LIfe Today

So once again, it's been quite a while since I've updated my page, things have been a little crazy but really good as usual! I started a new job, around mid-August and it's taken a little getting used to. The job itself is awesome! I'm in the same line of work that I've been doing since graduating college (marketing) and I work for an awesome company! This company really believes that a happy employee makes a good employee and I finally feel that this is a place I will stay for a long time. I must admit, that although I am very happy here, it has taken some getting used to. After joining my team, I found out I was once again low man on the totem pole - which for those of you who know me well know this is not where I want to be! So, after a couple of weeks of frustration and feeling beat down I finally surrendered. I talk to my dad every day and in our conversations I generally discover what my real issues are. So, during one of these conversations, I explained how I've been trying to prove myself for so long and it was then that I realized how much I've been fighting life - always striving, climbing, struggling and clawing my way to where I thought I was supposed to be. I finally stood back, took a look at the bigger picture and realized I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be and for the first time in my life was okay with that. The big picture is: I have a really good job, I like what I do, being low man on the totem pole means there is more room for advancement, and I have tons of learning opportunitities available. I also had to take a hard look at my perception of life. I've been trained since as far as I can remember that the ultimate goal in life is to win. I realized a while back that life is not pass or fail and I was okay with that, however I failed to apply that believe to my career. It has taken me this long to finally realize that God is not going to judge me based on how far I get up that corporate ladder - seems like a pretty simplistic concept yet it took me 32 years to come up with! So, I've finally realized that maybe my life isn't supposed to be all about work and climbing that corporate ladder and that maybe (quite possibly) God has something so much better in store for me. Upon this realization I can't begin to tell you the relief and serenity that have followed. So, I'm sure you're thinking "oh, then everything is great" well, not quite - I've had to go through a lot of adjustments to be okay with this new relief & serenity! First I realized I had no idea what in the heck serenity was or how to deal with it - I just felt really bored! For the first time ever, I didn't have a laundry list of "things" to do or better phrased I didn't have anything to fight for or anyone to prove myself to. Luckily I moved recently so it did give me something to do (a little chaos) while I finally relaxed into my job and new philosophies. I will tell you, it's absolutely amazing to see how God can work in your life when you stop fighting Him and His plan. I never thought I was fighing God, but by trying to run my own life and get to where I thought I needed to be I neglected to see or be open to what God has in store for me and let Him actually work in my life - in short, I was trying to run the show! Over the past year, I've struggled with the phrase "letting go & letting God", not really sure how to apply this phrase to my life. I've been in control for so long, I had no idea of how to surrender myself to God's plan, not societies plan, not what others think success is or how it's measured, and not by how many friends you have. Which brings me to another topic, I have really been struggling with the whole friends things lately as I've seen a lot of them come & go within my little group and it's hard not to take it personal and not to feel defeated and sometimes lonely. So, yet again I've been faced with another realization - maybe I was able to be a positive person in their life for a little while and maybe they will remember me years from now as a glimmer of hope for what life can be like and how good it can be. I also realized that maybe these people who come & go are messages and reminders of how fast life can change. I was failing to see what good could come from having a friend for a day, a month or even a year until a good friend of mine reminded me of that poem that talks about people coming into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. So, once again I am trying to surrender to God's plan, hoping that I am doing what I was supposed to do and be there when my friends were in need of a friend or maybe be here for their return. I've learned a whole lot these past few months and while life is still a bit chaotic I've stopped (or I should say I am learning to stop) fighting life. I'm working on acceptance of people, places and things and taking the time to be grateful for the wonderful things in my life!

Thank you JT for sharing your wonderful post, and reminding me that I need to slow down a little - again!

I've been Tagged

Well, I'm like JT, I don't update this near as much as I should, but I don't have the excuse of no internet and moving or raising kids - man I just sound like a slacker;)! I do have pictures, but I've been a little busy with life, doesn't it always seem like there are not enough hours in the day?!

I have been "tagged". If you find yourself "tagged" like me, here are the rules you must follow...The Meme Rules:
1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog (about their eight things) and post these rules.
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

Okay, so here we go - feel free to comment on whatever, I'm not easily offended:)

1. Most frequently asked question I get from people is "were you a cheerleader"? I tell them yes, then they proceed to tell me how I fit the stereotype so well, you know, perky, smiling, energetic. Now, this may not seem odd to most of you, however for those of you who knew me during my college cheerleading days would think this question extremely bizare and so not like me! I'm sure JT can further explain how perky, smiley and energetic I was:)
2. I cannot walk a straight line, seriously! I can tumble (or at least used to be able to tumble) on a beam 4" wide & 4' off the ground but I cannot walk a straight line. So, if you ever go shopping with me or just for a walk, I swear I'm not trying to walk in front of you or bump into you.
3. I'm only 5'1.5" but in my mind, I'm a big girl! I'm bulky & tough and think I'm way bigger than what I probably am - I think John Meyer says it pretty well "I'm bigger than my body gives me credit for".
4. I don't think I can sit still for longer than 5 min. at a time - literally! I am constantly moving or making noises (yes, you read that one right). I have this very annoying (at least to me) nervous habit of kind of scratching my throat. I wouldn't say it's necessarily done because I'm nervous, I tend to do it when I'm stressed out, or really hyper (which is pretty frequent).
5. I miss being young sometimes, not necessarily going back to that stage of my life, but I miss the friends I've made. After college, it just seems like life goes by so fast! I guess I'm at that age where the majority of my friends are married & have kids and there just isn't time to hang out anymore. They have moved off, or even live in the area but have so much going on it's hard to get together with anyone anymore and that makes me really sad - I miss a lot of my friends.

I don't have any people to tag - I'm still a little new to blogging!

Taste of Addison

Okay, so I haven't had a chance to update this in a while, sorry about that for those of you who actually read this blog. I don't have a digital camera so I have to wait until friends get my pictures (I love you Dar!).

Anyway, a group of us went to Taste of Addison this year, and it was great!!!

(Kerri & Jeff - they just had a beautiful little girl!!!!)

Oscar (Darlene's husband) & Christian acting cool:)

While I had a great time with friends, I was actually very disappointed in the food (maybe it's just because this is the first year I went to actually eat). I really wanted to try some of the Japanese places, (I've been craving california rolls and no one will go eat at Blue Fish with me.) but something about getting fish at a booth that sat outside for hours just didn't seem appealing to me - call me crazy! So, after we made our rounds to all the food booths, we sat on the lawn and just chilled while listening to the music. Jeff & I were of course our usual goofy selves and Darlene got a kick out of me actually being able to carry Jeff on my back (she had no idea how strong I was - hee hee):)

By the end of the night, we were exhausted, so Jeff decided to snuggle up to Oscar and use his tummy as a pillow - good night!

Life Today

I can't tell you what a blessing life is today. I reflect over the past couple of years and all I can say is WOW! I've changed so much and grown in so many ways I'm overwhelmed with love, joy, excitement and really thank God for all the blessings in my life today.

Some of my journeys include wakeboarding for the first time this past September, it was amazing!! Jeff (boyfriend) kept saying I was going to get up the first time since I was a gymnast and cheerleader it would be easy. Well, I would have been okay if he said this just to me, but he decided to tell everyone on the boat. Those of you who know me well, can only imagine my hesitation to go first should I not be able to get up and thoroughly embarrass myself. Needless to say I let one of the other first timers go first, after about 10 tries, he could not get up so I figured I could go next. Well, low and behold, I got up the first time!!!! I just popped right up out of the water!!!! So, I am looking forward to summer this year and setting my goals high (I know this is a shocker) to learn flips and tricks this year!

So, my next journey was that I started my own business (sort of), being an Independent Arbonne Consultant. Now, I've been told that I have a very "sales" personality, however I hate sales!!!! I decided to go out on a limb and very much out of my comfort zone and give this a try. I normally wouldn't do such a thing but I really do like the products and one of the NVP's said something that really caught my attention and that was "instead of asking what if it doesn't work, ask yourself what if it does". I had been contemplating a second job but didn't want a set schedule so I'm giving this a try. I know this may not seem like big news to you, but trust me when I say this is WAY out of my comfort zone but I finally felt like I market large corporations and have been in advertising/marketing for 7 years now, why not do it for myself!

If you would like to place an order, please feel free to email me at julieaperez@gmail.com (you know I had to add this right?!)

Journey #3 lead me to Eureka Springs, Arkansas, where I rode a horse for the first time ever!!!! Yes, I have lived in TX all my life and have never ridden a horse. Jeff had a friend who's uncle owns a hotel in Arkansas so we took a little weekend vacation - it was great!!!! The weather there was awesome, we sat on restaurant balconies downtown and ate lunch, did a little shopping, I got to ride a horse and we played bingo with some friends and I actually won $40.00!!!! It was a great weekend and is what has really spurred me to reflect on my past and appreciate how much I have today and actually pat myself on the back for how far I've come in the past year.