Millionaire

If I could make money from my ideas, I would be a millionaire.  It would work if I could just find someone who needs them!  Or, as my loving and supportive husband says, if I someday had a good enough idea!

I'm always brainstorming, always the entrepreneur, trying to advance up, invent something, change the world!  Ok, that last one went a little far (little bit TOO optimistic there, Naomi!), so moving on... to my next idea!  

It's not even about the money, though unfortunately most of my ideas require some!  I have a passion for children, for learning, for teaching, for seeing wives and mothers live out their Godly calling.  I just need to wrap it all up in a self-supporting (doesn't necessarily have to make money, just has to support itself) practical lifestyle that I could start NOW!  Patience, as is probably typical (though still not justified), is not a top trait of an entrepreneur.   

In the second-half of the chapter we read from Dave Ramsey's book EntreLeadership, he introduces the word "Mompreneur" (moms who are entrepreneurs, working from home or a variety of other ideas and the like) which is my coolest new word of the day and set me on fire all over again!

Poor Ben, he is so patient with me as I jump from one inspiration to the next!  It is a roller-coaster of an adventure - the ride of a lifetime! (who wouldn't want to come along, anyway?!) - that starts with one idea that leads to the next to the next to the next... "What about the house!!!?????"  he cries, as we go flying off.  (Our long-term taking-a-long-time-project that needs to be completed.)

"Don't worry, it'll still be sitting here when we come back around someday!"  (Envision something like Santa's sleigh flying back to the house and swooping round it.  Also, a play on words that someday I'll come down from the clouds back to my senses and do something practical!) 

Currently I work at Pizza Ranch, which is a great place to start!  I really do like working there, so I'm aiming to work my way up to manager.  I just found out that MN is one of five states left that still hold the minimum wage at $7.25 for waitresses PLUS tips!  We could save a lot more money faster if I worked at a full-service restaurant such as Perkins.  So maybe I could get an evening job there.  After working at the front counter at Pizza Ranch for the lunch hour.  Or the Bistro, a super fancy restaurant in the downtown.  At up to $40 a plate, probably the people frequenting there would tip even better for exceptional service!  It would be top-notch of course, because when I decide to do something, I am going to do it WELL!  Coinciding with whatever food service job I may have, I could take a short course and test to become a first responder serving the small town of Tracy (one of the ideas of this week).  With just a little more training (about 3 months) I could be certified as a basic EMT.  I loved the drills on the ship, having responsibility and being prepared for emergencies, (and have dreamed of being a first responder to worldwide disasters) so this would be right up my alley!  Just today we took the class and did some shooting to get our Permit to Carry...  and now I have learned one more thing!  Ever learning, ever onward.  Which reminds me that I would like to be a teacher.  To home school our kids, and if I studied for and took the Pre-Professionals Skills Test (PPST, now called Praxis I, I think?), I could homeschool other people's kids.  My dream would be to run a one-room schoolhouse!  Upon considering that idea more, it might be better to adjust it slightly, to be a sort of on-call person who could invest in helping mothers teach their own children.  I could be knowledgeable about a lot of curriculums, do lots of research, be a great encouragement, write a blog for these moms and tonight I started writing a book to that effect!  Be prepared, long-time home school moms!  Some survey questions might be coming your way soon!  These latest ideas are after we've narrowed down my vision and goals through writing a life mission statement.  Which helped me say "no" to several job offers I've received lately:  Three times I've been asked/told I should be a car salesperson, offered a $30,000/yr + full benefits full-time job with Schwans as a Route Sales Representative Trainee, and the latest, a Mary Kay professional beauty consultant.  This was after wondering about being a photographer and initially getting a job at PictureMe!  I almost forgot the things I'm working on right now, that would be Medical Transcription courses, learning about and implementing interior design for our house, and teaching Sunday school.  Of course, my life dream to be a wife and a mom haven't changed; I figure I'll just do more things along the way!    

Whew!  Did that tire anyone else out?  And these are just some of my ideas from the last, oh, four months or so.  I come up with an average of about three new ideas for my life per week, and a new revelation this week has proved that when I drink coffee (caffeine) it can jump to as many as 3 per DAY!!!  The Energizer bunny on steroids - an understatement.

"Hang on, Benjamin!  We're in for the ride of our life!!!"  You are the most understanding fun man I could ever spend it with! <3

And from today...

      

Got Purpose?

As part of Dave Ramsey's book, EntreLeadership (which we are reading per one of our New Year's goals 'Read one non-fiction book each month'), Ben and I have been thinking about and have now put down on paper our personal mission statements.  A mission statement says who you are, what's important to you, and what you want to accomplish in life. 

Naomi’s Mission Statement

 My mission is to be a competent and joyful helpmeet to Ben and an adventurous and fun mother to our children.
It is my desire to minister to wives and mothers to encourage them in their high calling, which will require, among other things, modeling a strong marriage myself.My passion is for children, especially orphans, and I want to help people see children as a blessing, standing up for the unborn and the unwanted.I want to use my teaching ability to teach and train our children, and possibly more children, both educationally and to mold their character.  To be a light in their life to see potential for the world-changers they can become.While in the workforce I will take initiative at my job, work with integrity and with unparalleled enthusiasm.  I want to be known for an attitude of cheerfully serving:  bosses I work under, teammates I work with, and customers I work for.  No matter what position I hold, I work as unto the Lord.I will seek out responsibility and live my life as an example to others, knowing that ‘we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.’ James 3:1 ESV
I will use my talent for writing to reflect on what God has done in my life and to uplift the reader, challenging them to not waste their life.
In all I do, the things listed above and anything else I may undertake, I want to live my life to the fullest as an expression of praise to God.

You can read Ben's here.  (Isn't his great?!  I'm so proud of him!)

It's a really great exercise to think through your skills and abilities, personality, values, dreams and passions as well as qualities you admire in and traits you have gained from significant people in your life.  Put it all together and wrap it up in what/who you want to live for, and you have... PURPOSE.

What's yours?


If anyone reading this already has a personal mission statement or decides to write one, I would really enjoy hearing it!  Send a link to it or include it in a comment below!

Fading Memories...

...like the sunset over the sea.  

The other day (Jan. 7) was the first day I missed the ship, like REALLY miss the ship and ship life in it's entirety.  We spent an amazing night at Jacob's (and roommates) apartment in Brookings.  It was just a bunch of us college-age friends, living/eating/talking about God/having fun together, and it felt a little like the community life onboard Logos Hope.  

How much fun it used to be to grab my sleeping bag and walk to the other side of E section to cabin 266 for a "sleepover" in Elise's cabin!  Crazy times with her, Linda, Allie, Maddy and Emily Geffert, their "5th cabinmate" as we called her!  Going off the ship with friends, ministry days, performing in events, work, security watches, sailing, teaching Sunday school and little kid's Storytime, meals in the dining room with 400 people...  You lived with your friends, ate all your meals with friends, worked with friends, ministered with them - it was our home - and we made the people around us be family.  It was an incredible and amazing time, living our life wrapped up in this unique ministry and lifestyle serving God!

Time helps ebb the hard memories and the painful ones like the tide going out to sea, leaving me with balmy sunshine, friends and laughter, and gently rolling waves.

Though at the time, it wasn't all smooth sailing.  From my journal:

August 28, 2010

"Then I went out onto the decks to our spot behind the container with an empty chair beside me and cried. I felt like I couldn't scream or yell loud enough to get the pain out... I think deep inside I miss Ben.  Also so many of my friends are leaving.  And the upcoming changes too... we can't go back.  The time we had together was just a brief breath, and then it was gone."

Christmas Blessing!

So tonight we are going through contacts to send Christmas cards to... 

We ordered 150 cards and realized our list had quickly added up to 160+... 

 We were having to go through and cut some out when we thought to actually count the cards. 

 By some mistake, they shipped us not 150 but 260 cards!!! 

 What a special Christmas blessing! :D

Have you received or realized any unexpected blessings recently?

Our first Christmas tree!

I have a lot to post on.  It's all backing up in my mind; quite a line, really.  But alas!  I haven't much time... because I HAVE A LIFE, people!  And I've been doing a lot of living lately!  So one of these days I will maybe (finally) post about Thanksgiving, a friend coming to visit, thoughts on Traditions, my Christmases the past few years, and other stuff that's been happening!

Until then this (pathetic, sorry - it's from my phone) picture of our first tree will have to do!  It's a real tree and it smells so good!  We picked it out ourselves and brought it all the way home from... Menards!   It is a very cute tree and very picture-perfect-ish! :)

For all those of you reading this who might be going through pre-marital counseling or will be soon, a little word of advice.  Picking out the tree is easy, however, what's not usually covered in the books is choosing lights.  Colorful vs. white.  Discuss and come to an agreement NOW.  It will save you from an eye-opening surprise when standing in the Christmas decoration aisle together...  Haha, it wasn't that bad, but our different preferences and why was certainly entertaining! ;)   

In case you're dying to know, I love my hubby so much - there are WHITE lights on the tree!  

...but I have two boxes of colored ones to decorate a room with! :D

For the other married couples, what have you had to learn to agree or compromise on?

~ Merry-almost-Christmas from snowLESS Minnesota! ~