Everyone's posting about relationships, so I am too

Yeah, the title pretty much says it all. Relationships happen. Good and bad. Up until recently, I was pretty good w/ the girlfriend. We had our first scuffle (not physical, of course!), but isn't that just part of the relationship cycle?

Actually, if anything, it HELPS our situation, because we can be more open about things and talk about them. But talk about awkward: my best friend here, who's girlfriend rooms with my girlfriend, just decided to "take a break" with his girlfriend. So, um, yeah, it's safe to say my relationship problems are nothing compared to that.

Yet, I look around at all of my friends' relationships and wonder how to get to that point. Obviously, a lot of time is necessary. So that's something to work on. But also a level of deepness we have yet to reach; that's something that, honestly, will decide the relationship. Who knows, it could go either way.

Well, I'm gonna go play CoD with the roommate. You haven't seen the last of me, blogger!

Jacob

Not just a plan for a career; something more

At work, we have access to the Waukesha Police Department's police radio and scanner. It's kinda cool because I get to hear about everything that's going down in the city. It's also incredibly sad because for a town of not even 100,000 residents, a lot goes down. Drug use, gang fights, theft, even murder is more common here than I'd thought. But, I think what it's shown me the most is that there isn't exactly going to be a grace period for my career when I (hopefully) start my criminal justice career. It's not like certain crimes are only assigned to me for the first few days, or that they've planned out certain crimes to happen that I can handle.

Second, holy poop: Just as I write this, my boss came and introduced himself to me. He worked for the Secret Service for 20 years and asked if I wanted to talk more about my future in the criminal justice system.
Yay! Amazing how God puts these things in my life, no?

Continuing. I've really started to question what I want to do with a Criminal Justice degree and a Spanish language minor. I've thought of a list of why I want to be a cop, in some form and shape:

1) Interest. For some reason, I've always been interested in that career field. But aren't we all interested in our majors/minors?
2) Work enviroment. Every day is different, and you're not confined to a cubicle or office like a lot of other jobs. Working all around town, taking calls, and interacting with the populous is guaranteed every day.
3) The ability to help people for a living. I'm a caring guy, and with this authority that a badge brings comes responsibility, but also privilege. Even in my busy college schedule, I look for ways to help even one person improve their situation.
4) I get to legally carry and use a gun. Okay, it's by far the shallowest reason to be a cop, but it still is one. Guns fascinate me, and having them as part of the job is a plus.
5) Having authority over matters that matter today. Drug and alcohol use, curfew, murders, crimes, you name it, I'll have to deal with it. That's important to me because all of these issues are critical to our society today. Considering I'll have to deal with them all, I'll have knowledge and authority on the matter, knowledge that can be used to educate others.
6) It's a gateway to many other careers that I'm interested in. The military, Federal jobs, foreign jobs; all of these are very much more possible because of my CJ job. While right now, I am very content having a simple Cop job, down the road I definately hope to have something a little bigger.

I reserve the right to modify, edit, or do whatever I want with this list! :P

Jacob

Back at Work

Back in the schedule of things; not sure if that's a good or bad thing. -_-

Oh yeah, work. So, I'm back at dispatch...till four. Then guess what: I get to work another shift until seven.

Stop complaining, Jacob, you wanted to work more. You need the money.

True enough.

This just goes to show me that I need to do my best and not complain about the tasks I'm given. God never gives us more than I can handle, and while I would prefer some of this time to be spent accomplishing homework, I'll gladly work as well!

I just wish it wasn't so gosh-darn cold outside...

Jacob

Sitting here in college...doing homework....thoughts?

So, I'm sitting here in New Hall, sitting next to Andi and Matt, and reflecting. I'm supposed to be doing homework...I tried, honestly, and now I'm doing this. This is more fun. :P
I have to admit, I have a friend who blogs quite regularly, and they're quality blogs. So I feel like I have to one-up them when I write.

I'm failing.

Oh well.

Anywho, college is back in swing, and it's pretty darn fun, I must admit. Dorm life is just fun. There's really no other word to explain it. Sure, some people can get on your nerves, but that, honestly, is life. If it wasn't so darn cold, I don't think I'd have spent so much time in the dorm this week.
Blah, living up north...
Continuing: all of my relationships are progressing quite well! Everything feels like it's where God's put it. I can't speak for the future, because it's always changing, but I'm not going to worry about the future and live in the present, for who of us can add a single day to our lives by worrying? (Jesus said that. Woa. That's right, I quoted him. :P)
Already, I know things are going to be different next semester/year. My good friend Jake will be gone; my roommate might be gone, so might others! But that's part of the thinning out process of friendships. Not that we can't be friends outside of college; I definitely hope we do that.
In the meantime, let's just focus on surviving this semester. My classes aren't too bad; challenging, but enjoyable. It's getting (somewhat) warmer, too, or at least I hope it does. :P Indeed, it's time to bunker down and GO.
Oh, one more thing...I ache. I don't know why, but I feel like an old man. Ibuprofen is my friend, but I wish I didn't. I pray it goes away, and some days are better than others, but only with time, medicine, and prayer, will I get better.
Best hopes. :)

Jacob

Holy Poop, I'm back in College

Yeah, that first semester went by fast. I can only imagine what this second semester holds for me.
Objectives?
1) keep up my "Bible in a year" plan. It's harder here in college, I've found.
2) GET DEM GRADES
3) have fun. Don't let the constant stress get to me
4) get out more. Concerts, events, whatever they are. Getting off of campus is especially important. Two events already in motion: tobyMac concert and Imagine Dragons concert.
5) Keep in contact with my friends away. Being back over break made me realize how much I love them and how valuable they are.
6) develop relationship with girlfriend. A deep one, one that can last.

Well, that's all I got right now.

Jacob

A New Semester

Here we go, folks! Semester two! The weather will (eventually) get warmer, the days will get longer, and we will soon be taunted by the allure of summer break. Yes, this is going to be fun. Hard work will be necessary, but it's a downhill ride from here.
Now, what have I learned from semester one of college? Well, a lot. I know how to study better, now, and what to focus and and when. Honestly, now that my math course is over, academics should be a tad bit easier compared to last semester. I also know what to and not to do on Friday nights and weekends. What happens, Lord only knows, but I'm sure it'll all end up fine.

Semester two, you hold so many surprises for me, I can hardly wait. There are so many things I want to do in the Milwaukee area; shoot, I'm going to do them.

I love college...

Jacob

I Just Wanna Party and Stuff...

Driving home from my friend's house tonight, I tuned the radio to the local hits station. It was their party night, meaning the beats were flowin'. I'll admit; I wanted nothing else than to just say "screw it" and go to the club with friends and dance - awkwardly - the night away.
But alas, we have responsibilities now, as adults.
But there's hope! As the days get longer and as school gets closer to ending, one day, we WILL go out and say "screw it!". Spring/summer nights are the best with friends, especially when our only obligation is work.

Yes, my friends; summer is going to be quite awesome this coming year.

God bless,
Jacob

Late Nights, Cold Nights

Man, is it cold here. In Minnesota, I mean.
Seriously, why do we live here? It's like one degree (F) outside all the time.

But one of the things I love about Minnesota is the ability of the people to make the best of every situation. It's cold - we go sledding and build forts. It's hot - we go to the lake and tube. We get the best and worst of both worlds. Look, the picture was taken on a frozen over lake at 11 PM! Nothing's off limits! We're prepared. Bring it! (Actually, don't please)

That being said, San Diego is still sounding mighty fine right now...

Jacob

Reflections of an emotional almost-19 year old on the end of break

Hello, blogging world. Ready to hear more from my life?
No?
Muwahaha. Well, that's too bad. Go search Youtube for more kitten videos if I bore you.

Moving on.

A point, first off. It's 12:42 in the morning as I write this, so my grammar, conjugation, and overall writing quality might not be as sharp as it usually is. Gimme a break. We've had free HBO all weekend, meaning I can watch all of these channels that people with money get without commercials. It's a wonderful thing, really; a shame we'd have to pay for it now.
But hey, no more excuses; I can hear you say! Okay okay, time to get to why everyone's here. My life.
Well, what's up?
Extreme nostalgia, that's what.
That seems to be a common theme among  my blog posts, no?
Ah, so goes life. It's not always sunshine and roses.

So exactly what am I nostalgic about? Well, I think I've nailed the source today. I'm nostalgic of my senior year experiences. Not the year itself - that wasn't important. No, senior year was full of important landmarks in my life. My first deep friendship - a friendship I'll (hopefully) carry with me for the rest of my life; my first college plans; my first experiences as an adult, doing more of what I want and less of what my parents require; more responsibility, yet more fun!
Miss any? Oh yeah!
The college-like feeling without all the stresses of college. I could pretty much be out late with my friends nearly every night and not have to worry about back home. High school wasn't hard, so homework wasn't a huge problem. Sports; I thoroughly enjoyed my sports and was in my prime in them. While I wish I had done swimming, overall, the team bonding and closeness is something I don't think I'll really ever get to replicate again in my lifetime. The people; sure, high school had it's idiots, but so does college! Whether it was good or bad, the people we interacted with on a daily basis were put into our life for a reason. Some of their purposes have been revealed already, some are still to be; I trust God to handle that one. The sad part about that fact is that I'm likely to never see over 1/2 of my classmates ever again in my life. Until the Lord brings us home, we're all on our own individual adventures.
Good luck!
The normality and consistent schedule; sure, we complained and dragged our feet when it came to our high school courses, but looking back, they really weren't that bad. When you got put in a class with friends, it was the best ever; when you didn't have friends, you made them. It was nearly always a win-win. Also, the 8-3 schedule, yeah, I'm not going to lie - college is 10x better because it's NOT on that. At the same time, you did have a good idea of what to expect every day in high school. Though, I do like the spontaneity of college better.
Talking about plans; we all had them, but nobody was committed. Sure, it was fun talking about our future - "I'm joining the Marines" or "I'm heading off to Costa Rica for school" - those were all and still are awesome plans, but they were in the distant future, meaning you could dream about all the awesomeness you were going to do in them, but not have to commit. Now, when we're actually doing our dreams, we've discovered that the Marines are hard and require a lot of sacrifice - "No, sorry, I can't go out with you guys' for the next, oh, let's say ten months; I have Marine duties"; "Que, lo siento mis amigos; se me olvido como hablar ingles porque he vivido en Costa Rica!" Don't get me wrong, plans are awesome - I'm glad I'm following mine - it's just, they're a lot harder in person? :P
Anything else? I think a few more.
Closeness to God. Honestly, I just felt closer to him. Everything was simpler. I had my ideas; I didn't have these rebellious college ideas in my mind. Sure, call me sheltered, but it was nice and it worked. Church was easily accessible, and spiritual support was always there. The good days. But, in all of that, they give me a litmus test for these new experiences I'm making in college and in life.
Girls. Or rather, girl, plural. I'll admit it - I fell - and now, I'm refraining from using any other gooey romance language because, quite honestly, I still don't know how I felt concerning the matter - for a girl, one of the first one's for me in nearly four years. While it seemed to end quickly, God showed me a lot in it. He showed me the ups and downs of relationships, what it's like to have someone, albeit shortly, and just let me get the general gist of things in that manner. It really did help me in college with woman. I'm stronger because of it; more confident and respectful. Only God knows what role this girl - shoot - all of these girls, play in my future. I'll go where he wants me to and do what he demands.

Okay, 1:01; I should probably go to bed. Even though it's break, I have stuff to do.
Wait! One more thing.
Sonshine.

GAHHHH! HOW MUCH I WANT IT BACK RIGHT NOW.
Seriously, it's was a high of like, six, here in Minnesota today. I couldn't do anything; it was just depressing. I'm moving to San Diego ASAP.
Hey, we all can dream, no?

Well, okay, 1:03 now. Bed time for sure. Time for me to go dream about my past; days I can never have back.
Or is it time for me to dream about future memories I'm going to make; things I should be excited about, since they're going to be so awesome?
I prefer the latter.
This is gonna be sweet.

Peace,
Jacob

Oh, one more thing. This will be my last post regarding a complete reflection of old times. It's time for me to move on, and to help, I'm not going to keep reliving these old memories here. Don't get me wrong, they were awesome, but now is awesome too, and I'd like to live in the present.

Blessed

You know, the saying that "you never know what you got till it's gone" is so true. I've realized that lately. And I should feel even more blessed, because only when I see what others have lost do I realize how blessed I am.
Prime example: only by seeing the social chaos harvested in other peoples' family lives do I realize how great mine is. They may not be perfect (yes, everyone is embarressed by their dad at some point), but they darn well know how to raise a kid!
How?
Well, again, as illustrated in society, I'm not:
1) a psychopath who murders little kids (like in Newtown).
2) chronically depressed and a low-achiever (I may not aim the highest, but I certainly have standards).
3) angry at the world, God, and people in general for my own faults.
4) irresponsible with money. Sure, my pockets are a little loose, but I work hard and spend on worthwhile stuff.
5) indecisive in what I believe in. They taught me, I researched the validity myself, and now I belief it for myself too.
6) dead. That's a good achievement, too.

But really, we have almost no divorces, everyone is pretty happily married, and no one in the family hates each other. Good family; rare family.


With such an attractive family, how could you not be attracted to us?

I could go so deep into this post, but I don't know where else to begin. Plus, if you know me well enough, you'll get to know my family. ;D

~ Jacob


New Year

Wow. Christmas goes fast, no? Just a few days ago, it was one of the most joyful times of the year, surrounded by family. For me, that meant trips to multiple grandparents' houses and feasting on food with relatives whom we usually only see at this time of year. I enjoy it a lot. As I've gotten older, I've realized that my time with a lot of these people is limited and that I really need to enjoy and value my time with them more. This year, since I'm in college, I really tried that, and I believe it worked. I'm sure I still have many "normal" Christmas' left, but the sad reality is that eventually, the Ames Christmas crowd will start to change as old faces leave the picture and new enter.
Well now, if that wasn't a bit depressing, how about some good news?! It's almost New Years, which means a new year to change things. Now, as one of my good friends posted earlier this week on Facebook, you don't need to have the New Year to start changing; you can do that right NOW! However, for many, me included, it serves as a refresh button for life. The decisions we made seem to not matter as much in the new year, the promises we made seem that much closer to being fufilled, and the things we want to do seem unstoppable. Yessir, the New Year is undoubtably a time of drastic change, good and bad. How we change our lives is up to us...

~ Jacob