Lessons Learned After College - #2

Lesson #2: Relationships are an Investment
More and more, I'm realizing that relationships are in investment. Whether it's a friendship, family relationship, or a marriage, your return is based on what you pour into them. In my business classes in college, one of my favorite things to study and learn about was compound interest. It was so inspiring to know the importance and benefits of investing early on in life. If you're unfamiliar with compound interest, I've included a chart below to help you visualize it.
 

smartconsumergroup.com


You can see from this chart that when Saver B starts investing earlier on in life, the time value of his money allows for much greater gaining potential. So much greater, in fact, that even though Saver A invested 5 times the amount of Saver B, Saver B gained more than $400k more than Saver A by the time they reached their retirement age. Crazy, huh?!

The reason why I illustrate this is that if we invest in our relationships early on and continue to do it frequently as time progresses, in the end it will produce a greater return (a more meaningful relationship). If instead, we just wait until a crisis threatens to tear the relationship apart or until we realize that we've missed out on many important opportunities, investing in the relationship will not have as great of an impact unless we have already laid a firm foundation of respect, trust, and love.

Tomorrow's Lesson: Financial Peace = Peace

Lessons Learned After College - #1

Reflecting on my life experiences over the last few years

For each remaining day of 2011, I've decided to post one lesson that I've learned since graduating from college. Through this process of thinking back on lessons learned, I have realized the importance of reminiscing and learning from the past. I hope that as you read these "lessons," you will think back on your own life to consider what has brought you to where you are today.

Lesson #1: Grades DON'T Matter!
If there's anyone who will not believe what's written in this post, it's my sister, Anne! As many of you probably know, she just finished her first semester of college and grades mean EVERYTHING to her right now! (Honestly, for that I'm thankful because I know there could be far worse things for her to be concerned about!) It wasn't long ago when I, too, thought that grades were all that mattered. My world was consumed with studying for upcoming exams and wondering how I was ever going to survive if I didn't get an A. Fortunately, my eyes have been opened since then! I learned that it was OK if I didn't get an A. In fact, I probably learned more in classes where I got a B than in the ones I got an A in.

Several weeks ago, as Luke and I were reflecting back on our college days, we began talking about the differences between good test takers and bad test takers. Luke was a good test taker, and I was not. The fact of the matter is, those who are good test takers do well in college. Those who are not, do not do well. Unfortunately, a very large percentage of grades are based on exams and not on projects and papers. As we were talking about this, Luke kindly reminded me of the fact that in "real life," exams don't matter. English skills, working with people, and projects are the things that matter in the workplace.

To help illustrate this, I searched for the top skills employers seek when searching for employees. Here's what I found:

• Communication Skills (listening, written)
• Analytical/Research Skills
• Computer/Technical Literacy
• Flexibility/Adaptability/Managing Multiple Priorities
• Interpersonal Abilities
• Leadership/Management Skills
• Multicultural Sensitivity/Awareness
• Planning/Organizing
• Problems-Solving/Reasoning/Creativity
• Teamwork

Did you notice that grades and test scores were NOT mentioned?! Not surprising, but it definitely would have been hard to convince me of that in college!

Here is an interesting video to watch about how fast things are changing: 

Interesting Facts:

• The Top 10 jobs in 2010 did not exist in 2004.
• We are currently preparing students for jobs that don't yet exist using technologies that haven't been invented in order to solve problems we don't even know are problems yet. (How is that for a mouthful?!)
• The amount of technical information is doubling every 2 years. For students starting a 4-year technical degree, this means that half of what they learn in their first year of study will be outdated by their third year of study.

Thank goodness grades don't matter!

...Check back tomorrow for Lesson #2: Relationships are an Investment!

Weekend Getaways

Luke and I have had a string of three wonderful weekends. November 17-20th, we were in Atlanta for the National Youth Workers Convention. We went to a lot of conference sessions and were able to take back many new "tools" for our youth ministry toolbox. They even offered a couple of sessions on marriage and ministry, so we gained a lot of wisdom from a youth pastor and wife (Doug & Cathy Fields) who have been doing this many more years than we have! In addition to the conference, we got to stay in a great hotel downtown, and I didn't have to cook once! :)

Last weekend, we both had Thursday and Friday off for Thanksgiving, so we got to spend a lot of time with family. Just another reminder of how incredibly blessed we are to have such wholesome families.

Then this weekend, we decided to use some of my free hotel points that I've racked up from work travel to have a weekend getaway in Indy. Sometimes it's just nice to get away and forget about the to-do lists at home. Since Thursday was my birthday, Luke had planned to surprise me with a nice dinner in Indy on Friday, but he wouldn't tell me where. My initial guess ended up being correct...The Cheesecake Factory! We thoroughly enjoyed the meal and ended up packing up our unfinished meals to go since they give you so much food. And just for fun, we added in two pieces of cheesecake! After all, who goes to the Cheesecake Factory without getting cheesecake?! Since we were celebrating my birthday, Luke let me decide what we did for the rest of the night, so we stopped in at Home Goods before heading back to the hotel.

Our hotel turned out to be AWESOME! I wish you could have seen the look on Luke's face when we opened the door to our hotel room. I've stayed in a lot of hotel rooms with work, but this was by far, the coolest room I've stayed in--and it was FREE! It was a corner king suite and the ceilings were 12-15 ft. high with floor-to-ceiling windows  on both sides of the room. The pictures below don't do the room justice. It was so nice to relax.

Then today, we met up with a college friend, Cara Thomas, who lives in Franklin. We met her and her fiance, James, for lunch at Cracker Barrel. Cara has had a rough year, and we don't get to see her nearly as much as I'd like to, so it was refreshing to catch up. When Cara was about 10 years old, she had leukemia. For over ten years, she was in remission.  However, within the last five years, Cara has had both of her hips replaced, and then about a year ago, she found out that her cancer had returned to her thyroid. She is such a sweet person, and it's hard for me to believe that she has been through so much in her life. She is having a second operation on December 20th to remove a tumor on her thyroid. This is a very risky surgery since it's located near nerves. The surgery could damage her laryngeal nerves and her ability to speak/breathe, so we are hopeful and praying that God will do a mighty miracle as the surgeon operates on the 20th. The weird part is that she feels great and doesn't have any visual signs that this is going on inside of her. Please join us in praying for Cara! If you would like to follow her progress, you can visit her blog: www.caringbridge.org/visit/carathomas/.

You're Gonna Miss This

In our busy culture, sometimes I find it hard to savor the moment—to relish in the time I have now. I remember taking a StrengthsQuest assessment in college, where I learned that one of my top five strengths is Futuristic. I always am thinking about what’s next in life—dreaming and making goals of how to achieve those things. However, sometimes my view of the future becomes more important to me than what is actually happening now. A couple  nights ago, as Luke and I were sitting on the couch with the TV off, just talking, I was thinking to myself—wow, these moments together are sacred. Fast forward several years, and we will have kids to take care of, more errands to run, and more responsibility. Right now, our biggest priorities are doing well at work, making time for each other, and saving to buy a house. In the big scheme of things, most parents would say life is pretty “easy” for us right now. For the most part, we can do what we want when we want. The hopes and dreams of the future will always be there, but I don’t want to miss “this”. I don’t want to wish away these quiet moments that I have now. I am so thankful for this life that God has called me to live, so I’m going to work harder to enjoy and savor today. These are good times!

I don’t know if you have ever heard the song “You’re Gonna Miss This” by Trace Adkins or not, but I find myself tearing up every time I hear it. It really makes me rethink my priorities.  Listen to it, and see if it does the same for you:  "You're Gonna Miss This"

Baked Potato Soup Recipe

My favorite type of soup has always been potato soup, but this baked potato soup recipe tops off my list as my all-time-favorite potato soup! This is a recipe that my mom found several years ago from a magazine, and we've been enjoying it ever since.

Ingredients:
2/3 C. Butter
2/3 C. Flour
7 C. Milk
4 large Baking Potatoes (baked, cooled, peeled & cubed)
4 Green Onions, sliced
12 Bacon Strips, cooked & crumbled (I use packaged bacon pieces instead of frying it myself.)
1-1/4 C. Shredded Cheese
3/4 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Pepper

In a large pot, melt butter and stir in the flour. Turn heat down after the butter is melted. Stir until creamy. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly until thickened (no lumps).

Add potatoes and onions. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Fry bacon, and then add remaining ingredients. Top each bowl with shredded cheese and bacon.

Bon appetit!

Prep Time: 1-1/2 hours
Serves: 8-10

The Changes of Fall

Well, my fall travel season at work is ALMOST done! I survived my two weeks in Illinois and Wisconsin and am now just wrapping up some local travel. Things are good. To top it off, Luke and I didn't have a lot planned this past weekend, so I was able to get a lot of things done around the house, which I've neglected from being gone so much the past couple of months. Now, our house is clean and our refrigerator is fully stocked again! Time away always makes me appreciate being home and realize how blessed I am to have Luke in my life! I missed that man!

I came home to a beautiful surprise in our yard...our tree! While I was away, its leaves transformed into a beautiful, vibrant orange! My brother, Andrew, even said that he thought it was the prettiest tree in town. Check it out--

We have really been encouraged with youth group this fall. There are so many students who are seeking to grow closer with Christ. It's awesome! Even though we're the leaders, it's amazing how the students are the ones who actually spur us on in our faith. I'm constantly amazed at how God works. In a corrupt world like ours, with the economy suffering in so many ways, it is encouraging to me to know that God is still rising up a new generation of believers!

A Cozy Cup

If there's anything Luke has learned in our marriage so far, it is that I LOVE to be cozy! In fact, it is a word that I probably use a little too frequently. However, fall always seems to bring it out even more in me. Summer is definitely my favorite season, but once I am finally able to get over the fact that the cooler weather is here to stay, I am able to really enjoy the comfort of fall. I love the smell of pumpkin spice candles and burning leaves, the taste of pumpkin pie and the mixture of candy corn & peanuts, the sound of leaves crackling under my feet and Sunday afternoon football, and, yes, the taste of a warm drink or soup!

Unfortunately, this time of year is also one of the busiest times of year for us. For the most part, busyness, does not equal cozy for me. Youth group started back up for Luke on the 18th, and I started my work travel season the day after. Youth group started out with a bang this year, as we had about 140 middle & high school students show up that first night of youth group. Many of them had never come before. The best part is, most of them came back the second week! We've been really encouraged so far.

I always love the start of my work travel season because it's a change a pace from being in the office all of the time, but by the end of it, I am usually burnt out and ready to be back in the office--funny how that works! What I love most about travel season aside from meeting some great students at high schools and college fairs, is being on my own, discovering new places, and having time to shop in some great places like Chicago! I always love an excuse to window shop at Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, IKEA, and TJ Maxx Home Goods! During the next two weeks, I will be in the Chicago area Monday-Thursday. After that, my travel season will almost be complete!

To complete this "cozy" blog post, I thought I would end with a warm drink recipe since I enjoyed my first cup of the year tonight:

Warm Cranberry Wassail
Recipe from Aunt Aimee Fry
Makes about 14 cups

1 (5.65 oz) container Aspen Mulling Spices (can purchase at Hallmark, Rustic Hutch, Das Essenhaus, etc.)
1 (64 oz) Apple Juice (100%)
1 (64 oz) Cranberry Juice (I used Oceanspray Cranberry Juice Cocktail.)

Combine all ingredients in a large sauce pan. Heat to boiling. Simmer 10 minutes.
Optional Garnish: Orange slices & whole cloves