Polka Dots.

First things first;
I was flippin' through my parents Canadian Tire flyer. Now, I LOVE flyers. I am that weird girl who sits at the kitchen table holding a red-permanent-sharpie-marker circling hundreds of items from 3 different grocery store flyers--even with the knowledge that I probably WON'T be buying even half of those items. It's all in the name of fun & personal interest :)

Anyway, in this Canadian Tire flyer, was this ADORABLE 2.5 qt white crockpot with purple pastel polkadots. I have always wanted a crockpot of my own. Okay, that's a total lie--let me rephrase that. For the past YEAR, I have always wanted a crockpot of my own. And to be honest, I have been dying to try out a pulled pork recipe. Pulled pork sandwiches = Heaven on earth.

So, after bumming around in Canadian Tire for over an hour, gazing upon all the beautiful pink, yellow, and green pastel-colored Kitchen-Aid mixers (!!!), I found my little polka-dotted crockpot. Insert smile of relief here:    :)

As I said before, it's only a 2.5 qt-er and feeds only 3+ people, but honestly, I'm not married with six children...a little one is all I need for my bachlorette-pad life.
Here she is--fitting perfectly in my arms...just the cutest appliance ever to be owned. (And may I add it was only $14.99. So here's hoping that the taste of the food doesn't correlate with the price of the crockpot)

Secondly, it's only been a week since my seasonal Orchard job ended and I already feel like an unemployed bum. But then I ask myself...why? WHY do I feel this way? I STILL have my evening job at the grocery store, I still have a bit of income, and I still have a life. I swear the screws attaching my head to my neck & shoulders come loose way too easily.

I worked myself really, really hard this summer. 13 hour days are not easy. (And I blame these long work days as the reason why I am suddenly drinking coffee for the first time in my life!! I was doing so well for 21 years without an ounce of coffee. Sigh.) So anyway, this one week break of having mornings and early afternoons off is much needed and much deserved, I think. Therefore, I should by no means feel like a so-called "unemployed bum". It's given me time to catch up with friends, family, experimenting in the kitchen, reading, and studying for my distance Bible course. (Gee I wish working out at the gym was on that list...)

Sometimes I get worried. And the times when I get worried are the times when my focus shifts from God....to money. No wonder the Bible is filled with so many verses about money; the definition of money (it is the root of all evil, 1 Timothy 6:10), and the dangers of money. All I want to do is save for my future as a culinary student. When I think of saving money, I tell myself "okay, now I need to find to find a job that is full-time, and pays above minimum...even if I hate it". Then this war goes on in my mind, a battle of: "Do I find a job that I love and get paid minimum amounts of money for? Or do I find a job that I loathe and get paid lots of money for?"

Your job is where you are going to spend most of your time. Why waste the amazing gift of LIFE that God has given you doing something you may not be talented at, one which someone else would probably be more skilled at and thus may enjoy WAY more than you do?

A part of me is considering finding a job in a factory...doing repetitive tasks while standing stationary for 8 hours a day, alone, using no social skills whatsoever. Yes, it would be...trying on my everyday healthy & well-being...but it would pay well AND I wouldn't have to work evenings.

The other part of me wants to work in a kitchen, a cafe, a bakery, a teahouse, or at a catering business. I would be running around, doing various activities, prep work, cooking, baking, cleaning, and serving. I WOULD be working evenings and I WOULD be getting paid minimum wage...but...I would LOVE it. (AND it would be preparing me for culinary school!)

When I'm doing something I love, I am happy. And when I'm happy, I am more able to make others happy, and thus, be a light for Christ. When I am cranky, tired, doing something I hate...the result is an upset Jennifer who is NOT living as a girl who says she has Jesus in her heart. It is common sense.

So, when you're not sure what to do...when you're at a fork in the road...the worst thing you CAN do is to NOT do anything. Do something! This morning I spent time online researching both types of jobs (factory and restaurant), and wrote down addresses and phone numbers. I have prayed to God to open my eyes to jobs, and therefore I am doing the work that comes with it. I'm not being passive and just waiting for a job to show up on my doorstep--I am making phone calls, finding doors, and asking God to open the doors that He KNOWS would allow for me to glorify Him best through.

And I know God is in my future and that He is here now. I have nothing to worry about.