I wrote myself a letter nearly 3 years ago...

In my Day Zero Project, I had challenged myself to write a letter and open it after my project.  I am so happy I did this:

Dear future Jenni,

You are probably just as awesome now as you were in 2012.  I hope you don't have kids yet, because there are still things to do and future me will slap you.  I hope you completed the list - it is a lot to do, but completely worth it!  Congrats on you AA!  Keep working hard at Sac State and graduate soon!  None of this 5 years at Sac State crap.  Graduate and move on!  Now that your 1001 days is over, complete any goals you may not have finished - hopefully there will be none left.  Keep traveling.  Next big trip...Italy only.  Keep exploring.  Do as much as you can before officially settling down.  Is How I Met Your Mother still on?  That show will remain awesome forever.  The most important thing over the next 2.75 years is that your relationship with God grows.  Never stop growing in Him - because He is pretty awesome.  Depend on Him - ALWAYS!  I hope nothing difficult is bringing you down, and if it is, you will get through it.  Hang onto the lifeline of Jesus Christ.  Keep on keepin' on and stay awesome.  Say "hi" to Steven and Jadelynn for you.  Wow - Jadelynn is like 9 by now - weird.  And you are 24 - and Steven is 28.  Crazy!!!  Have fun times, future Jenni.

<3 Past Jenni

Well, some things never change.   For example, I'm still awesome.  Ha!  

There are many things in this letter to comment on.  First, I had a detail wrong.  Steven is 29, not 28.  

Next, past me was right on the money about not having kids yet.  Later in the letter when past me says "before officially settling down," I was also referring to having children.  My mind is still on that same thought.  There are so many things to do - and I definitely have wanderlust still...and, of course, I am slightly less married than I was when I wrote this letter.  

Past me congratulated future me on my AA - even writing this before I was done at ARC, so that was neat.  I also like that I told myself to push through Sac State - which I've been doing.  I graduate in December, after attending Sac state for only 3 semesters, so I didn't let myself down there.

Next, past me told future me to go to Italy next - and used the word "only" because I tend to overbook my life (as many already know), and I really want to enjoy this trip.  Interestingly enough, a few months ago, I made the decision to go to Italy this coming summer!  It's my graduation gift to myself. :]

Of course past me would mention How I Met Your Mother - It's still my favorite show, even though it's over now.

Finally - past me told future me to always rely on God.  That never changed.  Even in going through the hardest points in my life, I never stopped relying on Him to carry me though.  

The interesting thing here is that, though none of you may pick up on it, even in this letter - in this time, I was very uncertain on my relationship.  When past me said "I hope nothing difficult is bringing you down,"  This was code for saying I hoped my husband had really quit drinking, wasn't being abusive, and that everything would finally be how a marriage was supposed to be.  We never got there - but that's okay.  I've turned into a stronger person.  Over the last 2.75 years, I grew fearless in an entirely different way:  I became fearless enough to leave my unhealthy marriage and seek more for myself. 

Going through this letter was definitely a neat experience.  

In other news, there is a city in Turkey called "Batman."

Find more So True Facts online here.

-jennilea

Time to Give

Happy Monday!

In my August 24th blog post, I asked for your ideas.  One idea, suggested by Carmen, was "Adopt a family for Christmas from one of the 'Dear Santa' letters at the post office."  I decided this would be a great idea to get my college group involved in.  November marked the beginning of our raising funds for this project.  We received donations from Carmen, First Baptist Church of Elverta, Christina, Cynthia, and my supervisor, as well as adding on our own money.  Last week, I went to pick up the letters we would be working with.  I chose 3:

Letter 1:  An 11 year old boy wrote the sweetest letter, not for himself, but for his grandma.  He noted that she always tells him about Jesus and how he made sacrifices "for everyone in the world."  He said his grams makes a lot of sacrifices too, and requested that Santa bring his grandma a nice Bible, with her name on it.

Letter 2:  A mother wrote in and requested presents for her 15 year old twins.  She said she can never afford a Christmas for them, and expressed how sad it made her feel that she was unable to offer them anything.  For her daughter, she asked for sweats, boots, vanilla body spray, and socks.  For her son, she requested sweats, boots, socks, and a sleeping bag.

Letter 3:  This letter was written by a mother who has 6 kids!  Her husband had been injured and unable to work, so they did not think they would have much of a Christmas.  Her kids range from the age of 3 months-8 years old.  She mentioned a few big items which include 2 mattress and a crib, as her 3 month old did not have one.  For the other kids, she mentioned what they like.

This weekend, I was overwhelmed with the response from others.  In discussing the letters, especially the third one, people jumped at the opportunity to help.  Cynthia went out and purchased a brand new crib, mattress, sheets, and blankets.  We were also able to find an inexpensive place to purchase mattresses, which we were able to fund thanks to church donations as well as the donation from Carmen.  Our church was also donated a large amount of new toys.  This family will be having a great Christmas.

The rest of our donations will be able to fund letters 1 and 2.

The most exciting part about this, aside from the fact that we are helping out families in need, is that we will be able to deliver the gifts to the families!  I love the feeling of giving, so to be able to see the happiness on their faces will be a memory I will cherish forever.

Thank you, Carmen, for the amazing idea!

Just a few weeks until we can deliver the presents!

Day Zero Project progress: I am currently looking for a 10 mile run to participate in.  Let me know if you have any ideas.

Finally, what is a Monday without a Lifetime movie?!

Lifetime Movie:  "Mother, May I Sleep With Danger"

My guess:  A teenager is getting involved with someone older, who she meets online. He ends up getting her involved with drugs and drinking.  She is spiraling out of control.  She hits rock bottom, mom is there for her.  They get her the help she needs.  She ends up in rehab.  It is a sad story about a teen trying to grow up to fast and being taken advantage by an older man.  Lifetime.

Based off of the title, what do you thing this movie is about?

Answer: Laurel has the boyfriend of her dreams, Kevin. He can and will do anything for her. He is totally devoted to her but the downside is that he never leave her alone. When she tries to get some distance he responds with aggressiveness. It finally dawns on Laurel that he is not good for her. Laurel's mother Jessica has already started to suspect that something is wrong with his background.

I was way off on this one!

In other news, "If you search 'Who's the cutest' using Google's 'I'm Feeling Lucky,' it will say 'YOU ARE.'"
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-jennilea