The lessons that come from a latte

Today is a good day.

I stopped at Starbucks on the way to work. I usually get a tall soy chai latte. So of course I ordered that this morning. I tend to get stuck in a rut at Starbucks... I'll get the exact same thing every single time until I'm absolutely sick of it. Maybe that's because I don't want to pay $3.50 for a drink I'm not sure I'll like or not. But today... ohhh today... I accidentally grabbed the wrong drink and didn't realize it til I was on my way out of the parking lot... and running late for work. This drink was a tall soy latte. Coffee. Wait, I'm drinking coffee? Yes, and I'm enjoying this tall soy latte a lot. So maybe I'm stepping out of a soy chai rut. Probably not, I really enjoy that drink.

I feel like I've been thinking about stepping out of a rut a lot lately. I don't want to be a person who just lives life without truly living. I want to believe in what God is doing in my life and let my actions reflect that. I don't want to just accept things as they are... I want to think about them, talk about them, reflect on them, pray about them, chew on them...

My life has potential to be the "same old thing" every day. I could wake up... hit my alarm 3 times (I really hate the song on my alarm)... get ready... spend the day talking to a baby who's vocabulary consists of "da" and "mmmmm"... go home... watch Wheel of Fortune... stalk friends on facebook... head to bed. No, thank you. So, instead of settling for what could be, I make a point of doing new things. I've challenged myself to be spontaneous, to go out and try new things, but more importantly to really think about why I do what I do or believe what I believe.

I'm 22... one day life is going to settle down (maybe?) and I'll settle down (a little, I guess). As for right now, I'm exploring... where I'm at, what I'm doing, who I am. I may not find the answers that I'm expecting or looking for and that's just fine... I don't want to just sit back and wait for things to happen. But then sometimes I'm surprised with a new thing like a mistaken drink in the craziness of the morning.

And of course... I'm up for enjoying soy lattes anytime if you want to grab some coffee.

30 by 30

I was encouraged to make a list of 30 things I want to do by the time I turn 30. Luckily I still have 7 1/2 years to do them. Here you go...

• Get my teaching license
• Travel around Europe and South/Central America
  
• Knock on the door of the house I grew up in and ask to look around
• Build something out of wood
• Fall in love
• Plant tulips
• Get married
• Move to another state (California?)
• Visit Napa Valley
• Hike Longs Peak
• Take a cooking class
• Learn to truly hear the voice of God
• Sponsor two kids through Compassion International
• Visit Afghanistan with my church
• Have a baby
• Learn to like coffee and own an espresso machine
• Read the entire Bible
• Visit Mission Beach with Summer Project friends
• Visit the places where my grandparents grew up
• Have at least one good conversation with my brother & sister in law each month
• Throw my parents a surprise party (not such a surprise anymore...)
• Get a dog
• Go to at least one concert per year
• Write a song
• Own a Kitchen Aid mixer
• Fall more in love with the Lord
• Cut down my own Christmas tree and have Christmas parties
• Teach
• Tell the man that I love "I love you" at least once a day
  

This is fun: The 'name game'

1.YOUR REAL NAME
Annette Joy Versluys

2.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME:(mother and fathers middle names)
Louise James

3.NASCAR NAME:(first name of your mother's dad, father's dad)
Henry James

4.STAR WARS NAME:(the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name)
Veran

5.DETECTIVE NAME:(favorite color, favorite animal)
Green Giraffe

6.SOAP OPERA NAME:(middle name, town where you were born)
Joy Louisville

7.SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd fav color, fav drink, add "THE" to the beginning)
The Orange Izzy

8.FLY NAME:(first 2 letters of 1st name, last 2 letters of your last name)
Anys

9.ROCK STAR NAME:(current pets name, current street name)
Anna Muirfield

10. PORN NAME: (1st pet, street you grew up on)
Nibbles Dahlia (ha.)

11.YOUR GANGSTA NAME:(first 3 letters of real name plus izzle)
Annizzle

12.YOUR IRAQI.. NAME:(2nd letter of your first name, 3rd letter of your last name, first two letters of your middle name, last two letters of your first name then last three letters of your last name)
Nrjoteuys (ha.)

13.YOUR GOTH NAME:(black, and the name of one of your pets)
Black Oliver

14. STRIPPER NAME: (name of your fav perfume/cologne, fav candy
American Chocolate

I guess you could say that I've kept my New Year's Resolution...

I'm not a huge fan of people who brag about how on top of things they are, so I'm not trying to do that at all. I've just recognized some changes in my lifestyle and I'm really enjoying it.

I go to the gym. I know you're supposed to go to the gym a lot. I don't. But because I pay for it, I feel more obligated to go. I don't even think I really know what I'm doing... all I know is that I should get my heart rate higher for 30 minutes. And I do some abs on the exercise ball. Sometimes I'll use weights to work on my arms or legs. Oh, and I watched a video online about how to use a rowing machine... so I guess that means I know how to use it. Ha.

I have a reusable grocery bag that I'll use if I remember. Save the pandas. I guess that has absolutely nothing to do with how I feel... maybe it makes me happy, I don't know.

I like to eat healthy foods. In fact, when I eat junk, I feel like junk (funny how that happens -- you are what you eat, I guess). I think what's keeping me healthier is that I love fresh fruits and vegetables... I've discovered an awesome little market in Boulder called Sunflower Market. Their ploy to get you into their store is by selling cheap produce, meats, and bulk foods. Last week I enjoyed french vanilla granola, walnuts, pecans, and raspberry yogurt a few times for breakfast. Mmmm!

I like to drink soy chai lattes right now. I'm sure I'll get sick of them soon and find another drink. Vanilla soy milk and Oregon chai = great! Sometimes I think about how they get soy milk... do they milk a bean? I don't know, I just buy a carton. It works for me.

Cutting my hair off helped with the lifestyle change, too! To me, it's fun.

It's 70 degrees outside today... so instead of sitting inside, I'm going to get out there. Enjoy your day!

January is... gone?

This weekend was great.

God was glorified through John's death. A community came together... it's unlike anything I've seen out here in our small town. This afternoon after church I drove by the site where John passed away. Traffic going by was stop-and-go because so many people were on the side of the road paying their respects. Police and firemen were there to direct traffic and make sure everything ran smoothly. Tons of people had left flowers and balloons. The neatest thing was that someone had locked a bike with grocery bags on the handle bars to a tree... the entire bike was painted white...


I'm thankful that John didn't go unnoticed. In fact, as far as I know, nobody in our community has been this well noticed or recognized. But John didn't care about recognition. He just wanted to be everybody's friend. Our pastor Jim said that most of the time, John was asking how he could help. People love this man, and it's so neat to see everyone honoring him.

On a lighter note...

*Bjorn and I got to hang out Friday night.
*I chopped my hair off... I was getting sick of pony tails (because that's the only thing I had the patience to do)... I'll post pictures soon!
*After church on Saturday night, my buddy Kevin and I went to Denver to enjoy beers and burgers at the Cherry Cricket... so good! We had a great time! And we laughed a lot... Always a good thing!
*I went to church again this morning (yep... same church... same sermon... same worship) with some Bible Study friends. It was fun to see them outside of Tuesday nights!
*My parents had some friends over for the Super Bowl... My mom made our Dutch tradition... Oliebollen. Dutch donuts.
*I realized tonight how much I really do enjoy football. That was a great game! I was hoping that the Cardinals would win, but they played really well. I guess you can't win everything, right?

Hey, have a wonderful week! Maybe this week we can all focus on living a little like John Breaux... sacrificially and with a smile!