YOU ARE A LEADER

Your solid grounding in the practicalities of life, along with your self-assuredness and your willingness to appreciate new things make you a LEADER.

You're in touch with what is going on around you and adept at remaining down-to-earth and logical.

Although you're detail-oriented, this doesn't mean that you lose the big picture.

You tend to find beauty in form and efficiency, as opposed to finding it in broad-based, abstract concepts.

Never one to pass on an adventure, you're consistently seeking and finding new things, even in your immediate surroundings.

Because of this eagerness to pursue new experiences, you've learned a lot; your attention to detail means that you gain a great deal from your adventures.

The intellectual curiosity that drives you leads you to seek out causes of and reasons behind things.

Your confidence gives you the potential to take your general awareness and channel it into leadership.

You're not set on one way of doing things, and you often have the skills and persistence to find innovative ways of facing challenges.

You are well-attuned to your talents, and can deal with most problems that you face.

You're not afraid to let your emotions guide you, and you're generally considerate of others' feelings as well.
If you want to be different:

There's more to life than the practical - take some time to daydream and explore the aesthetic sides of things.
how you relate to others

YOU ARE BENEVOLENT

You are a great person to interact with—understanding, giving, and trusting—in a word, BENEVOLENT

You don't mind being in social situations, as you feel comfortable enough with people to be yourself.

Your caring nature goes beyond a basic concern: you take the time to understand the nuances of people's situations before passing any sort of judgment.

You're a good listener, and even better at offering advice.

You're concerned with others at both an individual and societal level—you sympathize with the plights of troubled groups, and you can care about people you've never met.

Considering many different perspectives is something at which you excel, and you appreciate that quality in others.

Other people's feelings are important to you, and you're good at mediating disputes.

Because of your understanding and patience, you tend to bring out the best in people.
If you want to be different:

You spend a lot of time taking care of others, but don't forget to take care of yourself!

Sometimes you can get overcommitted, and when you sacrifice spending time with those close to you, it can make them feel unimportant.

I don't know if this is more a reflection of who I am or who I want to be. I definitely want to be a Benevolent Leader, but don't know that I'm there yet. I love these kinds of tests because they always make you feel good about yourself. I recommend everyone taking the test.

I am just now becoming informed about the situation in Darfur. I have allowed the stories of the atrocities to simply go in one ear and out the other. A situation like this is hard to believe because it seems that our world should be so much more advanced than this. I can't believe genocide is still allowed to go on in this day and age. When I think about the Holocaust, I think, "Surely, something like that could NEVER happen ever again. Surely, no one would be that stupid to think they could wipe out a people group, or that they have a right to wipe out a people group." And yet it is happening. Every article I have read has talked about rape and sexual assault of young girls and women. This truly is pure evil and I ask you and myself to pray, to act, and to remember. Throughout history I see certain people groups being persecuted over and over again, such as the Jews and the Africans. Why can't they be left alone to live their lives in secure and peaceful homes? I urge you to educate yourself about the situation in Darfur by visiting these websites, www.savedarfur.org, www.freewebs.com/savesudan, and www.darfurgenocide.org. Sign the petitions, create the videos, send out emails, do whatever you can to let our government know that action needs to be taken NOW. Action needed to be taken years ago. I fear our government is so wrapped up in Iraq that true injustices are being overlooked. I fear this will become another Holocaust before our government and citizens wake up and act. Let's not let that happen.

"But to deviate from the truth for the sake of some prospect of hope of our own can never be wise, however slight that deviation may be. It is not our judgment of the situation which can show us what is wise, but only the truth of the Word of God. Here alone lies the promise of God's faithfulness and help. It will always be true that the wisest course for the disciple is always to abide solely by the Word of God in all simplicity." -Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Bob posted this quote on his blog and it couldn't have been more timely for me. I pass most of my life using my "own" wisdom. I can't count the number of times that I have made decisions based on my own reasoning without consulting the Word of God. I believe God gave us each experiences and knowledge and reasoning to be used in making decisions and in living our lives in a way that serves Him. But more importantly, He gave us His Word to be consulted daily so that our reasoning becomes His reasoning, our widome His. I have been struggling with dedicating time to God's Word. It's hard living in a studio apartment to be quiet before God. It's hard for me to have alone time with just me and God, time that I can fully focus on Him without distraction and time to be fully vulnerable with Him. I don't know how moms and dads find quiet time either. I ask for God's help to teach me how to find the time and space for Him now, to teach me the skills that I can use when kids are running around and I'm pulled in even more directions. How do women with multiple kids have a relationship with God? How do women who are working full time and mothering full time find the time and space? I commend all moms who find the time to love God and their families. I hope to follow in your shoes.

Thank you Uncle Rich and Aunt Pattie for your hospitality and young hearts. Check out our pictures from our Tahoe Trip here.

Dustin and I had a relaxing yet incredibly active vacation. You would never know that my Uncle Rich is retired, he's probably the most active and fit 60 year old I've ever met. We spent our time riding bikes, rafting the Truckee River, kayaking, boating, laying in the sun, and enjoying great food and good drinks on the back deck.

We definitely felt out of our comfort zone in a place that houses most people's second homes. It's hard to think about having a second home when we have yet to own a first home. The houses on the lake were absolutely amazing and we wondered what do all of these rich people do? It was nice to live in the land of luxury for a few days, but we were excited to get back to the real world and our new air conditioner! Home sweet home.

We hiked Angel's Rest on Saturday with Mike and Katie. It was pretty close to hell on Earth until we reached the top and, oh my, what a view! It was spectatcular! Well worth the the pain, that's for sure. It was a 2.3 mile hike up and was pretty steep most of the time. Our knees even hurting coming down because of how steep it was. I've now got the bug and want to hike every week. Dustin, on the other hand, hasn't yet been inspired, maybe one day.


Don't mind my red face and sweaty body. An apple has never tasted so good!!