Jimmy Hobbs

My brother from another mother.

Nathan Murray

Walking around.

Nathan Murray

It's me!

This is one of the ugliest things I have ever seen! 

#stevejobs

Isaac just doing his thing at our apt.

Just Jean Final Edits.

The final edits of my Mom's business cards.  I made some type a little bigger considering her demographic is old people who are most likely visually impaired.  Hopefully the baby boomers who need household cleaning know how to use cell phones and e-mail.

Clean front.  I chose yellow because it's her favorite color.  The logo on the front is my mom's actual signature that I re-made in Illustrator.  I wish I had cool handwriting like hers.  One of a kind for sure.

The back is info-graphic-ish.  That's not a word... deal with it.  Simple. Clean. Modern.  Hopefully not too modern.  I think it should be fine because content is the most important and I love negative space and simple layouts.

Old Skooool BW

Soooo.... I shot everything on the wrong aperture, if you care.  Nothing a little editing and BW-ing can't fix. 

S A T U R D A Y F U N

My new friend Morgan.  Ain't Dutch ya ain't much!

Wesley.  Also so Dutch.  

You're welcome Aquafina for the product placement.

I bought a Canon 40D and it's changing my life.

Here's some photo's I took after day number NINE of owning my new camera.  I went out with some beautiful friends of mine and they were kind enough to let me practice.  It was a lot to think about because I have no idea what the heck things are going to look like when I click the shutter.

Craigslist rules because I got an amazing deal.  Lots of props to Logan Clement because without him I wouldn't be doing any of these things.  He is definitely one of the most influential people in my life to date (outside of Jesus and my family).  I think I love him.....  

Now check out is website because he is amazing.

It is now day 19 and I have already been asked to second shoot five weddings, and am getting paid to go out to Chicago and shoot a party!  What!?  I'm pretty sure I am supposed to pursue something in life with this camera in my hand because God is providing tons of work and avenues that I would never have dreamed of even 20 days ago!  This camera is going to take me places, praise God!

Just Jean Cleaning Machine

Here is round one (no edits) of some business cards I am making for my mom for mother's day.  Yellow is her favorite color and the signature on the front is her actual handwriting.  Ya, my mom is legit.

March 15.

So right now I am I vacation in southern Florida and I can do nothing but praise God for the relationship I have with Him, for the work He is doing here in Florida and back home in Ames, IA. There has been plenty of sun, fun, and beaches here on the Gulf.  Annnnd, the biggest lesson I feel that I am learning is how to shut up and actually listen to God. I know for fact that I do my own share of talking, but as with any meaningful relationship, the most valuable change of heart is to genuinely listen to the other.  Before break what I really had on my heart was a call to solitude and to put my mind, body and soul in a position to listen.  I went out by myself on a two hour walk where I spoke no words out loud, but prayed silently in my head and quietly walked simply clearing out my brain and trying to listen for whatever God had planned for me to hear. God never ripped open the heavens and spoke in a voice like peals of thunder, but in those hours of silence I felt he was just as close. Here on vacation it has been so good for my soul to be out of my precious routine and it has been a natural tendency for me to shut up and and actually try and open my heart to seek what it is that God would want to be speaking into my life.   And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. (Mark 1:35 ESV) I understand that you do not need to travel a thousand miles to hear God speak, but for me the blessing of this vacation has easily given my the opportunity to find time with my Father. I would encourage you as a reader to check your heart and then decide if you are disciplined in seeking out that a time with your Father, because that has been something that I am having a blast learning.  Jesus's life beat with a cadence of Him constantly retreating to spend time praying and listening to God.  I want very much to establish a pattern of semi regularly retreating to spend time with my savior, the creator of the universe. I think my life would totally rule. This week has: Ending every single night with praying with Isaac, Spaid, and Riley before going to bed. Awesome time in the word and silence before God, daily. Sharing the gospel and chatting life with a non believing waiter at our restaurant last night. Praying over a middle-school youth group at Sanibel Community Church. Getting to hear about other peoples lives here in Florida as well as back home in Ames.  Thank God for texting! I boast these things in Christ and the work of his Holy Spirit in my life and those around me. That's wassup.

Andrew Carnegie

There are two types of people who never achieve very much in their lifetime.  One is the person who won't do what they're told to do, and the other is the person who does no more than he or she is told to do. Andrew Carnegie

I will greet this day with love in my heart.

Og Mandino's second of ten chapters from his fictional book, "The Greatest Salesman in the World" starts out with the phrase:

" I will greet this day with love in my heart".

The number one take home is that no person can ever be successful without having a heart that beats with love the people around him/her.  What good is gaining the world if there's no one to enjoy it with right?

This is good for me to read.  I have a knack for easily loving people.  BUT I also am cognoscente of the fact that many days the title of my chapter would be:

"I will greet this day with criticalness in my heart."

I am a problem solver and always am searching for a better way to accomplish something.  Sometimes this is great, and other times it makes people feel as though they are being held to some unofficial standard I put upon them.  There is a time and place for everything.

"If I have no other qualities I can succeed on love alone."

That is the other quote I tapped into my iPad.

I would go out on a limb and say that FACT:  If I can do my best to love God and then in turn love people, then I will lead a very successful life.  Don't cringe.  I should be mindful to define success as joy and happiness in knowing I'm a sinner saved by grace, and that success is not defined in any other way.  These are the greatest commandments, and it would be foolish to think anything otherwise.  I have a feeling that if someone is genuinely pursuing these goals above things like salaries, status, fame, etc. then they are someone that any God fearing (or not) will want in there life.  There life would be full of love and it would impact every facet of their life in a fruitful and beneficial way.  I mean, what would your week look like if your heart always beat with love?  You could have the best week ever, every freakin week!

That's wassup.

This is a goal worth having, and I will do my best to live this one out everyday.  I know that is near impossible because I am inherently a turd most of the time.  I have nowhere to go but up!

Post graduate Pre Minvan CG

I am part of what is coined as a "Connection Group", and will abbreviate it as CG the rest of the post.

My CG is a group of about 14 people who all attend Cornerstone Church.  When you have around 4,000 people attend your church each week, it is impossible for everyone to get the attention that they need to both give and receive, so by having it's members break into small groups that meet each week and open the bible and share life together it increases the effectiveness of the Church family.

Our group has been stapled as the "Post Graduate, Pre Minivan" group.  Everyone is done with college but not married (yet).  It has been a huge blessing to have a foundation of friends who are in a similar season of life in as we transition into the "real world".

Every week we cook dinner and eat together.  Next, we crack open our bibles, read, and study whatever Cornerstone taught that morning. Then we share life and talk about what we would like to be prayed for, and then each individual get's prayed for before the night is done.  Oh, and afterwards there is more chillin and alway dessert and coffee.

Tonight us men dressed up in slacks and ties, cooked dinner for the ladies, and gave them roses and chocolates in lieu of Valentines day.  Sounds super cheesy I know, but it was an awesome way to serve and a great way to show our appreciation for the awesome women that are in the group.

How great is it to eat, read the bible, pray, and pray for someone else!?  Can't think of a better Sunday night.  Strangely enough every week there is a small part of me that doesn't want to go, and every week I go home assured that it is always better to make the wise decision despite the stupid "feelings".

This group will have been the number one most important aspect of my life this year since graduating.  Thank you God.

AIAA Mock Ups

Mock ups for the American Institute of Aerospace and Aeronautics.

Today I begin a new life.

All of these chapters have tons of quotes and awesome points, but these are the ones that spoke to me.

Mandino uses scroll 1 to establish a better perspective on life.

His point is that chasing success isn't as much of a goal as is eliminating the idea of failure in your life.  Both failure and success are only a state of mind and you have the power to define both.  Everyone will have a different vision of success, yet everyone will have the same definition of failure; which is not attaining your goals.

The key to success (attaining your goals) is having good habits.  This often involves not just stopping bad habits, but rather replacing the bad habits with good ones.  This will make you a goal reaching machine.  

A few minutes each day spent on new and good habits is a small price to pay for the fruitfulness and happiness that you will carry the rest of your life.

Since the new year has began, I am trying to do things that will help me meet my goals, and I can say it is going great!

In my life these are my good habits.  I'm going to leave out the bad ones for now.

Reading my bible.  Luckily that discipline is one that God as really given to me the past two plus years.  It is a daily thing and I can't go long without it.

Reading in general.  Reading Og Mandino's book as well as "How to start your own small business" by Entrepreneur Magazine.

Salt Company college ministry on Thursdays.  Yes, I still go...

Sundays are my Sabbath.  Usually full of teaching, worship, and prayer.
Morning breakfast with my bible reading group.
Then Sunday morning church and
connection group that night.

Waking up early.  I get up at either 7am or 9am now every day of the week.

I started lifting again, and just concluded week five.  I usually lift for 75 minutes solid.  I have dropped five pounds, and am looking real good if I do say so myself haha!  Sorry but I'm excited.

I started running.  I went three days and ran about 2-3 miles a day and was already at a 7 minute mile pace for about 1 mile each time.  Then my knee started to hurt so I added leg lifts to strengthen my MCL and stabilizers in my legs.

Eating well.  Been eating smaller meals at about 5-6 a day.  Lots of eggs, beef, chicken, veggie patties, nuts and fruit.

I work 30+ hours a week at Cafe Milo.

I have been regularly doing design for Mg Biologics and just picked up another freelance client, AIAA (The American Association of Aeronautics and Astronautics)

I hang out with my Mom every Tuesday and my sister every Thursday.

I hang out a lot with my friends.

I am just busy enough to not do anything stupid, but too busy where I don't have time for something.

That is all for today.