
had a bit of a freakout moment 2 saturdays ago. my mom said my rent's would help me pay for one of my classes. we talked through it and figured i had enough to pay for 2 up front and could afford monthly payments on my ball state class by working part time at LOFT. i just needed to leave the big kid job and defer the loans.
so, long story short, i did just that. gave my notice. said i'd take my position back at LOFT. almost paid for the 2 classes and registered. had my first ball state class today. :)
 
the Lord is CRAZY. really crazy. in the past year He has been working all on my heart. and since i feel like this blog post is getting lengthly- check out the newest one for how he is working.

$90

my thoughts are all over the place. been a crazy and stressful and long week at work. i've got so much going on. i'm a bit drained emotionally and mentally. hurting physically because i did the Body Buffer on the Nike Training Club app on my sweet new iPhone. hot. dog. intermediate kicked.my.butt.big.time. i am sore. but a good feeling sore...i think. also, learned how to use twitter a bit, thanks to #lilcpa...i think i might start typing and speaking in hashtags now. got an extra bit of motivation this week also. decided that i am sick of trying to finish up school. i know quitting now would be redic. so, job number 2 will come into the mix soon. and. when i get the job, all 4 classes will be complete by may. and hopefully i will still be sane. :)


i discovered that my passion is still to raise awareness about human trafficking. to be an advocate. abolitionist. speaker. i long, to the point of tears, to be able to have a job one day where i am doing advocacy and/or policy work directly related to human trafficking. it is a future dream that i will fight to get one day because there is no way the Lord would put such a passion in my heart only for me to keep it inside. i know it might take time to get to that dream, but in the mean time, i can still be an advocate. abolitionist. and speaker.
    ++the average price to buy a human being is $90. ninety dollars. to buy a person. a living.breathing.person. someone created by the hands of God. someone with worth. and value.
    ++the average age of a trafficking victim in the united states is 13. thirteen years old. my sister is almost 13. my baby sister. someone else's baby sister. someone's daughter.granddaughter.bestfriend. the average age means that there are girls younger than 13. and in many cases, the younger girls are worth more money.
    ++human trafficking is the second largest criminal enterprise in the world next to drugs. because children. boys.and.girls. are able to be used over.and.over.and.over.and.over. again. it generates $32 billion dollars a year. thiry two billion dollars. 
    ++pornography plays a role. some girls are trafficked and forced to be in porn movies. some men translate image into action- they 'watch porn, seeing violent and aberrant behaviors on film, then they crave the realization of what they have seen. Those obsessions drive them to the prostituted women and girls to get what they have seen depicted so graphically.' Janice Course
    ++the word PIMP is used in our culture alot. used in such a way to say that things are cool. a pimp is not cool. throwing the word around like it is nothing, makes it seem like there is nothing wrong with being a pimp. i see books on amazon on 'how to be a pimp' and books on how pimping is so great. seriously. i was in target last weekend and a boy, maybe 10, was wearing a shirt that said 'green shirts are for pimps.' really. green shirts. young boy, do you know what a pimp is? do you know that he beats and abuses women and forces them to have sex with multiple men in order to get money for.himself? do you know that he buys her things and tells her how wonderful she is all to make her believe that he actually loves her, so that she will have sex with filthy men on a daily basis? father of this young boy, is that something you want your young son to stand for? 


the only way to stop this is to stop the demand. men. listen and learn. be a voice to other men. we need men to be abolitionists. we need men to raise awareness. check out the demi moore and ashton kutcher's new campaign- real men don't buy sex. i'll be honest- the videos are cheesy, the message is true. (http://DemiandAshton.org/). this is not okay. there is no way that someone can be silent after hearing more about this issue. it is time to do something. tell other people. get involved with some of the great organizations doing work to fight this injustice. do to more research. dosomething. 


i'm all worked up. i need my cedarville girls here to rant with me. i feel like i should have some profound closing thought. i just needed to get all that out. hopefully some of you will be stirred to action. and i'd love to talk about ways to do that. maybe i'll write that in a new post...
now that you have seen (heard), you are responsible. faith without deeds is dead.

i love bacon

so, it's been busy. i've had every intention of writing a new post multiple times, but alas, as you can see, nothing really. so, i had a weekend of making things last weekend. made banana bread. made a rocking new necklace and earrings (photos to come). i made chocolate chip bacon cookies with powdered sugar glaze and bacon crumbles. yes. twas an amazing marriage of sweet and savory and delicious. check it out. try them before you diss them-the recipe is below. i had no maple extract, but powdered sugar, vanilla, and some milk work wonders.-- quality posts coming soon!

• 3/4 cup butter
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon hazelnut extract or 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips or 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 lbs bacon, cooked and crumbled (about 2 cups)
• 1/2 lb bacon, cooked in whole strips
• 2 cups powdered sugar, for the maple glaze
• 1 tablespoon maple extract, for the maple glaze
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, for the maple glaze
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, for the maple glaze

Total Time: 1 3/4 h

1. 1 In a large bowl, beat together the butter, sugars, extracts and eggs until creamy. In another bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and stir together.
2. 2 Dough will be slightly soft. If you want a more cakelike cookie, add another 1/2 cup of flour. Mix in chocolate chips and crumbled bacon. Stir until well integrated.
3. 3 Place dough on a sheet of wax paper and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
4. 4 Preheat oven to 350°F.
5. 5 Remove dough from fridge. Pinch off 1 ½ -inch pieces and roll into balls. Set dough balls about 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten dough balls in the center slightly with your fingers. Bake about 10 minutes, or until the dough starts to turn golden brown. Allow cookies to cool on a cooling rack while you make the glaze.
6. 6 Maple-Cinnamon Glaze: Mix 2 cups powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon maple extract, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and ½ teaspoon cinnamon with enough water to make a thick glaze, about 3 tablespoons. Mix all ingredients together until smooth and creamy. If lumpy, use a whisk.
7. 7 Spread a small amount of glaze on top of each cookie and top with a small piece (1 to 1 ½ inches) of crisp bacon

Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/bacon-chocolate-chip-cookies-with-maple-cinnamon-glaze-299238#ixzz1Pa7GHHE8

check check

new blog post about Naples on the CGI blog:
http://centerforglobalimpact.blogspot.com/

byTavi gets a tan

so, it's been a while since i last posted.
i'm currently on vacation, in Florida! i've been lounging on the beach, tanning, running on the beach, doing some work here and there and had a great open house on Wednesday.


work has been crazy, but literally so great. we still are working on inventory. we are taking a break while i am on vacation. we we have almost 2,000 scarves to inventory. it has been a fast three weeks. we are getting orders for purses/totes almost daily, meeting with new individuals who are interested in byTavi, and continuing to do inventory. it is so exciting to see how quickly things are moving and we are so ready to keep things going. 

down here in Florida, things are happening as well!! our dear family friends arranged to have an open house for byTavi with the help of some wonderful ladies, Eleaner and Sandi. Eleaner opened up her salon, Gemini Moon, and Sandi (a stylist) and Laura (family friend) organized it all. Like all events, things of course went wrong, and i had to be creative and work some things out, but- did the LORD ever show up and show out. at least 20 people were in and out between 6 and 8pm. i met some wonderful ladies and the door was opened for other parties and events here in Naples. how much did the party make for byTavi...


$1269.81 during a 2 hour party!
holla for lots of dollas!!
and i think more will sell before i leave on Sunday!
check out the photos below. 


next task when i get home- tackling scarves, getting our website looking pretty, meetings, and hopefully LOTS of parties!!

  Laura, Eleaner, and Sandi :)

big kid job

this was my first week at my real, big kid job. it was amazing.

on Monday, we had some meetings, saw our NEW OFFICE, and had our first business meeting. The rest of the week was full of mostly inventory. this is what the basement looked like AFTER we organized things a bit

needless to say, we have alot of inventory. we got all of that counted and moved to our storage facility and even got some hung up on racks. i'll put pictures of our progress at the end!

this is my almost dream job. this is a pretty stinking amazing job for someone without a degree, not necessarily looking...just evidence of the Lord at work! i have gotten up everyday, excited for work. i've come home every night super tired from work, especially yesterday. i just keep thinking how CRAZY it is to have this job. it is literally almost a year since i first heard about CGI and now i'm working for them!

this organization is amazing. they are a two year old non-profit, just by the executive director, a small board, and a group of volunteers. now, they have added an accountant/boss over the byTavi line, myself and a partner working with me- Whitney! even though CGI is two years old...they are still a baby non-profit, still figuring out how to do things. we had a meeting yesterday to talk about making our website look stellar and what needs to be added and taken away to do that.

this is so exciting, because this is another thing i wanted to do...be part of a starting non-profit/start one myself. it is exciting to be able to think through ideas, see them be implemented, start new things...

..................................................................................

Center for Global Impact is a faith-based 501(c)3 relief and development organization, registered in the State of Indiana, designed to creatively connect financial and human resources with social and humanitarian projects around the world. As an organization we are committed to helping people in the West understand the reality, complexity and ramifications of poverty in the developing world.  We then create opportunities for involvement based upon their unique gifts, skills, interests, and networks.

...................................................................................

sweet. sweet organization. my project- i love. marketing and relationship coordinator for byTavi. byTavi was started by Tavi. Her husband died of AIDS and she needed a way to provide for her children. CGI met her they found out she wanted to learn how to sew. They purchased her a sewing machine and what started as a one woman operation, has now turned into 37 women, as of Wednesday the 20th! The ladies make AMAZING bags. quality pieces. the money from the bags goes to the women to pay their salary. this allows them to provide for their families, women who have children at risk of being sold to brothels, women and families that are just one step away, hanging on by a thread. this project is looking at their situation and trying to find a holistic option for helping them.

with the byTavi line, Whitney and my job is, at the base level, to sell the purses and totes made by the ladies. we do that by connecting with individuals and organizations to either host parties or purchase the items (we do scarves too) wholesale. we get to go to different events focused on human trafficking, human rights, poverty, micro-finance, and women. we get to meet with a variety of people daily (business meetings!!!) to tell them about what we are doing. we get to meet with people interested in hosting parties, we get to go to these parties. i'm just so stoked about being able to build relationships, explain the importance of what we are doing, and then sell some merch and give back to these women!

it is so exciting to have a job that i love already and i haven't even really been doing what the job title says. if you are interested in hosting a party or have some way to do a wholesale sale, want more info...anything. i love coffee and business meetings and would be delighted to do both! i also love traveling, so we can travel to events and what not also. 

other fun things that come with this job are getting a new office, that i can decorate...and make a trip to IKEA!!! i may move out to a place closer to work. i get to make more connects, meet new people, get big kid money! :)

the Lord is blessing and teaching...habakkuk 1:5...

i heart sushi

my bestie and i made sushi last night. from scratch. and it was pretty stinking good. 

the bestie is leaving for boston in less than a week, and instead of spending loads of money on delicious sushi like usual, we decided to make our own. 

we are now sushi masters. :)

RICE.

 avocado, cucumbers, and crab sticks.

 look how pretty.

OUR FIRST EVER HOME MADE ROLL!!!

 

my first attempt at making the roll....

 failing at cutting... :(

 

but the sushi sous chef quickly becomes a sushi master.

we succeeded at making delicious sushi. definitely not as good as sushi from a restaurant, but it was quite tasty. only a few more days to make more checks off our bucket list of fun things to do before leaving for Boston.

i start my first ever BIG KID JOB on Monday!!!! i can hardly wait. with this big kid job comes new big kid work clothes, new 'hey, i get my own office'- office stuff, new make your room look cool stuff. the next few weeks will be filled with lots of shopping! :) maybe even an IKEA trip!!!!!! 

and florida. don't be sad too much longer. i shall be coming to visit you in just 3 short weeks. i'm tanning now, so i can spend every day on your beach, enjoying your sun and beach breeze.

tis all for now. i have many-a-thoughts that will be coming next week. on the bestie. on the BIG KID JOB. cool shopping finds. seasons. mostly on the big kid job.

i'm a big kid now...almost

it is sunny and 70 in Indiana today....tomorrow it will probably snow. let's hope not! we want to keep this warm weather. this is the view from my window- after 4 years of being either out of state or out the country, i can finally see my magnolia tree/bush bloom.

 so, i got an official big kid job this week. here is how it happened and what i'll be doing:

this time last year, after the 10 k, i walked into the social work office to hear a prospective social work student talking about wanting to work with human trafficking victims. immediately, i was like, 'hey, i'm jen. that is exactly what i want to do!!!' we ended up talking and she told me she was from Indy too and that her dad started a non-profit that works with trafficking victims. i checked out the organization as soon as i got to my apartment. it was called Center for Global Impact and i saw that they took trips to Cambodia to work with Rapha House (http://raphahouse.org/). i emailed her dad about it and discussed maybe going to Cambodia during the summer. It ended up not working out, but his email was saved in my address book.

fast forward to 3 weeks ago. i was on the hunt for a real big kid job, determined to get one without my degree, which i am working towards, but need a big kid, full-time paying job in order to finish it in a timely manner. so i created a LinkedIn profile and had them email all the contacts in my email address book. a few days later, the girl's dad and executive director of Center for Global Impact (http://centerforglobalimpact.org/) emails me about meeting up at Starbucks. we meet the next week and find out about an awesome position at CGI that i would be great for. on thursday i met with the board of directors and got the official offer on friday.

hot dog that is fast!!!!! and i can only say it is from the Lord.

i will be the marketing and relationship coordinator for byTavi (http://www.bytavi.com/). a line of beautiful hand bags and scarves made by women in cambodia. making these bags gives them another option to support their families instead of selling their bodies for sex. the money from the bags goes straight to their salary so they can provide for their kids. sweet. my job is basically a sales job, but i sell the bags by connecting with different organizations, individuals, and companies to either have them purchase bags or host a party where i can come share the story behind the bag and offer an opportunity to purchase. these bags are beautiful. in addition to speaking and connecting, i'll get to do some traveling and event planning...there was talk of CGI doing a 10 k... :). i do not have to raise support for this position, but it would be sweet if you would buy bags and scarves and donate to CGI so they can keep doing awesome things.

this is totally a God thing. coming so quickly, having it be something that i really am passionate about. as always, i am concerned with money and finishing up school. in a big way, this was a huge step of faith for me to take this position, but i just think the Lord has it. i am stoked to see how things go. i have to go to greenwood everyday which is a good 45 minute drive, but i am hoping i will enjoy the driving time. :) i am sure there is more that i could say about it, but it just might have to wait til i actually start...in 2 weeks. april 18. i gave my 2 weeks at LOFT and the Y, which means no more funny stories about my kids, but i will have to supplement it with awesome stories of this organization and the crazy things the Lord is doing.

i think that is all. not terribly long this time. check out CGI and byTavi. email me if you want to host a party or have any kind of connects that would be beneficial to the ministry or to selling the bags.

still got habakkuk 1:5 on my heart...