Full Circle

(I posted this story onto the Pine Cove Summer staff blog, but thought it was a good story to post on here too.)

It allll comes full circle.  Most good stories do, and this is one of those.  Last week, I got the opportunity to go recruit at my alma mater–the University of Oklahoma.  The first thing I learned?  I love recruiting.  I love that I get to hear people’s stories and hearts.  I love that I get to challenge and encourage.  I love that I get to share the gospel.  I love to travel and see college campuses.  I love meeting and greeting and being busy.  I just really love all of it.   But as I stood in the student union at OU, I couldn’t help but remember.

I remembered when I was in college attending my usual Tuesday night ministry and this really cool video played.  The video was a bunch of college kids hanging out and doing fun and crazy things with kids.  I remember sitting in my chair thinking, That looks really fun!  I went to talk to these people, who were Pine Cove people recruiting college summer staffers at OU.  What’s Pine Cove?  Where is it, I wonder?  I’ve never heard of it.  Oh, there’s a Tyler, TX?  I approached the booth knowing absolutely nothing about Pine Cove because I had never heard of it before.  I met Dutch and Dodgeballa and impulsively signed up for an interview the next day.  That was in the fall of 2005.

As I stood in the student union last week on the “other side,” what struck me was how at the time, 7 years ago, I had absolutely no idea how huge that “impulsive decision” would be for my life.  Little did I know that I would get hired at Pine Cove and spend the next four summers having the time of my life.  Little did I know that this would be the place where I would gain my Biblical foundation and solidify my identity in Christ.  Little did I know that my life would be absolutely transformed through Pine Cove and that it would affect everything for the rest of my life.  And what I didn’t know then is that I would learn how to truly serve because He first served us.  And that nothing matters outside of the Gospel.  And little did I know, that I would take my first full-time job at this ministry that has meant so much to me.
As I look back and reflect on “college Jenny” and how she just applied on a whim, I am so thankful for the Lord’s leading in my life.  He knew.  One of my favorite verses is John 13:7, which says:

Jesus replied, ‘You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.’

I love this verse because it is so applicable to every calling that the Lord places in our lives.  A lot of times, we don’t get it.  We don’t understand the pain, or the fear, or the unknowns of something.  But He tells us, “later you will understand.”  I wasn’t aware at the time that I was choosing to walk through a door that would impact the rest of my life, who I am, and who I am yet to be.  But God did.  He knew.  And I am thankful.  So, last week I stood in the student union with my flashbacks and was thankful.  Then I interviewed lots of Sooners and smiled realizing that they too, could be standing before a door that would profoundly impact the rest of their life.

10 Things I learned as a Reggie

Today my 2.5 year stint as a registrar comes to a close. After I graduated college, I applied for several jobs that had nothing to do with each other. I had made the decision early on that any whim I got, I would take a step forward of some sort. So I did. I sent the email. I filled out the application. I did the interview. And all the while, I knew that the first offer I got, I would take it. And let me just say that the offer I got wasn’t the internship in Maui or the teaching job in Dallas. It was to work full-time at Pine Cove as a registrar! I didn’t even know such a position existed until I was applying for it.

When the call came, I knew instantly that that would be the next chapter of my life. I was a bit weary in taking the “desk job,” in the fact that I wasn’t sure that I could sit down for that many hours in a day?! But little did I know that this desk job would be the absolute perfect fit for this season of life. It’s so easy to look back and see God’s hand in it. He knew that if I was going to have a “desk job” then it would be one in “the party department.” And He knew that I would learn so much in this position, even if I resisted sometimes. And He knew that I would get to work with all girls, that while very different from me, became some of my closest friends. I have LOVED my time in this chapter and certainly some tears have (and I’m sure will be again) shed over the close of this season.

It’s been interesting to look back on this time and recall all the parties, the laughs, the mistakes, the successes, and everything in between. And all the times that I just simply had to take a lap outside or play with a ball because I couldn’t sit still any more. And the times when I was uncharacteristically focused and task-driven. With this said, here is a list of the top 10 things I learned as a Reggie…

10. People can tell when you’re smiling over the phone.

9. My personality tricked my own personality into being efficient and on top of things. For my entire life I have exceeded in procrastination. Coming into a real, non-college job, I quickly realized the importance of not procrastinating because I knew that a lot of people were counting on me. My personality tricked me in that I knew I had to do things right away because I knew that if I didn’t I would completely forget about them, thus, neglecting my job. In an unprecedented turn of events, I became shockingly on top of things. This trick also worked in the area of efficiency. Since my brain will wander at the slightest distraction, I never wanted to stay on one task for too long, for fear that the monotony would just be too much. As a result, my brain would naturally come up with the most time-efficient way to do things so that I could bounce around from task to task. Hahaha this has been the funniest lesson to me! But also so valuable.

8. Balloons and streamers make any job better, more fun, and more welcoming.

7. I have learned to appreciate routine. Shock of all shocks! And I have learned that you can still be spontaneous in the midst of routine—you just may have to get a little creative.

6. The average person found in the human race does not read. I didn’t say they can’t read, I am saying they choose NOT to read. Too many times to say, I had a phone conversation where I had to explain something that he/she simply did not read; but instead they freaked out, hurriedly dialed the phone, and impulsively called us (I always imagined this to look something like a Tasmanian devil scene). The conversations would end with said person saying, “Oh, I guess I just should have read that! Oops!” No matter how many times this exact scenario went down, I was surprised every time! (And for the record, I never minded that they called us, but I just always thought it was so funny/strange that they would call us before they would read what’s on their screen)

5. Orange means pink and green means blue.

4. I saw how every company has “behind the scenes” people. I guess I just never really put much thought into it because I have never had a “behind the scenes” role before. It was hard at first, to adjust to this, but it was a really cool season. It has been a season of learning the mindset of “the better I do my job, the better I equip the people on the front lines. And I want to equip them well.” Additionally, I saw all the other “behind the scenes” people like the accountants and marketing peeps, etc. You just don’t realize how much goes into making things happen until you’re on this side of things. It was such a cool picture of the body of Christ working together—everyone having different skills and different knowledge that are all different, but all equally important.

3. Bathroom stall prayers can make all the difference. The handicapped stall in the bathroom was often my prayer room. Hahaha and when I say this I mean that I would just go stand against the wall and pray for an attitude change, pray for patience, pray for focus, diligence, etc. And then there was the time that I went in there and told God that I was ready to take the role at the Woods. And that I didn’t know if staying in Tyler meant that I would be here for a while or still just temporary. Or if I would meet my husband in Tyler. Or if I would end up ever going to grad school. I told him that I didn’t know and I felt scared, but that I trusted him. And then I walked out of there and accepted the Woods position. Those prayers sometimes made all the difference in the world.

2. Credit cards. Every American Express card begins with 3, Visa with 4, Mastercard with 5, and Discover with 6.

1. The people you work with are your family. There have been so many times when I would come into work and just spill my guts to the handful of girls/women that I work with every day. When you work with all girls, something happens. You all become one team, which I think is normal in a lot of work situations, ya know, to be a team, but it’s deeper than that when it’s all girls. You truly learn to love each other like sisters. These women have impacted me in so many ways, talked through life decisions with me, and shared 1 million laughs. This is, undoubtedly, what I will miss the most.

Thanks for the memories.  :)  That's all folks!

Denver Adventures

This past weekend, Kyndell and I waved goodbye to the piney woods of East Texas and bounded for the Rocky Mountains in Denver! We went to visit one of our besties, Diana! The whole weekend was a total blast and full of fun adventures, LOTS of laughing, and an absurd amount of pillowtalk.

We started the trip off with the best nachos I’ve ever had at Diana’s favorite restaurant. We sat on a patio with, of course, a sweet view of the mountains. I loved that this view was consistent the whole trip—no matter where we were, you could always spot the mountains. And it was 75 and sunny the whole time. Best. The rest of that night, we just sat on Diana’s couch and chatted life until our eyes wouldn’t cooperate anymore.

The next day, we shopped with reckless abandon, as there is nowhere to shop in Tyler. Kyndell’s 5 dresses later, we finished our time in downtown Denver. I love the downtown area in this city because it’s big, but it’s not crowded. And it’s a bustling city, but it’s clean. It was awesome!

The next day, we went to the Palm Sunday service at D’s church and then went on a mountainous adventure at Echo Lake! This was my favorite part of the trip. On our way there, we stopped at an outdoor amphitheater, which happened to be…incredible. By night, it’s the host of many concerts, but by day, it’s everyone’s personal workout venue. The hike was so pretty and full of unforeseen obstacles! We slid and sunk in the snow on numerous occasions, and by sunk, I do mean up to my hip at one point!

After our adventure, we went to BeauJoes (Translation: best pizza place ever), which included yumyum pizza, drinks in mason jars, and a killer view of the mountains in an adorably quaint town.

The trip, all in all, was so fun and refreshing. And there were a few great takeaways from the trip, but one seems to stand out above the rest. And I don’t mean Kyndell’s 5 dresses (which by the way, are super gorg!)…

I AM TRYING OUT FOR THE AMAZING RACE.

Seriously.

Somewhere between the concert venue and arriving at the lake, I got a text telling me that The Amazing Race was holding a casting call in Tyler and that “I had to apply.” WHAT? In Tyler, TX?? APRIL FOOL’S? I freaked out and started going on and on about how this is a life dream, would be the greatest adventure, etc. Meanwhile, Kyndell listens to me drone on and then volunteers as tribute…wait, I mean my partner.

So, from there it was off! We agreed to be partners, which launched us into non-stop brainstorming about our video, what skills we need to learn, what they look for in competitors, and, of course, “training.” IE: yesterday on our way to dinner with friends, we had a contest in the car to see who could hold their breath the longest. Training is round-the-clock until we get a “no” or at least until it’s clear that we didn’t get a “yes.”

You don’t know if you don’t try, right? If I can win blackout Bingo, then I feel like I can win almost anything, right? Flawless logic.  At the very worst, we will have a killer awesome video from this stage in life and always laughingly look back and say, “remember that time we tried out for a reality show?” At the very best, we will go on the adventure of a lifetime. Stay tuned, I’ll post our video when it’s done!

HAHAHAppy Birthday!

This will always be the day that we all laughed too hard to finish singing “Happy Birthday” to our Debs.

We were having another party in our department—just another day in paradise, really. This day’s special occasion was Debbie’s birthday. Marguerite made a cake and painted Debbie’s face in icing. It was awesome. And hilarious. So our department is decorated, as it so often is, with the usual balloons and streamers.

It comes time to light the candles on the cake and sing “Happy Birthday.” We all start singing and we are all laughing from the start anticipating Debbie’s reaction to the “face cake.” By the time we get to the last round of happy birthdays, we all erupt into laughter leaving the end of the song with “Happy birthday dear Deeeee-ebs, Ha-hahahahaha.”

It was just one of those moments when you are delighted just to be alive. It sounds silly, but that moment really struck me. I was hit with how much I have loved my job for the past two years. And how I am thankful for the camaraderie of my team. So many decisions have been made after processing with this group of ladies. So many tears and laughs have been shared among all of us. I have received countless words of wisdom from Debs. I have also learned to be a multi-tasking extraordinaire…which says a lot since I was a procrastination extraordinaire all throughout college.

"Good humor and laughter are far too wonderful not to come straight from the heart of God."-Beth Moore

So Close, Yet So Far...

Yesterday will always be referred to as the day that I tried to go skiing with only 2 days’ notice. To set the scene: Sunday night I talked to my friend Kristin on the phone. We were just catching up and such when she mentioned that this weekend is when they are going skiing with her parents. The conversation goes as follows:
Kristin: Too bad Jordan has to work and you guys can’t come.

Jenny: Yeah, too bad he doesn’t even have to work this weekend anymore!

K: Well…so is there any way that you guys could come?!

J: ……………(long pause as I contemplate the many logistics that would play into this)

J: Well. Hmmm. Maybe?! Ok ok I will check into this!!

So the rest of Sunday night and then yesterday morning were a whirlwind of details and number crunches. How many miles is the trip? How many gallons to the tank and miles to the gallon? Ok, so then how much will gas be? And I have PB&J supplies already, so how much for groceries? Lift tickets are an outragesouly good deal at $50/day. Check. Lodging, also a good deal. Check. Good good. Ok, 32 hours in the car in 5 days. Wowzers. But doable. And worth it.

From logistics, it turned to responsibilities. How many vacation days do I have left? What all do I have going on at work in the next few days? How would I reschedule tutoring? Do I have any available time to reschedule that tutoring? I still have college group to think about too. Two people will be out of the office while I would be gone, making our team 3 people short—not preferable, but definitely doable. I just found out Saturday that I need new tires. Can I afford this trip? Yes, but I need tires. But yes. But I need tires. But I have to do this! IT’S BEEN 3 YEARS!

I went to breakfast with some of the girls from my college group. Over bagels, they told me that I HAD to go. Then my coworkers said, “Jenny, this is a must!” They were all confirming what I already knew. With that, I went into my boss’ office. All the numbers, dollar signs, and questions quickly vanished when she said, “Jenny, you can’t miss Monday.”

I FORGOT! I forgot that Monday is a big day in our department. Alas, I will not be going skiing this weekend. It was an exciting and crazy 24 hours of hopes and adrenaline. Even though a ski trip with only 48 hours’ notice would have been epic and an event to remember, I will not be going skiing. This time. But I feel good about it because I exhausted all the possibilities. It just wasn’t meant to be.

Getting the occasional “no” is all part of living an adventurous life. Until next time…

2012

So for 2011 I tried something new.  I made a list of 100 things to do in 2011.  I am not much of a list maker, which, incidentally, was proven true when I never actually finished making the list...It only had 96 things on it.  Of those 96 items, I completed 44...which isn't too shabby for this non-list maker.  These things ranged from visiting my sister in Boston to driving a tractor... from learning to tie a tie to performing a choreographed dance in front of 1,400 people...and from putting together a 1,000 piece puzzle to finding that oh-so-necessary recipe to call my own.  I am glad I did the list. But.  As it turns out, 100 things was a tad ambitious.

Now, what to do for 2012? I'm not one for resolutions because as exhibited with the 2011 list, among other things, I struggle from time-to-time...cough cough...with follow through.  Year after year, I have vowed to be on time, to quit double-booking, and to work out more (sidenote: I did actually purchase a gym membership today...but it was less of a New Year's resolution and more of a giving over to fear of all the wild country dogs near my house).  We have all made those resolutions that die out somewhere between "this is a great idea!" and January 31st.

With this said, here are my hopes for 2012.  Maybe goals is the right word?  Meh, I dunno.  We'll find out.

I hope 2012 is a year filled with adventure and risk-taking.  It already appears that this year will be one for taking risks and embracing the unknown. I have a sneaking suspicion that this year will be one where I really start to look at what direction I want my life to take.  Eek, that sounded too big kiddish.

Moving on...

I hope 2012 is a year for developing my strengths.  The past 2 years have really been about developing my weaknesses.  Don't get me wrong, I am so thankful for how much I have grown and what I have learned, and overall becoming more well-rounded...but let's face it, developing your strengths is way more fun!

In 2012, I hope to read and write more.  This one partners with the previous one.  I was an English major, after all.

In 2012, I hope to manage my time better.  This past fall was absolutely out of control.  I had way too many committments and nearly every hour was blocked out with something and every weekend was a trip or a schedule.  While I loved everything I was a part of and got to do, I recognize that I was stretched too thin and wasn't doing any of it with excellence.  This is the story of my life--saying yes to everything--and always hoping to do it all. FOMO* at its finest.  I am going to trim back some stuff for this year and try to put more focus and heart into each thing.

Lastly, I hope 2012 is filled with lots of fun, new experiences, Neon Dynamite softball, laughing, road trips, Bingo, and a Sooner championship team. =) Stay tuned...

"There are years that ask questions and years that answer."-Zora Neale Hurston

*Fear Of Missing Out

Thankful for: my family

My sister.
This girl will make you laugh so much! Jill is sarcastic beyond words. But what you may not know at first glance is that under all the sarcasm she has a heart of gold, which is so sensitive to others. She is so loyal and will have your back for life. No matter what. We are only 16 months apart, so we are close in every way possible. I also don’t hate it that we can share clothes…although that doesn’t do us much good now that she lives in Boston.

My brother.
I know I said my sister can make me laugh, but my brother is by far the wittiest and funniest person I’ve ever known in real life! Justin is the owner of 3 record stores, Guestroom Records, and has a very creative and innovative mind. He is very caring and takes care of the people around him, especially his wife. He surprise visited me in Tyler and drove down just to take me to lunch one day last spring. I know that I could count on him for anything.

My sister-in-law.
I am so happy for the older sister I got in who my brother married! Julie is so sweet and caring. She may be quieter than the rest of us, but that doesn’t mean she can’t laugh and joke with the best of us! She has been such a great addition to our family and it was so natural for her to become a Sowers (and it didn’t hurt that she has a “J” name!).

My mom.
My mom is one of the most loving people I’ve ever known. She will love anyone’s socks off, but also isn’t afraid to shoot you straight. She is definitely a servant and loves to take care of people. What I have come to appreciate as I’ve gotten older is how she loves people by taking care of the details. I am lacking in this area, so I extra love this about her! My mom ALWAYS encourages me to go on adventures and I love that.  I am also so thankful for her accounting/financial help in my life…gotta love that accounting brain of hers!

My dad.
In a lot of ways, I am my father’s daughter. Most of my obvious traits, I get from him. My love for people most definitely comes from him, and this, of course, is something that I love about him! He will talk to absolutely anyone around him and has a way of putting others at ease and making them feel loved and welcomed. My dad pays attention to the details of my personality and always lets me know that he loves me and is proud of me. I feel so supported by him. And where would I be if my dad hadn't always told me these two things: "Jen, pay attention to what's going on around you" and "Don't forget to leave time to have some fun (not that I necessarily struggled with this, but great that Dad supports this)."