Janae Says...

I had been planning on writing for the past couple of weeks a small gift-buying guide to help people out. These plans were reaffirmed when I read about my ISFJ personality today at church. It says, “When it comes to gift-giving, ISFJs have no equal, using their imagination and natural sensitivity to express their generosity in ways that touch the hearts of their recipients.” Just an hour after reading that, a good friend texted me how much she loved her birthday/Christmas present. She said it was “seriously the perfect gift.” I’ve been complimented many times in my life on my ability to give the best gifts. I don’t know if it can be taught (I don’t say that to toot my own horn; I say it because some people seem to really struggle with it). But I thought I should at least try and share some of my gift-giving strategies in a few simple steps. 1. Listen Carefully This strategy works especially well when you spend a lot of time with someone or spend a lot of time talking to somebo...

I always make a list of everything I got for Christmas, whether it was a material item or not. I've clarified before that I'm not sure why I do this. I just like lists, and it's fun to look back on Christmases from years prior. Coming soon, I'm going to write a gift buying guide because many people say I'm a great gift-giver. This year… From Carmen I got -           A rainbow scarf -           A coffee set (had to give it to my brother) From my roommates -            A Wal-mart gift card -            Sliding fitness disks From Kristen -            A TGI Friday's Gift card From Julie -            An awesome house plant From Rachel -        ...

(Disclaimer: Please don't take this post as me being negative or ungrateful. I have so many blessings in my life, so many simple comforts and conveniences, and so many supportive friends and family. I have my health, and that's so important. I am grateful, always. Just struggling. And I'm just reviewing the past few months in brief.) I have a lot of blog ideas typed into my phone but figured I would need to write some kind of catch up or summary post. I've actually intentionally avoided blogging because of how many things have happened in the last few months. But here goes. You already knew Patrick and I had been house hunting. I closed on my condo on July 7--financially it was all in my name. We couldn't go in to the condo for a while after closing, as a courtesy to the sellers who still needed a place to stay. It was pretty horrific when we finally got in. It took us over a week to clean it completely. I could write an entire post about that. Maybe I will. ...

He is everywhere. He’s in the imperfections of the paint on my condo walls, and my freshly enameled doors. He’s in my beautifully remodeled master bathroom—in the tile he put up, the new baseboard he installed, the shower head he got me for Christmas, and the bathtub he paid to have installed. He’s on the shelf he fixed in the living room, and the TV that’s mounted on the wall. He’s hanging up my wall decor in my living room. His fish is swimming in the tank he bought for me. He’s in the bedroom we were supposed to share, and barely squeezing his things into that closet with all my stuff. His vacuum cleans this house. His router gives me wi-fi. I think of him when my water drains quickly down my bathroom sink instead of clogging. He’s in my car telling me how dirty it is. He’s here on my laptop, which he got me a discount on, and my FitBit too. He’s in my water that comes from the fridge he replaced. He is everywhere. This condo was his. It’s a product of him. And though it’s ful...

I have a lot of blog posts that I want to and need to post.  For today though, I'll just talk about today.  It's a Friday, which is already good.  It started off with donuts, which is also good.  Then in walked a friend and coworker to my classroom with a Christmas card for me. I opened it, just excited to be getting a card and the words inside were beautiful. Not only that, but there was a $100 bill in there. My mouth fell open. What on earth? This was so unexpected, and too much. I ran up to her classroom and hugged her and yelled at her saying it was too much, and she must be kidding. How amazing and sweet is she? Wow. I have been in awe all day from her generosity and love.  My kids were pretty good today, too. Especially for a short day and Friday.  I got an email early this morning from the National Academy of Sports Medicine. I did a free trial a couple months ago, and talked with my rep, telling him I wouldn't be able to start...