A New Year: A New Me

Every year is the same; people go through that "mid-life" crisis of an attitude and evaluate themselves and their lives for what it was in the past year. They will then wrinkle up their noses, cringe up their foreheads, and throw out a "humph" as they realize ALL that they meant to accomplish in the past year has once again gone undone. This is due to the pure fact that we, as humans or maybe Americans, hold ourselves to such high standards. Instead of giving ourselves reachable, accomplishable, and satisfying goals to fulfill, we demand a set of highest standards to fail miserably at. Which then in turn brings on the wrinkling, cringing, and humphing. That is why this year I am not going to set concrete goals to accomplish in a timeline fashion. Instead I am going to set a continuous and steady pace in helping myself to the becoming of a better individual in all aspects of my being. This will not be accomplished through the setting of goals that will be fulfilled, but through the living of life.
Listed below are different ideas and strategies to helping me live my life in a better manner, and help me live my life to the fullest.


*Eat what Mother Nature provides me, not mankind.
*Respect myself.
*Respect my body.
*Love myself--in and out.
*Fill my brain with worldly facts and knowledge (I may not be able to travel to exotic places but damn if I won't know about them!)
*Read. A LOT.
*Remember that even if it's trash, reading a magazine is sometimes a fun and relaxing thing to do.
*Stay positive. (Negativity will get you nowhere)
*Take in nature's beauty.
*Take an extraordinary amount of pictures.
*Improve my skills in photography BUT never lose the love and passion for it.
*Comparing and contrasting myself with others will only bring me down. (Keep this in mind).
* Love unconditionally.
*Work hard but be sure to take random days and hours off to enjoy life outside of work.
*Travel as much as money will allow.
*Try not to allow money to get in the way of life.
*Money does not buy happiness.
*Pay it forward. As much as possible.
*Be Happy.

I will constantly remind myself that the living of life and bettering of myself does not have an expiration date, and that I cannot fail myself unless I give up.

So here's a cheers to the year 2013 and NOT GIVING UP ON MYSELF.

The Road Of Life May Twist and Turn But Will Always Lead You To The Right Place

Well blog followers all I have to say is I AM SORRY. I neglected you. No excuses on my part, just laziness. I have to say though, aside from my laziness of blogging, I have been quite productive in life. Let's recap shall we?
In August I started dating the love of my life, Nick :) We quickly fell into the frenzy of love. He is everything I have been looking for in a MAN. Notice I said MAN not BOY. He treats me right, he is patient (most of the time), kind, thinks I am the most beautiful thing on Earth, and makes me laugh like no one ever has. And the best part about him is that he loves me. He loves me for me. I don't need any added bonuses, I just need to be me. I love the feeling of knowing I won't be cheated on (as I had in previous relationships) or lied to. I have chosen right, and have found a good honest man. ANNND quite frankly I think I deserve that.
Anywho. We started dating at the end of August. He left for a month and a half for Australia (note: he's an infantry man in the army). During that time I decided to leave Honolulu and move to the North Shore (note: still on the island of Oahu for those of you on the mainland who do not know these said cities) I was having trouble finding work and a place to stay so I stayed at his place while he was in Australia and I was finding a job. It took me about a month to find a steady job (which was nice for my tan). Just before he came home I got offered my now teaching job and when he returned he asked me to move in with him.
QUICK! I know, I know. If you know me well enough you know it is quite out of character for me to do such a thing. I was one of those individuals who tsked tsked at couples who lived together too early or got married to early. Then I experienced and felt what they must have been feeling. Being with Nick just felt right, and neither one of us wanted to be separated from each other.
Sooo he returned on Thanksgiving day, we had our first Thanksgiving, Christmas and Valentines Day and life was grand.
Work for me is good. It is not the exact position I want to be in at the end of my journey, BUT for now it suits me well. I am a lead teacher for a 4 year old preschool room. The place that I work at is nice. The people are friendly, and I love my T.A. but sadly she is leaving me after next week. The hours are flexible and the pay is decent. However it is still to much of a daycare setting for my liking. I am hoping, when I get to back to the mainland, that I can find a more suitable job for me, perhaps in a school system.
Last month Nick and I moved out of our favorite place on Pukea Road, because we were having some roommate issues, and moved to our OWN place in Pupukea. We now rent a brand new one bedroom studio, that may one giant room (besides the bathroom) but feels like home to us. Our landlords, and the people who own the house we live above, are amazing. They have the kindest and most pure souls I have ever met in my life. This Nick loves, as he is gone for the month (in New Zealand this time), and knows he can count on them to take care of me.
As I settle into our new place, with the a man I am deeply in love with, and gather with friends that have been here for me through the hard times, I can't help but pat myself on the back and tell myself "Jenna, you made the right life decision by moving out here." Don't get me wrong, I miss my friends and family SO incredibly much it hurts. However, if I would have stayed in Minnesota, I wouldn't have become the person I believe I should be. I wouldn't have lived my life the way it was meant to be lived.
Thank you for all of you who have supported me along the way.
I love you
Aloha
Jenna

Another New Adventure??.. Okay Lets Try It Out

Hey fellow bloggers and blog followers! Sorry I've been a bit MIA for the past several months. Bad. I know. There has been a lot going on in this girl's life.
In mid-October, I decided I was not going to extend my lease at 1425 Punahou and was going to instead move to the North Shore. Through dating Nick, my boyfriend for those of you who do not know, I have had the opportunity to experience a side of Oahu that many would only get to indulge in maybe once a month (and not even in the way I had been doing). I loved the idea of waking up in the morning and going for a walk on the beach, or having the sound of the crashing waves put you to sleep. SOOO I decided to once again pack up my things and move.
For a while I had been contemplating quitting my job and finding a job in my field, teaching. Don't get me wrong, I love the family that I worked with and miss them dearly, but I needed to get back into my field. That was step one. Look for a job on the North Shore. Many of you would think this would not be so hard---wrong. Looking for a teaching job on the North Shore is like looking for a job on the North Pole. Okay not that's a bit extreme but you get the picture. I began searching and searching, trying to find the right job that would make me happy. Finally I gave up on the concept of teaching and went back to searching for a nannying job that would suffice until I could find that perfect teaching job. I decided I wanted to focus on the idea of living in North Shore and that the job would come later. (Side note folks: you will be working for the rest of your life-- you will NOT always have the opportunity to live in exciting places. Be happy where you live and the rest will fall into place).
As all of this is occurring, my right hand man--Nick, was asked to go to Australia for 6 weeks. Let's just say I started to panic. Luckily, he let me live in his place for a couple weeks while I got it all figured out. Or at least tried to figure it out.
As the weeks went on, and I searched for a jobs, a few part-time gigs fell into place. And then they started to fall out of place. It came to be the fact that nearly everything I got, in some way, shape or form, began falling apart. This held true so much that I had a live-in position that I was hired for, and was going to go look at my room one day, and on the same day the lady called and said they decided they didn't need anyone until June. AWESOME. That left me nowhere to live and no job, again.
Anywho--flash to today. I am living with Nick in a great area of North Shore--Pupukea--in his place with his roommate. Many of you are thinking, "WOW--they have only been dating so many months though. Don't you think that's a little quick?!" And normally I would be the person stating those facts, but now I get it. I get all you folks that move in together right away. The people I nannied for moved in together after a month. A MONTH! Old Jenna would have tsked tsked them and told them that's a ridiculous thing to do, but the new Jenna gets it. It's the feeling of rightness. It just feels right.
As for the job situation, I have a part-time nannying gig that I have worked a few times. HOWEVER, I am waiting on a call that is supposed to come TODAY about a preschool teaching position that I was interviewed for. I also have an offer to do the web designing for a surf shop.
Again, my life has just become one big adventure.
I used to freak about the unknown
but now
I just enjoy it.


You should try it sometime.. you know the whole not planning and just living thing.

Its great.


Aloha friends and family.
I promise to update sooner.
Love
Jenna

Dont Sweat The Small Stuff Week 3

Well audience, I promised you a weekly mini-version of my own "Don't Sweat The Small Stuff". So here it is; week 3. I hope you were able to use last weeks points to better your life and perhaps make yourself a bit happier :)

Become More Patient

Aww. Patience. Such a simple word. A word that describes an ability or willingness to suppress restlessness orannoyance when confronted with delay.  A word that is used more often than needed.  Be patient--there are only 4 people in front of us in line. Be patient--your acceptance letter will come soon. Be patient--The laundry is almost done. Be patient--He'll marry you someday. 

We're told to constantly be patient, but truly is being told to be patient helping or hindering us. I know for me when a person tells me to be patient all I want to do is get through what I am doing even faster. 

So here's my challenge for you. Instead of being more patient, why don't you start to become more patient.  Now I know that sounds silly, and you're probably thinking Jenna that's the same exact thing, but it's not.  Being patient is a quality that not many hold. Yes, some may be more patient than others, but truly to be full rounded in the patience department is quite near impossible. So in order to become a well rounded individual (that I know we all strive to be) I have come up with some tips on improving one's level of patience. 

1. Create a schedule for yourself and others that will cause there to be no issue of patience. For example. My roommate takes a long time to get ready when we're going out. Usually I get impatient with her and get a little uptight. Instead of getting uptight, what I can do is let her know a particular time that she needs to be ready by that is a few minutes before we truly need to leave. This way I can take my time getting ready and relax so that the rest of my night is stress free. 

2. Take a deep breath. Overcoming patience is all about your attitude towards and about life.  When you start to feel yourself getting edgy from being impatient, take a few deep breaths.  Think of it as a mini yoga lesson without the pretzel moves. Take in those deep breathes and try to clear your mind.

3. Remind yourself that things take time. Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither were Fred's skills from the Wal-Mart check out aisle. Our society today is built on instant access and instant gratification. This is where we need to flashback to the good ole days when things took months to years to do instead of hours to days. Those things that we hold so precious to our heart as a society; the Sistine Chapel, the Grand Canyon, good wine; took time to make.  

So take a deep breath, and enjoy your time in the check out aisle. Heck maybe your patience will pay off with you being the 10,000th customer and winning yourself a sweet foldable cooler. 

Everyone needs a foldable cooler.

Smile at Strangers, Look into their Eyes, and Say Hello

I was walking down to the store this weekend with my boyfriend (yes readers I do have a boyfriend, but his true identity will not be revealed for his own safety--for now I will call him Dino) and I observed that every individual we passed he flashed his handsome smile at and said hello. Now this wasn't the type of hello where you glance into the man or woman's eyes quickly, and mumble a "hi". No sir. This was a straight look into the depths of the other person's soul, with a strong and friendly hello, and even sometimes a "how are you today".

As I am admiring yet another thing I enjoy about this man, Dino turns to me, with such a look of concern, and states that people really don't act as friendly as they should anymore. This statement caught me off guard, as I realized that he was 100% right. 

 I continued to lull his statement over and over in my brain as we went to the beach. Yet again, Dino said hello and began to compliment a man on his surf board. When Dino went up to touch and admire the board the man reeled back as if Dino was going to steal his board. Once this man realized that "oh this guy isn't a criminal in boardshorts trying to take my board"  he appreciated the compliment. However, Dino was upset by the way the man reacted to his friendliness. Seeing this all happen before my eyes, I felt a  match of motivation be striked inside of me. A motivation which I hope after reading this point you will share.

I am motivating myself to say hello to every individual I see on the street (unless of course I am in Waikiki and there are thousands of people everywhere). I am going to look them dead in the face, say hello, and smile. I challenge you to do the same. For those of you who are more shy, try to at least smile at every individual you pass. 

Think about it. If we can all start by simply smiling or saying hello to every one we pass perhaps we can create a domino effect and soon everyone will be a little bit more friendly. We can only hope--right?

Once a Week, Write a Heartfelt Letter

Most of you readers out there will immediately blow this point off. You'll look at my request of you and see the ONCE A WEEK part and the WRITE part and automatically think "I don't have time to do that". Think about this people---How many hours a day do you spend watching mind-nummying television shows? Don't worry I'm not pointing fingers as I am probably the worst one due to my job. Now think about whether or not you could replace one of those hours of mindless reality television with writing a letter to your mother, father, brother, sister, husband, boyfriend, grandmother, grandfather, niece, or nephew. 

My roommate, Lauryn, is very good about this. I see her not only write heartfelt letters to others in her life, but letters to herself. Now the letters to herself may be in the form of journal writing, but nonetheless it's a letter to herself. In return of her letter writing to others, I see her receive letters from those she writes. Well this makes me jealous. I know you all, just as I do, love to receive snail mail in that box thing that stands on the side of the road ( I think they call it a mailbox--not an inbox right?!). I mean yes we all receive constant, daily emails in our inbox that may or may not make us happy, but truly does it have the same effect as receiving that tangible item in the mailbox.  I know for me when I get something in the mail, like a nice shirt or fruit snacks from my mother (gotta love Lori Luthro), it makes my day just a tad better. 

Now I'm not saying that emails, or texts of your love and appreciation for someone aren't meaningful. I love sending random emails to people I care about to let them know I am thinking about them. Or a nice text that says that they are the best. I know it makes them smile. However, I bet I could bring a bigger smile to their face if I had sent them a real letter. 

So here is my task for you today. Get off the computer. Pick up that long object that holds ink that they call a pen, and write a letter. I don't care if it's a sweet note to your grandmother, a naughty set of thoughts to your husband, or an in-depth novel to yourself. 

As Nike says and my motto of the day--Just Do It. 

"Dont Sweat the Small Stuff" -Week 2

Well audience, I promised you a weekly mini-version of my own "Don't Sweat The Small Stuff". So here it is; week 2. I hope you were able to use last weeks points to better your life and perhaps make yourself a bit happier :)

Do Something Nice for Someone Else--and Don't Tell Anyone About It

Flashback to the days of your elementary self. You walk into the noisy lunchroom with your Scooby-Doo lunchbox. Frantically you zig zag through the tables to the get to where your friends in their leggings (with the straps under their feet) and jean jackets sit eating their Jiffy peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (because this was before anyone had allergies--right?).  You plop down and hurriedly unzip (or flip up the metal lock if you had the metal lunchbox) your lunchbox to see what mom packed. There sitting on top of your lunch is a note from who else? Mommy Dearest of course. Well we all know how it goes, your younger self pushes the note to the side and reaches for your carrots sticks?! Okay Okay, realistically you reach for your pudding cup or Gushers. Mom's note sits stained with grape jelly and chocolate snack-pack, totally disregarded. 

Now flash to today. Picture yourself at lunch. You're either sitting in a noisy student union grabbing Subway before your next class, running down the street to Subway in the 20 minute slot work allots you for lunchtime, or getting a thing of Skittles from the vending machine because work doesn't allow you to take a break at all (this is illegal you must know ). Wouldn't you give anything at this lunchtime moment to be opening up a Scooby-Doo or Power Rangers lunchbox and find a note with X's and O's on it from your boyfriend, hubby, or children.. OR if you're really desperate.. you're roommate (cough cough Lauryn). 

Do you think Mom put that note in your lunchbox for just the hell of it? No silly. She did it not only to bring a smile to your face, but to secretly let you know that you bring a smile to her face. I think we all forget that it's these small gestures that not only get the individual we do it for through the day but ourselves. The happier you are and the more you smile, the more endorphins you release into your body. This in turn makes you a healthier individual. Happier=Healthier. Healthier=living longer. So stop thinking for yourself. The  next time you're in the bathroom leave a post-it note for your hubby that states how much you love him or how sexy you think he is, or tell your wife that she is a wonderful mother. 

OR let your roomie know he or she is the best ever!!

By keeping the fact that you did this to yourself, it will be done in pure selflessness versus when you go around telling people making it look like bragging. You don't need to brag about being a good person. If you truly are a good person, people will notice. No need to flaunt it. 

Let Others Have The Glory

It's easy to get caught up in the limelight of life. I mean who doesn't appreciate being the All Star player of the State Championships or scoring the winning goal for the end of the year game. However I believe that sometimes we forget the others involved in the "games of life" that helped get you to that All-Star status or assisted in the end of the year goal.  It's these smaller part people (as we assume they are) that truly should awarded the glory. I challenge you to this: the next time you're getting glorified by others, take a look around you and see was your wing man during the ride. Then I want you to transfer all your glory to those right hand men or women involved

Learn to Live in the Present

My roommate asks me at least once or twice a week how I can be A-Okay with my ex boyfriend having a new girlfriend and be able to not hold a grudge against him for keeping me in a relationship of 5 years for nothing. There are a few things I tell her each time I answer her.
1. I was happy with my ex for those 5 years and wouldn't want to regret that happiness.
2. Regretting that happiness would in turn mean I regret the path that lead me to be the person I am today. The path that lead me to Hawaii and created the person I am today. A better person.
3. My ex tried his hardest to make me happy for those 5 years and became like family to me. I truly would want nothing more than happiness for my family.
4. Last but not least, living in the past and being unhappy about someone else's life is only going to bring me down, and well I don't want to be brought down.


So here's my advice. Let the past be the past. Stop letting the past control the present and possibly the future. If you continue to let the past rule your world you might miss out on what life is presenting you at this very moment. You may bypass that sexy man, that tried to look you in the eyes, but you miss it because you were too busy grumbling about something that happened a year ago. Be happy. Be present.

"Dont Sweat The Small Stuff" Week 1

For the past couple weeks I have been thinking to myself that I need to write a new post. However, telling myself to write a new post is a lot easier said than done. I had no idea what to write about. Do I write about my continuous happiness in Hawaii? Or my interesting scenarios that I've approached while back in Minnesota? Both I could do, but neither were what I wanted to write about. Then I discovered what I wanted to do.

While in Hawaii my sister began reading one of the books off of our classy (ply wood and cinder block made) bookshelves called "Don't Sweat The Small Stuff" by Richard Carlson. Together we read the 100 points/passages of things that you shouldn't "sweat". So crowd.. this is my mini version of the book/lessons of my own on how not to sweat the small things in life. For the next couple weeks I will continuously post new lessons so keep an eye out!

1. Make Peace With Imperfection
I remember growing up as a little girl being told that I was a princess, or that I was pretty or beautiful. This idea then translated over to middle school and high school.. the idea that beauty is only held on the outside. Well FYI readers.. it's not. Beauty is held both inside and out. It is held in your imperfections, and your personal qualities. For example: In Minnesota I would be considered extremely short and out of the norm compared to the towering giants of the Midwest, but in Hawaii I blend in well and (no offense to my taller roommate but she knows) being taller is sometimes looked at as "strange". It also goes along with the idea that being big (besides for health reasons) is disgusting or ugly. In the Hawaiian culture, being a larger man or woman is looked upon as a beauty; something they stride for. Here's a piece of advice. Go find a full length mirror and instead of grabbing your love handles or wiggling the "fat flag" under your arm find something that you love and compliment yourself. Mine might be: Wow Jenna you have great legs or beautiful freckles.
Whatever it is for your, find it, love it, and appreciate it because it's what makes you...well YOU. And YOU are beautiful.. no matter what anyone else says.

2. Let Go of the Idea that Gentle, Relaxed People Can't Be Superachievers
Many of my readers know me on a personal level and for those of you who don't you still know some of my outstanding traits that I hold. One of them, well at least before I moved, was being organized, a bit on the OCD side and well uptight if I must say it. Good thing I moved to the most relaxed state in the U.S. of A. I mean truly~ there's a reason for the term "Hawaiian Time". Living in this great state has made me realize that not everything has to be scheduled and run smoothly. Life is the funnest when there are bumps and no schedule to adhere to. I am one of the few lucky "overachievers" who was able to pull herself out of her comfort OCD zone and be thrown into an opposite atmosphere. By stepping out of this zone and stepping into a relaxed state and more gentle rather than uptight, I have discovered that even though I'm not as organized and staying on a strict schedule, I still have accomplished a lot, and MIGHT..MIGHT.. consider myself still a SUPERACHIEVER! Even though the things I have achieved may not end up in the newspaper or get me a pat on the back, they are personal achievements. Which in all reality are the best achievements... Right?
Sit down and think of one achievement you're proud of that didn't stress you out to reach. An achievement you are proud of that didn't take your whole day, week, life to accomplish.


3. Develop Your Compassion
We've all met this individual: Man in a gorgeous $2500 Valentino suit, with his Rolex watch, drives by in his Lexus IS 300 and you automatically think "Man that guy has a perfect life." However, when you follow that man home you see that he enters a darkly lit house, turns on the lights, and grabs himself a Jack on the rocks.. and sits alone. If you asked him how he liked his high earning job he would state that he hates it, and then would proceed to tell you in his drunken state that he once had dreams and aspirations to be a chef in a Pizzeria in New Jersey somewhere, and to have a huge Italian family. You look at this sad, pathetic, lonely man and wonder what happened. Yes, he may be able to buy whatever he wants, and has success to show for his hard working, but does he have a family or kids or that Pizzeria in New Jersey. Nope. You want to know what happened? He lost his compassion for those things to dollar signs. We see this happen everyday, and yet no one really tries to stop this viscous cycle. What happened to living life based off your compassions and feelings? What happened to following the love of your life because you don't want to know what life would be without her instead of staying because it's the "right" thing to do career-wise? What happened to trying and possibly failing to start up a restaurant because it's just what you want to do?
Do yourself a favor. Think of one thing that your compassionate about and make a pact to yourself that you will never let that compassion go (unless needed obviously).



I know some of my audience members that read my blog, and I love you very much, but along with myself,need to try to abide by the points stated above. If I've learned anything from moving to Hawaii it's that life is short and that it's better to be optimistic and happy rather than pessimistic and upset. Let go of the petty things in life and enjoy what the world has to offer.  (And believe me there is much to be offered)

Aloha Friends and Family,
Jenna

"If this is just the beginning, my life's gonna be beautiful."

These last 2 weeks have been the biggest breakthrough points for me thus far. I have truly grown as an individual, mentally/emotionally. I have let the past, that stood in my way, become the past and have decided that the future, and my well being and happiness, are all that matter to and for me.

The biggest success, or so I thought, in the recreation of myself was moving to Hawaii. However, it wasn't until these past 2 weeks that I realize that by moving here, yes I made a huge step for myself, but I wasn't truly embracing my destiny here in Hawaii. I have realized that to truly fulfill my destiny and time in Hawaii, I need to put myself out there.

That was is why I joined Plenty Of Fish. Now as many of you who have used POF know it is a website that people hugely use as a way to hook up with others their age. However, that was not what myself, and my roommate wanted to use it for. We wanted to meet friends. We each met a handful of people and discovered that through this strange new world of online friendship/relationships/hookups that there are fun people to meet. I have now made some good guy friends.

Not only only have I made friends through POF but I have begun to focus on friendships that were in my life but not as significant as they are now. I am happy to say that I am getting closer to my roommates everyday and they have become my new Hawaiian family. Not only that, but Fanchon, one of my old roommates, has become one of my good friends. I have discovered through all this that I don't need a large quantity of friends but that really I just need some good friends that possess great qualities and have my back.

Speaking of having my back, I want to thank my Theta sisters for having my back through my ups and downs here in Hawaii with a particular individual. Thank you Ashley Gunderson for loving me and being willing to take down my enemies (literally ha). I have found that no matter the distance or time lapsed that I can always count on my Theta sisters to be there for you. I love you girls and miss 2500 University more and more everyday.

I am going to dive head first into my life in Hawaii. I am going to take chances I wouldn't normally take, I am going to become a stronger person, and I am going to love myself and my life. As I begin this journey I am going to participate in everything possible that Hawaii is going to/has to offer me. Watch for my bucket list to see what I check off as I go through this adventure. I hope all of you continue to follow along with me as I become a better person.

Thank you to my friends and family for always being there for me and loving me unconditionally. I couldn't be the person I am today without you.

Miss you all,
Jenna