I Heart My Employer II

Another reason I am absolutely in love with the company I work for:

Just 2 pills day that cost 40 cents can keep someone with AIDS alive and healthy.

40 cents. That's it. Get a cup of great coffee. Save a life.

On Monday, Dec. 1st when you buy ANY handcrafted beverage, we will donated 5 cents to (RED). Yep, even drip coffee is considered 'handcrafted'.

"We make a living by what we get. But we make a LIFE by what we GIVE"
Winston Churchill

The Thanksgiving Post

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and it is the holiday that calls us to remember all the things and people in our lives that we are grateful for. And as I examine my life I think I need way more than just a day to think of all the blessings I have in my life. I've decided to boil it down to the 2 things that I am thankful for every single day--family and friends.

1. Family
Even if this is my first Turkey Day away from my family, it still makes me realize how much I love my big family. It will definitely not be the same without Sherry, Greg and the rest of the clan. My family has always been supportive of my goals, my dreams, my hopes. Without them supporting me, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have had the courage to live my life as my own life. And while it is hard for me to be nearly 1000 miles away from them on a daily basis, I do cherish them and miss them on a daily basis.






2. Friends

"Friendship is the only cement that will ever hold this world together." When I take a brief moment to think of the friendships I have in my life, old and new, I am in awe at the caliber of people that I am fortunate enough to call my friends. I don't think I deserve these compassionate, genuine, intelligent, hilarious people, but I am so thankful they let me be a part of the story of their lives. These past 2 years have separated me from the handful of friends that I love and it's been hard not to have your best friend across the hall, up the stairs or down the street. But it is in distance that I realize how close these people are to me. I miss them everyday and I thank God for trusting with such amazing people to call my friends. And while I've been missing the people I've known for years, I've also had the opportunity to meet new friends and work on building new relationships. And thus far, I've been fortunate in meeting some incredible people out here and they've been such an integral part of me establishing my life here in Seattle.

Speak No Evil

"Our speech, whether it is about others or to others, tends to tear down or build up. It either corrups the minds of our hearers, or it gives grace to them."
From Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges

I definitely stole this quote off of my friend Emily's blog (thanks, e-dub!) and I've been thinking about it recently. And i've been able to think about it on both sides of the coin--from my perspective, from the words i use with my co-workers, my friends, my family, anyone i come across. And I had an experience the other night that allowed me to experience the other side. And Jerry Bridges is for real--words do have the capacity to tear you down or build you up. It's amazing how a person I barely know can make me feel so insecure, so timid. But his words are still echoing in my head.

It has definitely made me think more about the words I use.

Michael Franti

Please check out this awesome artist! I've liked him since my Pita Pit days back in Spokane. Not only does he have a great sound, but his lyrics are pretty legit as well. Here are a few videos of him doing his thing:



Yell Fire at The Gorge:



Time To Go Home:

My Vicarious Bulldog

It's not much of a secret that I want a bulldog really badly. However, they are really expensive and I live in an apartment building that doesn't allow dogs, so needless to say, I've been only able to dream about my having a bullie to call my own.

Until now.

About 3 weeks ago a woman came through our drive thru with 3 bulldogs in tow. Duncan, Chloe and Annie each had their own seat in this woman's sedan. I immediately fell in love and jokingly told her that any time she needed a bullie sitter to stop by. One week later, she came through again and asked me if I was serious about watching the little nuggets. I told her absolutely!

Now I get to walk Duncan and Chloe three times a week--Annie is far too old to go on walks. She does lap swim at the beach--not even kidding. Being around all 3 of them have solidified my decision to one day own one of these jovial creatures. It's still a long time down the road, but until then I am the vicarious bulldog owner of Chloe, Duncan and Annie.

The photo is of Chloe and her tire. She will play with that tire for hours if I'd let her!

25

i'm only 25 years old. but when i examine the person that has filled those 25 years, i've found that i've been so many different people. i am 25 years old, but sometimes i feel like i've been 25 different people. i look back at who i was a 1 year ago, 5 years ago, 10 years ago and i'm different at every single moment. as much as i wish i could say that i've been getting progressively 'better', like a fine wine, i can't. no doubt i've changed as a person. as a daughter. a sister. a friend--that much i know. sometimes it's been for the better, sometimes it hasn't. i know i've posted about change and i understand that the only thing constant is change, so this shouldn't come as a shock to me. but it does. i look at the girl i was in middle school and i cringe. the jennifer in high school was a girl who i'm not even sure i knew, now or even then. college could definitely be divided into a different person every year--ranging from a fresh-faced, hopeful freshman, to a jaded and angry sophomore, to a revitalized junior and finally a terrified, but content senior. and even in the short time i've lived out here in seattle, i've seen myself grow and change, even as difficult as its been. it's a day by day process for me. one day i am filled with hope and determination, the next i dash my confidence with flooding thoughts of doubt and confusion. i truly am my own worst enemy!
for all this change, i do hope there have been a few things that i've carried with me. and by carried i mean that the years and experiences have allowed them to mature and come to fruition--things like loyalty, integrity, compassion, conviction and the capacity to love. and i hope that i continue to carry them with me throughout the years that are yet to come so they can continue to develop. i need to understand that without change there is no growth and without growth there is no change.

I took this picture on my Mission:Possible Spring Break trip my junior year of college. It is located at the Civil Rights Museum in Nashville, TN. Across the street from this sign is the Lorraine Motel--the motel where Martin Luther King Jr. was shot. MLK Jr spoke these words on April 3rd, 1968. The next day, April 4, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was struck down by an assassin's bullet.

If you can't read it clearly, it says:

I May Not Get There With You But I Want You To Know That We As A People Will Get To The Promised Land.

Forty years after MLK Jr said these words, the United States of America elected not just their 44th President, but their first African American President.

I Heart My Employer!

This is one of the many reasons I love working for Starbucks: