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 :)