Out on a Limb

I like Thursdays.

Stephanie M. Schroepfer — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 03:14:37 +0000

It’s my first Thursday off in a long, long time. Okay, August hasn’t been that long ago, but working 10:30am to 10pm every Thursday for the past four months has felt like an eternity. So what do I do with this new found weekday freedom? I wake up early, don’t work out, do some crunches to make myself feel better, send out one cover letter/resume, google diabetic recipes, bake a banana nut loaf of bread, put on a load of laundry, take out the loaf of bread, pack a Christmas present for my best friend and her family, eat the bread, throw out the bread, go to the bank, park by the inlet, fall asleep by the inlet, come home to eat mozzarella and soup, watch a couple seasons of How I Met Your Mother, finish reading Persuasion by Jane Austen which I started months ago, and write a (short, but poignant) blog (cough, cough, you better like and comment this blog, cough, cough). I wish I had all that written down so I could check it all off. Nothing was planned. Nothing was due. I just did what I wanted to do for once.
I like Thursdays.

“bah humbug” moments.

Stephanie M. Schroepfer — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 13:47:18 +0000

My older sister had to work, then planned to go to her not-boyfriend’s house. I was not prepared for my Sunday School lesson. All I told the kids was that it was Jesus’ birthday and that we were making birthday cards for Him. I was so exhausted yesterday from getting up at 5:30am to go snow boarding, also making me physically drained to finish making my sister’s Christmas present. I got all dressed up for because I assumed we were taking a family picture, which we didn’t take, since older sister wasn’t there.

Younger sister left for her longtime boyfriend’s family Christmas, me, Mom and Dad are going to Grandma’s house which will have no food, because Grandma can’t eat solid food without getting sick and pain. All she can have is soup. Then after that we’re going to Aunt’s house, because she probably won’t have it next year because her ex-husband will probably take it back. Friend doesn’t “first Christmas” with her new husband, instead she stays with her family while her late fiancé’s family celebrates a new Christmas tradition of visiting a grave.

A Caring Sunday School Lesson

Stephanie M. Schroepfer — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 05:38:52 +0000

So I’m teaching Sunday School tomorrow and I’m panicking! I’ve never told this story before! I barely know this story! So my way of coping/practicing will be to post it here first and see how it looks:

Here it goes:

How was everybody’s Thanksgivings? Good? What was your favorite part? We’ll go around and give everyone a chance to tell theirs…. (After following many bunny trails and bringing them back to topic:) Well my favorite part was playing soccer with my family! But my Uncle Frank might not have thought so. He hurt himself playing and was limping the rest of the night. Sometimes we get hurt. Has anyone had a boo-boo before that hurt so much, that maybe it made them cry? Sometimes when I’m hurt, I feel scared and lonely because I think that no one else knows how much it hurts. Sometimes its boo-boos that I can see and sometimes its boo-boos that I can’t. Like when something sad happens, that hurts too.

There was a little boy in the Bible who had two bad things hurt him on one day! His name was Mephibosheth. Say it with me 5x’s fast!

Well, Mephibosheth gets some sad news: He finds out that his grandfather and his father had died. On the same day, he falls and hurts himself so badly that can not walk anymore! These boo-boos would hurt inside and out.

But you know who was loving and caring for little Mephibosheth all while these owies were happening? God. Sometimes it feels like no one, not even God cares, but He does, even if you can’t tell right away.

A bit later, a friend of Mephibosheth’s dad, Jonathan, wanted to help him. King David (the same David from the Goliath story) wanted to take care of Mephibosheth since he didn’t have any family. Kind King David took care of Mephibosheth like he was one of his own kids. He showed God’s love by caring for one of God’s children. Aren’t we all God’s children? Shouldn’t we all be caring about others?

Since Christmas is coming around, we’re going to sing Jingle Bells, but with words to help us remember that God loves us even when bad things happen:

God loved him. God loved him, even when he hurt.
God loved him. God loved him, even when he hurt.
God loves me. God loves me, even when I’m hurt.
God loves me. God loves me, even when I’m hurt.

(Disclaimer, this song is not my idea, but stolen from the Radiant Life Teacher Book for Preschoolers.)

Alright, now everybody grab a seat at the table and we’ll get some snack then do our craft!

Re-Posting a Brilliant Blog

Stephanie M. Schroepfer — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 00:18:26 +0000

I Was Born In The Wrong Decade

Posted by: tholding on: October 15, 2011

Oh to have been born in the time period when men were “Gentlemen” and women were “Ladies”.

There are very few Ladies and Gentlemen left in this day and age. It is quite hard to find a woman who you can call a lady or a man who you can call a gentleman. I have a few guy friends who I am close with that wish there were still ladies like Audrey Hepburn around. And on the flip side, I also have girl friends who I’ve heard ask where all the gentlemen in the world have gone and I agree.

Oh to have lived in the days when men, gentlemen, respected women. Gentlemen would stand and take off their hat when a lady entered the room. A lady would never have to open her own door, neither house nor car. A gentleman would have never spit in front of a lady, curse in front of a lady, I believe even smoke in front of a lady.

Ladies were treated with respect. They were never whistled after, whooped at, never spoken to as an object of lust.They were wooed and waited on.

To have lived in the days when ladies respected their men and themselves. Ladies would never wear such revealing clothes as is done today. Ladies always dressed with class, were never not fully dressed up. Ladies would never have been seen out in sweatpants or basketball shorts. Ladies would wear hats according to the occasion and have tea time. Ladies would respect their men and cook and iron for their men.

I wish i had lived in this time period, if only for the fashion. Audrey Hepburn teach me how to be a lady! Why is it that our culture has allowed for our men and women to have such complete disrespect for one another? When did this way of living become okay?

I will continue in my way and in the pursuit of becoming a lady and hopefully others will follow suit. Fingers crossed.

Here I am. Bring it.

Stephanie M. Schroepfer — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 03:09:49 +0000

I just want to know that I know that I know. I have so many shadows of doubt running around that I can’t tell where the real thing is anymore. I keep thinking one is the real thing and then when I go to grab it, it disappears like Peter Pan’s shadow.

Isaiah 6:8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”

I’m ready! I’m here! Send whatever or whoever it is my way!

3, 2, 1.

Stephanie M. Schroepfer — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 13:09:00 +0000

Three years ago
Two promised so
One day they would be
Married for eternity.

They did not know
How things would go;
Their time was short
She was left to sort.

In three years
Her two eyes may have tears,
But one day they won’t part
In heaven, love fills every bit of the heart.

Post-Grad

Stephanie M. Schroepfer — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 17:15:17 +0000

“If I could find you now, things would get better.”

All the plans we made did not work out. All the dreams we dreamt stayed in that same state: just a dream. As kids we are asked,” What do you want to be when you grow up?” The answers usually revolve around, “Veterinarian! Astronaut! Fireman! Policeman! Teacher! Garbage man!”
For each straight and narrow (and highly sexist careers) answer there is usual a straight and narrow path, but what about those who don’t walk the direct path to a career? What about those who are still feeling things out? There are so many jobs on careerbuilder.com, craigslist.org, monster.com that I never could have imagined as even being a position title. There are positions that I had always heard (actor, CEO, director, painter, executive producer, etc.) but never realized that they don’t start out that way. CEO is not considered entry level on any ladder. Even business entrepreneur started out somewhere. S/he had to get experience with business before deciding that’s what s/he wanted to do.
So that leaves me wondering, where does my ladder start. I’ve tried to understand where all my experience has led me:

First job: Atlanta Bread Company as a bus-girl then “promoted” to bakery girl, then register, then deli line. I moved up quick! It only took me two years.
Volunteer work: Sunday school at church working with kids between the ages of 1-4 years old.
Second job: Longhorn Steakhouse as a server. I made mistakes but was encouraged to keep throwing myself at the mercy of my tables: “The customer is always right” because they control your paycheck.
Athletic experience: four brief years of high school soccer, four fun-filled years of fast-pitch softball where I made impacting relationships with the coaches and teammates, seven years of life-changing cheerleading. Cheerleading molded my view on life in the positive sense that is completely opposite to all the movies and stereotypes associated with the nasty breed. Post-high school athletics involved co-ed softball, church softball, and college cheerleading.
College: Communications major-> English major -> Media internship -> Journalism minor. I met amazing people that I admire greatly, but they have all dispersed to different corners of the country/world.
Professional experiences: PR representative for CANFF. Writer for the Toms River Patch. Personal assistant for local educator.
Miscellaneous experience: Boys are silly and temporary. Guys don’t know they want or don’t want what they have. Men just come in bigger packages. Good friends are invaluable. Family is a constant source of encouragement. God is my strength.

So what job description does that sound like? Any suggestions?

I can’t make a life out of wishes and hopes.

I need action! Action requires something to be acted upon, therefore I need to find that thing to receive the action. I am back where I started.

Thanks Fox Searchlight and Alexis Bledel for encouraging me to throw myself at my love and forget all about my dreams.

Homework.

Stephanie M. Schroepfer — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 00:08:45 +0000

I graduated from high school. I graduated from college. I should be done with ‘homework,’ but somehow I find myself with homework! I don’t have enough to do. I’ll work my day/night job, I’ll write for my nonprofit, I’ll write for freelance when they need me, I’ll be a personal assistant to a special needs teacher, and then I’ll watch 4 year olds once a month. What else can I get myself committed to? Maybe a gym membership? Maybe a coaching position? Let’s see what happens next, shall we? Maybe my candle will burnout before it I can light the other end!

Why do I feel this senseless need to keep myself busy? Perhaps it is so I don’t sit home, alone thinking about all the fun activities I’m missing out because of my “responsibilities” and “commitments.” Really these entanglements only serve as a distraction until I find the distraction I want.

God, give me the peace to be content with where You have me and where You want me.

Tomorrow, shamorrow.

Stephanie M. Schroepfer — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 14:55:21 +0000

“Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.” Proverbs 27:1

Time and time again, I’ve made plans: made plans to go to Honduras, made plans to get a job at a previous internship, made plans to start working for a marketing company, made plans to adopt a dog and move out. And time and time again, my plans have been foiled.

(Foiled! What does that word even mean?! Defeated, disappointed, discomfited, frustrated, thwarted.)

See, the thing I don’t forget, but also do put into action is that God has a plan. Although I have a plan too, which plan do you think is most likely to come to fruition?

(Fruition: state of bearing fruit.)

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord…” Jeremiah 29:11 You probably know the rest. He is GOD. He has the ultimate plan, which I’m sorry, but it’s gonna top yours any day.

So even if you don’t believe in God, He believes in you. (Not the first one to say that.)

I believe what He says is true, so I am going to listen to the words He gave. I’m not going to boast about tomorrow, I don’t know what a day may bring.

Stephanie the Skeptic

Stephanie M. Schroepfer — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 05:32:33 +0000

I have a skepticism toward new couples. I don’t trust them. It doesn’t mean I don’t approve, just want to get to know “them.” In addition to not trusting them, I also don’t believe them. Is that mean to say? I am so very skeptical of relationships. I think people get them because they are lonely and have found an adequate person to keep company. It makes them feel appreciated. It makes them feel like they have a purpose. It gives them a reason to put forth an effort.

I don’t want that.

I want someone who will improve my life, not complete it or make me ‘whole’ as if all the time I spent without them, I was inadequate. God makes me whole. He is the only one that can complete me. I don’t want to rely on any person to affirm my existence. He will compliment me as I compliment him. We will bring out the best in each other. We will challenge each other.

500 Days of Summer does this to me.