Lightening my load...plus extra random tid bits on my mind

Sometimes I find myself creating a really long, random Facebook status/post about five different things. Sometimes I actually do think before I post and delete, telling myself: A) that was going to be way too long & B) who cares?

Sometimes I want to post like five different things back to back. I guess that's what Twitter is for. But I just cannot manage the 140 or less character limit. Nor can I stand checking Twitter. And I don't know who I actually know that's on Twitter that isn't my Facebook friend. Facebook's way easier. I really don't even know why I have an Instagram. (Oh wait, yes I do) - because everyone I know posts their IG pics on IG & on Facebook. And then there's those 2 friends who are on IG but not on Facebook (hey Ashley & Julie!)

Anyways. I'll resort to vomiting my random thoughts/feelings on HERE instead of on Facebook. That way, only those who stumble upon my blog will read it...and if you're this far into the post & still reading, it's because you want to. I may or may not post a link on my FB wall to check this post out *if you want*.. get it? That way you can only say you know because you went that extra click to see what I had to say. Because you care. Or because you're super nosey, but whatever.

I can really get off topic. What I was GOING to say was... (a few different things I feel like bullet-listing today)...

• I am so thankful for a day off work. I put my notice in a week ago and it felt SO good. Only ONE more day of evals & 4 more workdays! Thanks be to God! I had a nightmare last night about doing evals...and how my 1 eval turned into 1 with their 3 kids (making it 4 evals) and I had an allergic reaction and my mouth and tongue swole up and I could hardly breathe. And I was told to figure out how to get them all done anyways. Even knowing I'm on my way out and I'm still having work-related nightmares. This is not okay. 
• On that note, I am so excited to start something completely new and challenging. A healthy kind of challenging. I am so eager to learn and get my feet wet. I am so excited that I get to begin my school counseling career at a high school. While I would have taken any job and made it work, high schoolers are my thing! Don't get me wrong- I loved doing therapy with my middle schoolers last year, but I kept finding myself thinking, "I'd love to talk to you in three to six years." :) 
• I am off work today (I think I said that already) but I am doing what I can to take some weight off my shoulders....and the rest of my body. I am letting this unhealthy breakfast settle (don't judge) and then I am getting my butt to to gym for workout #1 for the day. Then I plan on coming home, parking myself at the dining room table (where I feel I will be most productive) & getting as much wedding video editing done as possible today. I hope to reveal my 2nd video to you super soon! Here's mine/my first. :) THEN I will be attending my first ever yoga class this evening! More on that later...
• And I have to figure out how to drug myself & with what to get myself asleep at like 9pm tonight so I can get on my new crazy sleep schedule. I'll have to be at work at 7:15. While means I need to leave the house at 6:45. Which means I need to wake up at like...5:15 to be safe. Which means I need to go to bed at 6pm. (just kidding....but seriously, have to figure this thing out or I will die.)

So many thoughts...so little time! I hope you are having a wonderful day, whatever day you read this! Do something today to lighten your load...your physical or your mental load. Either way, weight's hard to carry. 

♥,

Nicole

Quick blog

I read this article tonight off of Yahoo's home page and this concept is just speaking to my heart. I know y'all know I love me some Facebook and I've recently said "see you later" to the social networking site.  Although I haven't REALLY missed it {enough to sign back in} YET, I do often times finding myself out of the loop or ... kind of bored.  This is RIDICULOUS as I've always said, "How could anyone ever be bored?" Bored's not the word. Lazy is the word. There's other things I could do with my time, but if I'm tired, I don't want to get up, or get stuff out, or .....yeah, just get up. And I find myself falling asleep if I watch a TV show without food or a computer in front of me. SO. Yeah, I don't know where I was going with that, but, that's that. That's where I am.

Lots on my mind, but my computer's about to die & I'm being too lazy to get my cord out & plugged up. :)

Side note: I wonder if people who have noticed I'm MIA on Facebook have thought to check out my blog? Hmm. I wonder. :) I'm still alive, folks!!

I can't do everything but I need to do more.

"You can't do everything." -My dad

My dad warned me of this when I was a teenager. When I was in middle school & high school, trying to run here & there, participate in this & that, make two parties in one night, you know, typical crazy  busy-people things. I don't know if it was age or exhaustion, but I finally realized that {bracing myself to say this} but... My. Dad. Was. Right.

After a long day of working, I would love love love to: eat dinner, spend time with my grandparents, watch some TV shows, do some laundry, do the dishes, blog, read for pleasure, do a nightly devotion.....oh, and see my boyfriend.  The bad thing is is that my nights usually look a little something like this: Work til 6:30-7:00ish, go to my grandparents to eat dinner (kill two birds with one stone), get home around 8ish, thank God my boyfriend doesn't mind traveling to BFE to come hang out with me, watch a couple shows with Mom & Alex, head to bed to play on my phone for a little while I "wind down" & hope to be asleep before 11:30. {It takes me forever to get to sleep.} Guess what didn't get done: everything else.

I don't know what's going on with me, but I am a super sleeper lately. I should say super napper instead of super sleeper because it takes me forever to get to sleep & it is an act of Congress to get me out of the bed in the mornings.  Alex  blames soft drinks, of course, but that's a risk I feel like I'm going to have to take right now. ;) BUT- this weekend, let me tell you, I have slept like a DOG! I have napped until I felt guilty. I have slept, slept, and slept some more. I chalked it up to saying on Twitter, "Saturdays are for being lazy," and "Sundays are for church and napping."

Now, one could argue that I can't get anything done if I nap, but I am being serious when I say that I have felt SUCH the need to sleep sleep and sleep some more lately. I don't know why! But, I know I've got a busy week ahead & I've got to be prepared, and hit the ground running! That is my plan, so, tonight I spend my Sunday evening catching up on paperwork from work, and feeling SUPER rested after a FOUR hour NAP after church this morning. SERIOUSLY. I have slept this weekend away!!

How does that tie in with the quote from my dad? I don't know. I think I'm procrastinating again but I DO think I had a point. And I think that point is: I can't do everything, but I need to find a way to do more.

So, the weekend's almost over. I must go back to work.
I need to figure out a better plan though because this not getting anything done crap is for the birds.
One thing I can say proudly is that FACEBOOK has not been the reason for me not getting things done.
I can proudly say that I have spent 6 whole days OFF of Facebook and I haven't really missed it have only missed it a little. :) Yay me!
I'll be honest: I am tweeting more but, I mean, come on! {I will work on it. I promise.}

Until then: holler at me on twitter: @nsykes0921 -- say hello! I would love to know who actually reads these durn things. :)

Where I've been, and where I haven't...

Life has officially taken over. As I began my transition to full-time outpatient therapist and clinical evaluator, I found my time consumed with work, playing catch-up, and making sure I am set to begin this career. I've been doing research, getting organized, and taking my time to make sure I am getting done all that I am required to do for this new position.  I am so thankful the time has actually come for me to be able to do what I went to school to do, what I believe I was Called to do. The only thing is: I am a TOTAL newbie. I have little experience. I am so so new to this. The to-do list for an outpatient therapist in a non-private-practice mental health facility is ever-growing. I not only have to figure out what I was originally supposed to do, and how to do it correctly the first time, but I am having to figure out what all this & that paperwork is and when it's required, etc. for all the new responsibilities of us therapists! It's a lot to take in, but I am trying! I am grateful for my job, and the experience, and the supportive co-workers I have, and the supervision that is provided free of charge! {Supervision can get EXPENSIVE!} And y'all know I'm grateful for that pay raise. CFNC is knocking at my door & it's about time I let them in so we can hang out for the next 100 years. {Grr!} Luckily Dave Ramsey Alex is on top of my finances & is getting me on track to succeed! I am so thankful for him, and for his love for organized & successful finances! Even if it does mean that I have zero privacy when it comes to money.

So, between that & my mission to simply my life, that's where I've been.

Speaking of...I'm doing a couple extra things to get my life on the right track!

I am officially o-f-f of Facebook! Can you BELIEVE it?!?! I don't know how long it'll last, but right now, I'm not missing it. A friend of mine sat at the restaurant for three hours had lunch and I became convinced that I should get off Facebook think about getting off Facebook. I have a million reasons why, and maybe one day I'll share those, but...

I became 100% convinced that I should get off of Facebook during our first night meeting for our Made to Crave small group. More on that later, BUT, I basically realized Facebook is something I crave, just as much as I crave FOOD!! Stupid crazy, so something had to give. I am on Day 2 without Facebook and honestly, I haven't even missed it......yet.

Now I swear if I found a good makeup train case my life would be a lot less cluttered!! :) I'm working on that.

Total rambling on my part....rambling with a purpose

I love how the Lord moves in you when you least expect it.

I know how people say God gives you a peace beyond understanding, but for this season in my life, I am praying for energy & motivation  beyond understanding! The Lord needs not only to move in me, but move ME! Set my heart on fire for what HE desires in my life & help me move towards that goal. I'm telling you now, it won't happen otherwise. I am human. I am lazy. I lack(ed) motivation. I procrastinate. I at times wish to take the easy route. So God, I know you're listening: Get. Me. Going!

I am excited about starting anew. Starting a new day, a new week, a new semester, a new internship, new friendships, and my new business in Mary Kay! The desire of my heart is to make things different, BE BETTER in all that I do. Put forth more of myself & make more of an effort.

I realized (one of) my problem(s). I have a lot I want to do, and get overwhelmed with that to-do I-want list, that I just say, "I'll get to it." And then by the end of the day, I'm tired, and that "I'll get to it" turns into "I'll get to that tomorrow." And then tomorrow it was, "What was I gonna do again?" & while I think about it, I get on Facebook! Oh, the life...

So tonight I began my list of everything I want to accomplish in a day. That way, I can attempt to hold myself accountable when I sit on Facebook. I can ask myself, "what else do I have to do before I can spend time on here?" Because Lord knows I will be on Facebook, getting sleepy, & then head to bed without getting what needs to be done done! There are silly things on this list, like "make the bed" but I am so Type-A. I need a list. I need to check things off the list. And if it's not on a list, it might not get done. What can I say? I am my father's daughter.

Tonight I was going through my Mary Kay order, sorting everything out & bagging everything into cute pink bags with ribbon, and I came across my new microdermabrasion set. {Please note that I also have ADD, so, I am easily distracted.} I thought, "Oh wow! I wanna try that tonight!" but I am so weird about applying skin care. I want it to be first thing in the morning or right before bed. So what did I need to do? Get in the shower & wash my face so I can use the microdermabrasion set. I always get so side-tracked with what I need to be doing {clean my kitchen!} & go off into LaLa land, doing what hit me that very moment. That's got to stop or else I'll get nothing done. BUT, my face feels FABULOUS tonight!!

Side note: In the shower I had some NICE prayer time with the man upstairs! I love it when that happens! I feel like the shower is "my prayer closet" as my preacher, Mike Devine, calls it. It is a {pretty dim lit} "box" where I am warm & comfortable & not worried about anything or anyone else. It's the perfect time for one-on-one with God if you have time to just stand there under the relaxing hot water. :) In that prayer time, I developed my "I Story" for my business, which is my inspiration for joining Mary Kay and what I hope to achieve in the future. I would love to share it with you some time.

My simple point in this was to say that I am excited for the future. Excited for the days & weeks to come. Excited to see my business grow and for this semester to be one of the best, as well as fly by! ;) I am excited to see what GOD will do in my life and who He will bring into it! Lord, prepare my heart for this season because I can not do it without you!!

OH! & another thing I want to start doing is GETTING PLACES EARLY! If you know me, you know I'm never early and rarely on time. I am sorry. It's inconvenient, rude, and so on & so forth. I know and I never intend to be late it always "just happens!" I want to strive to be on time, and early if possible, but let's not get carried away. So what does that mean? Ok, so, I have to be somewhere at 9:45ish in the morning. I will be realistic and give myself two hours to shower, dry & fix my hair, apply my makeup, eat breakfast, find something to wear, & take my dog out. {Yep, that will take about 2 hours} What does that mean? I have to get up at the latest by 7:45. The dishes need to be done and a(nother) load of laundry started. I am going to set my alarm for 6:45, snooze til 7 {a bad habit of mine I don't think I'll ever be able to break} & get up & see what I can get done in those 45 extra minutes I gave myself!

It's 1:33AM now, which means I will hardly get five hours of sleep. Ironically enough, another thing I absolutely have to start doing is get more sleep. Good thing I'm sleepy now so it probably won't take my usual 30-45 mins to get to sleep.  Let me tell you: five hours of sleep isn't nearly enough for me, so pray for me as I begin my day tomorrow. Pray I can get up & get going! Pray I stay productive during the day. Pray I can get everything on my list done. It's realistic. It's possible! Let's just hope that I maintain this blessing I call motivation that I received tonight out of nowhere. I am praying for energy & motivation beyond understanding...because Lord knows this girl needs more than 5 hours of sleep!!

Any suggestions you wanna send my way as I begin this venture to betterness? Send them my way! & I apologize if this was complete nonsense-sounding, rambling to the nth degree. It's late; forgive me!

A must-read preemie journal

So, my ever so fabulous friend, Caroline is assisting me in my efforts to get my act together and participate in this semester's "crunch time" by changing my Facebook password! That's right. It's No Shave Facebook November! {We'll see} But for now, I'm approaching 24 hours without it, was informed I could easily reset my password {thanks Jamie, but I'll pretend you didn't say that}, and getting work done! {which is good because I have a LOT of it to do} .. Stay tuned for my progress! I should start taking bets on how long I'll last! Somebody should have cut my cable off....then I'd REALLY get a move on! Just sayin'.

Let the countdown continue: 36ish more days until the end of the semester!

Praise/Help me, Jesus! 

Now, LISTEN UP!!! (Here comes the point of this post....)

I just want to direct you to Ashley Collin's blog. She is sharing, piece by piece, the very personal story of her and her husband's journey. She writes on her blog:

During the month of November we'll share a little of our family's story- from the diagnosis of preclampsia to our days in the NICU to life at home with an ex-micro-preemie. We'll give tips on what to say to a family with an unexpected, early arrival and how you can best support them. We'll share the fear that we faced during her birth and hospitalization and the fears for complications that her prematurity could still bring. More importantly however, we'll share the amazing success and strength that Beatrice Kate has shown everyday since she was born; and how God's Grace brought us closer together as family by walking through these trials together.

It's only day two (I think) and I'm already intrigued! Her husband's also joining in on the writing, so you should definitely check her them out!

My new favorite Facebook group*

A couple of days ago, something popped up on my Facebook newsfeed. It was a Facebook group called "Praying for Pat Sykes." Of course I clicked on it, and a lady named Candy from my home town had recently made the Facebook group to ask people to pray for my brother.

Why you ask?

Well, first, I was deeply appreciative of Candy doing this.. especially since it's been two months since Pat's diagnosis. So Candy, if you see this, {again} THANK YOU!

I think it's extremely important to continually pray. Our family and Pat's friends prayed for an answer, to find out what was causing Pat's blindness. Just because we now know why doesn't mean we can stop praying. I keep praying for healing {always, no matter what the doctors say}, coping skills, the tools he needs to help him, good influences for friends and friends that will selflessly help him with everything, and just a peace beyond understanding. I pray that one day Pat can use this this happening to him to glorify God and show everyone that with faith, he is not stopping. I will not stop praying for Pat.

Anyways, I did not post this to publicize the Facebook group, even though that may happen. I already invited every Facebook friend I have anyways yesterday. The whole point of my post is this-

the group now has 415 members!

That might not be a lot to you, and some people may have just added the group because I invited them. {However, I know some people declined the invitation.} But either way, the group raises awareness and will lift the numbers of prayers for Pat going up- and that's all that matters! I appreciate all the people posting comments on the group's wall to Pat. I'm sure he's read/will read them and I know it'll mean a lot to him. 

I just am so grateful for everyone's kindness and inspirational words. It all makes my heart smile. :)

Ten Minutes To Get You Through Your Day

After enough reminders from "the man upstairs" I vowed to kick certain areas of my life back into high gear! One of those areas being ten minutes to get you through your day. I can't tell you what it means to me to see that 390 people have joined my Facebook group. It means even more to me to see people commenting on the discussion posts/devotions. Comments like "I love your group!" or "Your devotion you posted really spoke to me." REALLY make my heart smile! I don't ask for compliments, or validation- but just hearing such things really is an encouragement! So, I do want to say THANK YOU to those who have joined, and to those who comment! I hope you continue to be blessed!

I posted a new devotion today on ten minutes to get you through your day. Please join if you haven't already! I hope you get to check it out. :)

peace out, facebook!

So, I blame Facebook for distracting me the most. As a result, I have decided to get off Facebook until all my work for the semester is complete! I did this once before, you know, when you temporarily deactivate your Facebook, knowing that the minute you sign back in everything pops back up, as if you never left. Yeah, I tried that-- I was productive an entire day and then later that night, what did I do? I signed back on! I have absolutely no self-control. Or, I didn't. Who knew that all it would take to get me off and focusing on things that are more important was a bribe? I didn't, but it's seemed to work so far. Okay, okay....so I'm only two days in! It's been a pretty productive two days!

Yesterday I was pretty proud of myself. I wrote a nine page paper in APA format with 20 references, ate in the caf twice (not my norm), had a salad instead of something greasy, and got water instead of Mountain Dew, twice! If you know me, you're probably proud too- haha... I'm working on productivity! There are so many things I need to do but so also so many things I WANT to do. So, I'm getting items in my to-do list marked off one by one, less slowly and more surely than usual! I must say, I like this no Facebook idea.

Sidenote: if for some reason you see a status update or something, it's ONLY because I said that I would ONLY and I mean ONLY get on Facebook to post updates to this blog and updates to my devotion Facebook group, "ten minutes to get you through your day." I'm staying true to my vow and not just because I was promised one of my favorite TV shows on DVD. :)

Enjoy your Tuesday!