Dream Job

I was asked this weekend what my dream job is. I couldn't give an answer. I think this has changed so many times. Since I was a little girl I wanted to be a teacher. I thought they had the coolest job, and I still think they do! I mean every Friday, they get to wear school colors and get to have school parties during the Holidays!! Haha, but I know new legislation and more responsibilities are given to teachers each year, and this is not necessarily the most appealing job in America. I have also wanted to be an event planner, cake designer, work in athletics somehow, and well on any given day, the dream job can change!

But, something I have always thought about and still do, is by working for a not-for-profit organization. No, there is not much money to be made, but I have the heart and compassion to serve individuals. A representative from the Ronald McDonald House spoke to a conference I was attending just last weekend, and I once again confirmed my willingness to serve in this capacity. They much raise close to a million dollars a year to function...just in one office! Essentially, she is an event planner, but she also gets to give back every single day. What a feeling that would be!! In addition, I just read a story about a mother who lost her son from DIPG. Just One More Day is an organization that is intended to help fight DIPG and provide a support group from families affected by this disease. Reading this definitely brought a tear to my eye, and I automatically wanted to learn more.

These are just 2 examples, but there are so many not-for-profit organizations out there. So, if you are reading this and know of any opportunities like this, please let me know. Your heart needs to be in your job, or it will be 'just a job' for as long as you work. I do not want that with my life. Take home message for you--Look for ways you can help out local not-for-profit organizations in your area!

Thoughts

Wow. It has been a long since I last blogged. I always have a ton of ideas of what to blog about and then for some reason never just go ahead and do it. I should probably do it more often and then my head might not be so cluttered from a million different things. Here is something I have thought about several times within the past week, month, year, and it can go on from there. I feel like I am never content with the here and now. I love everything I do, but sometimes I just want to be somewhere different. I always know what I could be missing, which sometimes hinders me from truly having a good time in the present. For instance, I will be traveling with my good ACT friends to Texas this weekend. I know this sounds kind of dumb, but by going to Texas I will be missing out on my little brother's last basketball game...ever. I am so excited to go to Texas, but I just want to be home. Also, I have no clue what I will be doing next year as I graduate in May. I want to be here, I want to be there, but I just want to be happy and content wherever I am. My head spins in many different directions. I am just tired of this. I am tired of thinking so much. Time for a little fun and less thinking.

No More 'Why'

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven." Ecclesiastes 3:1

I have always believed everything happens for a reason. Yet, often I am wondering 'Why?'

Millions of people had the opportunity to watch the BCS National Championship game last night against No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Texas. Although I am a die-hard Oklahoma State fan, I have been raised to appreciate the Longhorns, mainly from my dad. All Christmas break, (besides the OSU game), I was most excited to watch this Texas team to become the No. 1 team in the country. I felt like they had the better team, yet most were choosing Alabama to pull away with the victory. The winningest Quarterback of all time, Colt McCoy, would play his final game and be the hero. He deserved it.

If you watched, you know within the first few minutes of the game, Colt was injured. He never returned. Left to fill in for him was freshman, Garrett Gilbert. I had to feel for the guy. I mean, here it is a National Championship game, he was a freshman, and he had to play for COLT MCCOY. Seemed to me like that was a lot of pressure. However, I do believe he gave it everything he had and almost led the Longhorns to a 14-0 season. He deserves much props. But..read on to hear the real MVP of the game.

The final seconds ticked off and the reality sank in; Texas did not win. A reporter stopped McCoy after the game, and asked him what it was like to watch him spend his last college football game from the sideline.

"I always give God the glory," McCoy said. "I never question why things happen the way they do. God is in control of my life. And I know that...I am standing on the Rock."

You see, God is the MVP. God used Colt to further His Kingdom. It was God. God used Colt for His Glory. Many people might be wondering 'Why?' Colt didn't go back in or 'How?' within only minutes of the game, he could get hurt. I have absolutely NO DOUBT in my mind, it was God. Many people are talking about him today. God used Colt to change some lives, maybe to just rekindle the faith they once had in God.

I didn't make a New Year's resolution. But, I am going to work on my wondering thoughts. I will stop asking why and how and KNOW that it is all in God's perfect Will!

McCoy's Postgame interview:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHgEESzcGRA

Sports & Punishment

Oklahoma State was once again plagued by a team player not adhering to team rules. Therefore, he was suspended and could not play in the Cotton Bowl. Definitely a play-maker on our team, and we did need him on Saturday. However, if your team is based off of 1 person, your team is in trouble. We had many other play-makers out on the field Saturday, but did not possess enough gut and determination to pull out a victory in their last game. This suspension led many "Cowboy fans" to put statuses on their Facebook and Twitter blaming it on Coach Gundy. Comments regarding how basically he wanted our team to lose and how he knows his fate. What?! A coach wanting his team to lose because he punished a top player for breaking team rules? A coach who played for this exact team a little over 20 years ago? I don't think so...at least in my opinion. In the end, it was those players out on the field who didn't make the plays to win the game, not the coach. Defense was excellent, but our offense was less than admirable.

But, enough about the game. Lets talk about punishment. I applaud the coaches who will forfeit good players so that team rules are adhered to and punishment is given. Believe it or not, OSU is not the only school who has given out punishment to players. Look at Michigan State. They have let go of 14 players this year for various reasons with punishment of violations of team rules being the No. 1 cause. (OK, I honestly wouldn't know anything about Michigan State besides I watched the Texas Tech/Michigan State game last night lol) I remember going to a high school basketball game several years ago, and parents of a team player held signs welcoming their son back to the team and getting to play again. You see this player had been caught drinking, which was a team violation. This certain player was definitely a play-maker and a valuable asset to the team. He was benched several games, but I do believe they went ahead and won the state championship that year.

Players should have to deal with the consequences of their actions. Isn't that what we teach children everyday? There are good and bad consequences.

If a coach lets one person slide, he must let all slide. And, what control does that show over their team? In conclusion, I support Gundy and I support all coaches like him. I am sorry Cowboy fans have started to get rude. This isn't us. "Ever you'll find us, loyal and true, to our Alma Mater, O-S-U."

Retail Etiquette

If you have ever worked in retail, you can probably relate to this post. I have for about 3 years now. Typically over Christmas Break and some during the summers. They usually put me in close to 40 hours a week while others not so much, which means I do work and I know a little of what I am talking about. Although I have worked at a particular store for a while, this may be one of the worst Christmas retail seasons I have seen. Not because sales were down, but because people were rude and somewhat clueless. Now, I usually have a smile on my face so I am just using this blog as a place to kind of rant and provide you with some retail etiquette the next time you go shopping :)

1) Coupons--You love them because they get you a discount on your purchase; We love them because they bring you in to our store. However, during the busiest time of the year, please have them ready to use when you approach the check-out. After we have totaled your purchase and ran your card or took your money, we cannot magically go back and credit your purchase with a coupon you just remembered you had. Store clerks will go back and do this, but basically you have to return your stuff and repeat the whole process over, which creates the people behind you to start to fuss and this one makes you look clueless.

2) To All the Guys Out There--If you do not know what to get your wife/girlfriend/boyfriend/daughter/etc. please do not come in there and ask the store clerks what to get them. We are not your personal shopper. Once again, busiest time of the year and you are asking us to basically make a decision for you because you have no idea what to get them. Seriously, come in with some ideas and we can go from there. And, if we make a suggestion, don't immediately knock them down cause obviously you have no idea what to get them. Oh, and if you really need help, please do not wait between the time frame of 1-3 days before Christmas because everyone is super, super busy then.

3) Lines-- We all hate them. I promise you the store clerks are trying their hardest. Some may be slower than others, and I apologize for that. But, at this time of year, please realize there is a possibility you will be standing in a line so get over it.

4) Talkers-- I love you are out shopping in our store, and I am sorry for anything horrible that has happened to you over the past year. However, please do not tell me your life story. I have no idea what to say, and when you tell a complete stranger who is checking you out, I kinda feel less empathetic... cold heart, huh? And, if you tell me you are going to the hospital after this and you thought you should get in here because they are having a sale and they probably will put you in the hospital for a couple of days because of pneumonia, please do not even bother coming in.

5) Grumpy-- Holiday causes a lot of stress on everyone. I know clerks do not always necessarily do the right thing. We are probably going to make you mad once in awhile and we will probably mess up once in awhile. But, please let me shake your hand because I have never met anyone perfect before. I apologize for this one as well. We do make mistakes, I am only human. However, I promise to fix it as soon as I know the problem.

Ok, I think that is it for now. Please let me tell you there is a whole new blog to be written about store clerks and how they act and such so this problem is not only about customers. And, I really don't mind what I do and it is fun to help people and see them excited. But, people who do the above---you are the reason I am ready to go back to school! If you have ever had a problem, write it down, I want to hear!

Communication. Team work. Leadership.

Those words seem to be the epitome of my college career. Whether it was through organizations, classes, or even social activities, I have learned what these mean, or did I? I proudly told the rest of the Sigma Sigma Lambda crew aka Student Success Leaders (SSL) to come up with other words or other things they could say besides team work and communication when we participated in the ropes course this past summer. I laughed; they laughed; especially when they were told not to use those words by BJ and Terry. lol

Maybe it is because I am getting older or maybe it is karma, but I am starting to believe communication and team work is not a means to an end. There is more to it than just those words. These two words contain more meaning than most probably do in fact. I am an agricultural communications major. I am scared to admit this, but we are often told 'you are a communications major, and you don't know how to communicate.' Hmmm.... Or, the statement that really hit me like a brick--Question: 'what can we do to make this better?'---Answer: 'Communicate.' OK, it was basically something like that lol. All I could think about was, 'what?!?' All of a sudden there seemed to be much more to it than just a simple word. Communications is about sending and receiving messages. In my opinion, more than just talking and more than just listening. Communication is about trust, respect, honesty, etc. However, these words do not seem to come up much.

Leadership. I could devote a whole blog to this topic. It is also my minor! I find it very interesting, and I enjoy learning more about the topic. However, once again this semester I have been challenged with what I thought leadership was. Here is my answer. Leadership should not be defined as someone who is extroverted and is seen as the 'leader'. Leaders come in all varieties! Some may be introverted. Sometimes those are the best leaders. Also, with successful leadership comes active followers. It is not realistic to expect everyone to be 'leaders' as that does not work. I use quotes around 'leader' because this is the way I view other people's opinions on what a 'leader' should be. They should be the most outgoing person, with the most outrageous ideas, making other people notice...Hmmm...yes, some people can and should lead like this, but it is not the only way. I also believe in situational leadership. For example, I may not be very outspoken in a class, but that does not make me any less of a leader. Because for example, I am very outspoken in others. And, when you force others to be outspoken, it isn't authentic...that defeats everything in my opinion. So then what did we accomplish? Something to ponder.

Thank you, Dad.

The older I get, the more I realize how much my parents are actually pretty smart. Here is one example. My dad has been in education for as long as I can remember. He has a passion for students and helping them to learn and believe they too can do things with their life. He was always very involved with Student Council. I had the privilege of serving on Student Council all 4 years of high school. My senior year, however, something happened that I didn't realize was so cool until probably just a few days ago.

The National Guard wanted to create opportunities to recruit at different schools. They were asking what they could do to get involved. At this same time, our basketball coach was taking a group of kids to the National Summer Special Olympics games or something like that, but it was a big deal. This coach was their head coach and he knew it was going to cost money. Student Council was determined to find a way to help them out. When the National Guard arrived, we quickly thought of something and acted. What better way to support a basketball team than by playing basketball! We arranged a group of students and faculty and they played against the National Guard. Tickets were sold and we held a raffle for a TV.

Oilton is a small town. Yes, small towns do come together and support goals such as this, but that night there were also little league games going on so several people couldn't attend. Everyone had a great time and we were able to present Coach Madison with a check for approximately $800. You might not think that is a lot, but I still think that was pretty good for us!

You see my dad allowed us to dream as big as we want. He allowed us to do what we want. He let us have input. But, he helped, guided, and encouraged us along the way. Why did I just realize how great of a teacher my dad was until a couple of days ago? With the way some things are going, I feel like I had more of a chance in high school to be responsible, to be trusted, and to dream. It doesn't always go like that, but right now I am just trying to jump some of those hurdles. Thank you, Dad for believing and trusting in me and the rest of the Student Council for allowing us to do something we were passionate about.