Miracle on Waltan Street!

Merry Christmas! May it be one of the best one's yet!
Next week I'll tell you all of our family's Christmas Miracle!

-A

Don't Look Back

This year my sister and brother-in-law aren't able to come to our home for Christmas. Because of this, my parents came to my neck of the woods this past weekend to visit and begin some new Christmas traditions. Weeks prior to their visit I asked around my office to see what kind of holiday events people tend to make their annual tradition during the Christmas season over on this side of the state. I was told of places such as, where we could go to see Christmas traditions from around the world on display at a local museum, that the Sound of Music was being put on Broadway, we could pet a live reindeer at a local flower sh, and a tour of thousands of Christmas lite displays at a local ballpark. 

As you can see, we chose the Christmas Lite tour! This shot shows Santa on a helicopter 

We really enjoyed the lite tour and even though I didn't get a photo of it, my favorite one was of a silly dragon that looked as if he was swooshing in and out of the snow. Reminded me of my favorite childhood movie, Puff the Magic Dragon. We probably won't make this lite tour our new Christmas tradition, but I could definitely see why this would be a tradition for families with young children. Finding a new tradition wasn't the only reason that my parents and I went on this adventure, we went to make new memories, and new ones sure were made! One of my favorites was when my mom and I were slowly driving through a snow storm and not really caring because we were too busy singing a Christmas duet along with the radio. Or the one where my dad made it his priority to find me the best new tires for my truck. I soon won't forget when the three of us exited a movie theater laughing hysterically because Tyler Perry just has that power over his audience. As is the case with most families during the Christmas season there were times where our attitudes weren't so pretty or things were forgotten thus causing one of us to be a bit irritated with one another...

When my mom and I get together the thing we love most to do together is talk! One of the many conversations that my mom and I had over the weekend dealt with the story of Sodom & Gomorrah (not exactly a Christmas story, but hear me out :o). We were discussing how God saved Lot, his wife and their two daughters from that sinful city because of Lot letting the two angel's of the Lord spend the night in his house, thus they spared his and his family's lives. What we remembered most, and maybe you do, too, is that Lot's wife looked back as they were fleeing and she was turned into a pillar of salt. 

Mom and I were quite confused as to why God would turn her into a pillar of salt just for looking back. I mean, that was her home. That was where all her good and bad memories were made with her family and friends. Even though she was being an obedient wife and fleeing the city, I'm sure she felt the grief and uncertainty of her future crumbling away and she wanted one final glance.

Thankfully I don't think God is into turning people into pillars of salt when we fail to do His will and instinctively look back...I can see the similarities of Lot's wife and the memories that were made with my family this weekend and during other Christmas adventures. It's tempting to focus on the things that went wrong (like when I lost my cool when our short shopping trip turned into a long two hour shopping spree) when my family is doing activities. But I believe that God doesn't want us to look back on memories that irritate or make us sad. He wants us to remember the good times and focus on those types of memories. I know that the Christmas season can be hard for a lot of people because of the stress that is associated with it and the bad memories that are there. I challenge you to use this season to focus on the fun and on His Son's birth - the greatest memory of all.  

What are some of your favorite Christmas memories or traditions that you do with family and/or friends?

-A

Life Is Messy

Last night I was really frustrated because my Christmas shopping hasn't gone all that well this year. I want so much to find that perfect gift for each person in my life so that it shows how much I care about them. I was still stressing out today because I didn't know when I was going to get time to actually finish and ship the gifts to certain places. Then when I came home today to find my Christmas tree laying on the floor, I stopped and started to get that sinking feeling that one can only understand if they've gone through the same experience...I was devastated.
For two years now my cat, Poh, has done a very good job of not messing with my Christmas tree, which for a mischievous cat, is pretty impressive. Before I checked over any of the damage, my first concern was making sure he was ok and that there was no glass from the broken ornaments in his paws. Once I checked him over and saw that there was no harm done, I then took inventory of the damage. I was sadden at the loss of two of my favorite ornaments. One being of our family dog that passed away a few years ago and the other of a really pretty flower.

Sighing, I started to clean up. All the while Poh "innocently" watched me pick up the pieces and put the Christmas tree back together again... Growing up I would like to help my mom dust the house and countless times I would accidentally break something that was special to her. Each time I feared for my life when I had to tell her what happened...but each time, her reaction was the same. She would always tell me that I was more important to her than (enter broken item here). After she would tell me that I would feel so loved and amazed that she wasn't going to ground me for life! But my mom knew that life is messy and things break. My Christmas tree falling over (I wonder if it made a sound) made me realize that it's our reaction to those messy breaks (or break ups) that matter most. And my mom was a great example on how to handle those situations. I could have freaked out over the tree and just left it laying there, broken glass and all, but instead I picked it up and cleaned up the mess and started over again. It was hard. It was sad. But that's life.

Christmas is less than 2 weeks away (don't panic!) and yes, I lost two special ornaments that I'll never get back, but this event stopped me from stressing over the little things that I had yet to do and pressed me to find my Christmas spirit again. It's our actions that show the Christmas spirit not our gifts. So I challenge you to be proactive in your actions this Christmas season and reach out and take a moment or two out of the Christmas hustle and bustle and try to find a creative way to show your loved ones how much you care.

-A

Single? Huston, we have a problem

A few weeks ago I went to a Selah concert at a local church with a group of friends. The band, if you're not familiar with them, consists of three individuals, Todd Smith, Allan Hall, and Amy Perry. Amy is the lead singer and has an incredible voice. Between songs she shared her testimony with the audience. Amy struggles with weight loss. She decided to state the obvious to us because she had the courage to do so. She shared the story of how she struggled her whole life and even more so after having her first child to lose weight. One day a very close friend of hers committed to helping Amy lose the weight that was weighing her down emotionally and physically. She lost a substantial amount of weight and also became more spiritually healthy, too. People applauded her efforts there at the concert and you could see that she had continual support from her band-mates as well. Another example of weight loss being supported in a church setting was in an article I read about Rick Warren, author of the Purpose Driven Life and Pastor of Saddlebrook church. He discussed when he was baptizing congregants at his church he realized how overweight he and most of his members were. That next Sunday he confessed to his church about his gluttony and wanted to challenge his congregants to go on a diet with him. They all supported each other and lost a substantial amount of weight as a congregation. Please feel free to read the full article here.

There are many burdens that we all face in life. Some have weight issues, some have financial issues, marital issues, etc. But a topic that I hear rarely supported and confronted in Christian circles, churches and self-help books is the burden and struggle that some individuals have as single adults.

Christena Cleveland stated it best in her article when she said that the single life is complex and hard for some individuals to live out especially with little to no support from the Church. We are encouraged by the Church to "embrace" this time in our lives but not really taught how. There are individuals that say things such as, "don't worry, you'll be married soon, let me hook you up with my husband's best friend's daughters ex-boyfriends cousin-in-law who is single!" What if marriage isn't the prescription that we as singles need right away? What if we really do want to learn how to embrace our single moments and truly live them out the best we can? That's where my new favorite author, Mandy Hale, comes in.

For the first time I have come across a book that has taught me how to embrace my current relationship status. Ms. Hale wrote the book, The Single Woman, because she too got frustrated with there being a multitude of books on how to have a better marriage or on how to get married. She realized that there was a lack of motivational books on how to be great at being single and decided to write one herself! I get excited about a lot of things in my life, but this book has given me a soul deep excitement! Ms. Hale has helped me realize that this time in my life can be amazing - if I let it. Do I still want to get married and have kids one day? You better believe it! But that's not the only purpose that God has made me for in this life. Ms. Hale has encouraged me to "embrace" my single life by chasing my dreams and her book is full of encouragement on how to do just that.

After reading this book I again realized how desperately singles need to be encouraged and supported in the church just as much as their married counterparts or any other battle that people face. I found it refreshing and somewhat relieving that both Ms. Hale and Ms. Cleveland were bold enough to speak out in support of the single person and I agree with them. Both of these ladies have encouraged me to not only be the best I can be right now just as I am, but to look at ways that I can help people in my same situation at my own church and surrounding circles. You may be reading this and may be a married person or you may be in the same boat that I am in and I'd love to hear your feedback and suggestions on this topic. Friends, if Amy's weight loss struggle can be accepted and supported amongst the congregation and Pastor Warren can have his congregants do the same, why can't we lift up the singles in the church?

-A

Hump Day & Thanksgiving

For me, I feel like my excitement this year for Thanksgiving matches the excitement this camel has for his favorite day:

I love Thanksgiving! One of the reasons could be because my family lets me take home leftovers and I don't have to go grocery shopping for a few days haha...but I love looking back at the year and reflecting on all the fun, crazy and sometimes bad things that God has brought me through. I want this post to highlight some of those memorable events that occurred to me this year. It's crazy to think that the holidays are already upon us, but I'm ready for them this year. I already started decorating my apartment for Christmas!

I can honestly say that 2013 has been one of the best years of my life! No year has ever had so many ups and downs. The beginning of the year started off with me getting out of a toxic relationship which was a relief to me and my family. The spring held the joy of celebrating another birthday in my 20s... then a month after my birthday, I squealed and cried with delight at the Taylor Swift concert that my sister gifted me with! Then my spectacular summer started. Yes, ladies and gents, this was the summer that I tried out for AMERICAN IDOL!!! Oh. My. Word. That was one of the most exhilarating and exhausting weekends of my LIFE! Major props to my mom for waiting in line for two days to watch me sing for 10 SECONDS in front of the judges. Hey, at least we got to see Ryan Seacrest! The next weekend we went to watch two of my favorite baseball teams live (Go Rangers! Go Tigers!) and eat hot dogs and enjoy the atmosphere.

This was also the first summer that I had a summer romance. And it literally lasted just for the summer haha! And no, it did not end with us singing a powerful duet and me being in a tight leather suit like the movie Grease, but it did end bittersweet and led me to some major life changes. That's what I love most about relationships - that they have the power to inspire you to be a better person or help you discover something about yourself. This can happen whether you stay in that relationship or not. One of those inspirations was to start this blog. I absolutely love this blog. I like to think that there is someone out there going through the same type of journey that I am and when they read this, it gives them encouragement that they're not alone.

There is so much to be thankful for and it reminds me of my favorite bible verse, "I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." Psalm 27:13. I love this verse because it challenges me to be more aware of the little and big events of my life that show the goodness of the Lord and how much He loves us.

So, I'm wishing you all a very happy Thanksgiving and hope that you get to spend it with family and loved ones.

What are you thankful for this year?

-A

Pizza

Sometimes in life we don't know what to pray or how to ask for encouragement when we're going through trials. So often we put on our "happy" face and let the world and those around us think that we've got it all together. Thing is, no one has it all together...

A few weeks ago I had a bad day. Not one of those days when your hair is all over the place or you can't find anything to wear (those days are the pits, too, though) this was one of those days where I felt so lost...so lost that I couldn't find the words to pray about what was really bothering me...

Hard days like these happen and we are reminded that the world doesn't revolve around us, even when we feel like our world is crashing at our feet, life still goes on. For example, that night one of my friends was hosting a ThirtyOne Gifts party for me at her house. I was to be there right after work and only had minutes to find something to eat for dinner. Due to stress, I wasn't hungry, but for some reason I did feel like I could eat a slice of juicy yummy pizza. The problem was (yes another problem to add to the day) was that there were no fast food joints around that sold pizza by the slice (if you do know of one, please share!). So I figured I'd just eat the small snacks my friend was planning on for the party. I arrived to her house early and put on my happy "party" face and went inside to set up. The moment I walked in the door, she greeted me by asking if I had eaten dinner... I said no...

Do you know that she had bought a pizza for me thinking that I'd probably be hungry when I got to her house?! She had no idea I wanted pizza. She had no idea whatsoever of the kind of day I had had. She didn't even know that pizza is one of my favorite meals! But God did. He knew I wanted pizza. He knew that I was upset and had one of the worst days ever. And He was telling me that He loved me - with a slice of pizza.

I truly believe that we need to be more mindful to encourage each other because we don't know who is going through one of their "worst days ever." It gives me the chills that God took care of a simple need of mine through my friends kindness that awful day. I challenge you to look for opportunities that you could encourage someone.

-A

Run

This past Saturday I went to the mall and there at the Puma store I found a new pair of tennis shoes that I fell in love with. AND they were 40% off! Score!!! Yes, I'm going to post a photo of them.

(Oh I love them and get so excited when I see them! Must be a girl thing...haha!)

I've always been interested in sports (especially softball) and physical activity, but in the last year or so I have gotten back into running. I've accomplished three 5k's since last fall and find great release in the activity of running. I'm not a long distance runner yet...but I'm getting better at it! There's nothing like getting in the zone while listening to your favorite music and pushing yourself to go another mile.
One of my favorite memories of running is when I lived a semester in Washington, D.C. and I would go running around the Lincoln Memorial with my sister every so often at twilight. That beats running on a treadmill any day! Amber is actually the person who got me into running seriously and I hope we can run a 5k together someday soon!

On another note, I've recently started to listen to contemporary Christian music. No, I haven't always been too keen on the genre, but I've discovered some really great bands. One of them being Addison Road and I totally love their song Run (listen to it, please!).

This song is actually what inspired me to write this post about running. I love the picture here in the video of the lady running free - no fancy Puma tennis shoes needed - just her bare feet and basking in the joy and freedom that she has found. Ah, don't we all long for finding that kind of freedom in life? Life can be so hard and sometimes we forget that when you find that freedom, and you get in that kind of zone, that's when you can fully enjoy the life you've been blessed with! I am encouraged by the lyrics in this song and the hope that it gives and I hope you enjoy it, too. Oh and if that were me in video, I'd keep my awesome new shoes on :o)

-A

Why?

Recently at work our whole organization was required to watch an inspirational video about "Why we do what we do." After watching it we each had to meet with the head of Professional and Careers Development department to discuss our statement. At least we weren't alone in this backwards thinking statement! For so long I was under the impression that we get a job because there are bills to pay and we have to support ourselves or a family with our paychecks. In my one on one meeting with the head of the P&CD, I told her how I loved my time working in my hometown in a retail store and how I felt so much happiness there and missed it dearly. She then asked me what tasks that I enjoyed the most...that's when I realized it wasn't the tasks that I was doing while I worked there that brought me happiness. It was the connections I made with each customer I came in contact with and how I could spread the love and joy I found in my hometown with them and also enjoy most of my work tasks.

I was honest with her that I currently didn't have that passionate connection with the position that I am in at work now. We concluded that could be because I recently moved to a new job location (and acquired new job responsibilities with the move) and I'm still getting used to my surroundings and haven't made any real connections. Recognizing this made my "Why Statement" come to life and I want to share it:

"By connecting (or forming relationships) with individuals,
I can freely give of myself to impact the greater good."

Forming connections and relationships are the core of who I am (especially the relationship I'm building with Jesus). I guess you could say it's what gets me out of bed in the morning (although that yummy bowl of cereal calling my name each morning is a close tie!)
To some this exercise may seem like a pointless (I kind of thought this in the beginning) thing to figure out...now the way I'm choosing to look at it is that it's always good to know where you're coming from when you're "doing what you do." Helps to know if you're on the right track or not. I realized that even though right now I may not be enjoying my "tasks" at work, that I could be more proactive about forming relationships with my new co-workers and team at my new location. It's a challenge, but a good one.

WHY do you do what you do?

-A

Happy Halloween!!!

Red, Red Wine...

Ah, vacation! There was so much anticipation leading up to this vacation and it met every expectation! The only downfall was coming home to reality haha

I went to Walton, NY to visit my best friend Emily who recently moved to Walton because Steven (her husband) took the call to be Pastor of the Reformed Presbyterian church there. I am so excited that I got to go because now I can picture where they're living and where Steven is preaching! It excites me to see where God is going to use them in the community of Walton. It's a small town that has several churches, but not all of the residents have a home church. I pray God leads Steven to the residents that He wants to become part of Steven's church family. It's a beautiful church! I will be posting pictures of it soon. Steven preached on Sunday morning and evening and both of his sermons made an impact on me, and I can tell that he will be able to help his congregation grow in The Lord.

Emily and I had a lot of time together and we used it well by going shopping to all the antique stores in Walton. We also discovered that we both love two songs that have to do with the color red and have nothing to do with Taylor Swift! Red, Red Wine & Lady In Red. These quickly became the theme songs of our weekend and won't leave our heads now haha!
At one of the antique stores I bought a large painting (got a great deal on it) but had to leave it there with Emily until they can bring it with them when they're back here visiting family. I love visiting her because months can go by where we don't see each other and we can just pick up where we left off. She's been there for me when I've needed her most these past couple of months when I went through some rough times and I appreciate her for it. I was happy to go and visit her since she's been a bit homesick since moving there and she and I got to explore the village of Walton together. It's gorgeous. Right in the middle of the mountains and I can't wait to go back and breathe in the mountain air! She has a beautiful house and we discussed some decorating ideas that she could do to make it more homey for her and Steven.

I met most of Steven and Emily's congregation and really liked them! They're very warm and willing to talk to strangers (me lol) and for one of the first times, I was asked what I do for a living first and not of my relationship status! It shocked me since the relationship status question is so frequently inquired about first here in my own community. Why is it that these two simple questions hold so much power? They have the power to either make you feel successful or a failure if your answer can or can't live up to the expectations.   This makes me wonder, what do people in general really find that defines a person? Is it what type of career they have? Relationship status? Religion...? This is something that I'm challenging myself to think about, too...

On the way home I had a layover in Baltimore and I used that time to go and see my sister, Amber and her husband, Steve! On the flight to Baltimore, I was lucky enough to sit next to a nice guy from England, who also happened to be named Steve! I can't escape them lol He and I had a great flight together :o)
Amber and Steve just bought their first home and it was Amber's birthday on the 25th (happy birthday!) so I was excited to celebrate both with them. I loved their house!! It's soooo cozy and welcoming! Amber is doing a great job decorating it so far and I had a great time with them! We went out to dinner in old town Alexandria and came home and watched Midnight in Paris which is a great movie if you haven't seen it. It has a good message about being content where you are in life and making the most of it.

So all in all it was a fantastic vacation. I really enjoyed myself and truly felt relaxed and glad I got to see a lot of my favorite people!

-A

Wondering...

Hi!

There were many reasons why I decided to delete my Facebook over a week ago, but because of that, I have more time now to focus on blogging. This is something that I've been wanting to do for a while now. I'm an avid reader of a few blogs and I hope their influences will benefit me with mine!

The main reason that I deleted Facebook was because I didn't want people to define me from it. I want people to get to know the real me and see that I'm more than just a girl who likes sports, is a huge music fan, has a certain number of friends, etc. This blog will hopefully let people get to know me on a more realistic side. So, here we go on the journey of blogging! :o)