'Tis the Season...to Be Jolly!

"Fa lalalala lala lala!" Yes I just sang a Christmas carol online hahaha. Well so far this Christmas season has been very busy, yet very merry. I have gone downtown with friends and family to see the Christmas tree, made Christmas cookies & candies to give people, bought gifts, wrapped gifts, exchanged gifts, put up & decorated the Christmas tree, put the outdoor Christmas lights up, written & mailed Christmas cards, & gone Christmas caroling at the nursing home (& had a blast singing there last Sunday). Yes it has been busy, but I have been trying to enjoy it along the way too.

So last Sunday my boyfriend Mark & I exchanged Christmas gifts. And guess what? We both gave each other the same photo of us in a picture frame! I opened his gift first & starting cracking up because I knew I had printed the same photo & also put it in a frame along with his gifts. What are the odds? I thought that was very cute and sweet. I guess great minds really do think alike. ;-)

We then went to church together which was nice. Then he came with me to the nursing home to watch me sing Christmas carols to the residents there with my singing group. 

 

My sister also came with her three older daughters & everyone had fun singing along to the music & listening to the kids ring the jingle bells.

Later, we went to my sister's house & visited with her & the kids & had fun. I also gave them some of my Christmas cookies & they scarfed them all down joyfully.

Me & my youngest niece Adelise in our matching Christmas outfits lol.

We are so cute together. :-)

My boyfriend Mark & my niece Adelise. Adorable!

So last week I made five types of  Christmas goodies to give people as gifts: peanut blossom cookies, pina colada cookies, Mexican wedding cake cookies, peanut butter cornflake candy, & puppy chow. It all came out delicious. But I sure am glad to be done baking all of my Christmas cookies & candy though, it's a lot of work! I finished it up over the weekend & now I'm scrambling to give them away before they start to dry out lol. I didn't have to do all this work, but I wanted to. Christmas just doesn't feel the same without all the Christmas cheer and goodies.

 Mexican Wedding Cake Cookies.

Pina Colada Cookies.

 

Peanut Blossom Cookies.

I am looking forward to the hustle & bustle to die down at work. Since I work in retail it's been more stressful lately, but the extra cash in my paycheck I got tonight was nice to see. I've been able to pick up extra hours lately which has been a blessing, among many other blessings I've been receiving lately. I'm looking forward to upcoming Christmas parties with family & friends & ringing in the new year too.

So what are some of your Christmas blessings that you are most thankful for lately? And what are some of your favorite Christmas traditions or memories?

God bless. Merry Christmas. And Happy New Year to All!

Very Thankful For...

So I turned out to be right. My previous post did turn out to be my last post as a 25 year-old. As of Thanksgiving Day Nov. 22, 2012 I turned 26 years old. And I had some great birthday celebrations. On Wed. Nov. 21 I was off work so I started out the day with a delicious birthday breakfast with my family at Lincoln Square Pancake House.

Later on that night I had a yummy birthday dinner at Texas Roadhouse with some of my good friends and my cousin. I even got the waiters to embarrass me by telling the whole restaurant it was my birthday and everyone in the place yelled, "Yee haw!" to me. Hahaha. It was fun.

On Thanksgiving day aka my birthday Nov. 22, I got off work at 3pm. After work, I went to my aunt's house to eat Thanksgiving dinner and celebrate the holiday and my birthday with my dad's side of the family. Afterwards, I went to my boyfriend's parent's house to eat dessert, celebrate my birthday, and take part in their "Thankful Basket" family tradition.

This is how a thankful basket works. Each day of the two weeks before thanksgiving you write something you are thankful for on a piece of paper. You then fold it up & put it into the basket. Once Thanksgiving arrives, you gather the family together, pass the basket around, and each pick out a note and read it until all the notes have been read. For extra fun, you can also try to guess who wrote what. It helps if you can recognize everyone's hand-writing too haha.

I really enjoyed taking part in the thankful basket tradition with Mark's family and I think it's a great tradition to have. It reminds us of what the holiday season is about: giving thanks to God for the many blessing and lessons He gives us in this life. Right now I'm thankful for so many things that I think I will have to make a list here for you all to read.

What I am very thankful for during this Thanksgiving and Christmas season:

• My salvation & personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
• My wonderful boyfriend Mark who is such a blessing and encouragement to me. :-)
• My wonderful family.
• My wonderful friends from work, church, and every where else in between. Also to my friends who are my family in Christ.
• All the ways God provides for me: financially, with food, with shelter, spiritually, emotionally, physically, etc.
• All the ways He uses me to serve Him through: The Christian singing group I'm in that sings at the nursing home, the Christian artists group who supports, encourages, & provides great fellowship, the small group girls Bible study I'm in who are always there for me, & the many other ways God uses me to encourage & witness to others.
• For my life & being able to serve Him everyday that He blesses me with air to breathe.

I hope you all have a great month of Christmas celebrations. Just remember that "Jesus is the reason for the season." God bless. And remember to keep: being thankful, running, dancing, singing, laughing, and loving others during this holiday season.

What are you thankful for during this Holiday season?

Happy Holidays...

I had a great Halloween and I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving and my birthday which is on the same day. I love the holiday season and I'm glad it has officially begun. I went to haunted house with some friends, passed out candy to treat-or-treaters, and went to a Halloween costume party with my boyfriend. We went as Popeye and Olive Oyl and had a great time.

I'm looking forward to celebrating the holidays with my boyfriend, family, and friends by my side. Who knows this might be my last post as a 25-year-old! Haha. I will write a longer post next time when I have more to share. Until then dance, laugh, live, and love! God bless. :-)

The Perfect Day

Since most of my post is positive I will get the disappointing news out of the way. Just in the last few weeks I found out that the job position I thought God had opened up just for me closed. Yes God closed one door of opportunity in my career path. However, I know that He will open up a window somewhere else, at some point. And I'm looking forward to that. In other news, God is answering prayers in other areas and that is wonderful.

My relationship with my wonderful boyfriend Mark is going well and I'm loving every minute of it. Two Sundays ago we got to spend the whole day together and it was great! I went to church with him and his family, went to his family's house to eat lunch and watch the Colts game, and then went to a church cookout and hayride. We had a blast and the weather was perfect. In fact the whole day was perfect. I will never forget that day. :-)

Here's a picture of Mark & I at the church hayride on Oct. 14, 2012.

Also, I had a great time yesterday and today hanging out with my sister minus her five children. It was nice to have some one-on-one quality sister time and to have some fun. Yesterday we celebrated my birthday a month early by doing something we've wanted to for the last five years. I love touring old historic houses and yesterday we toured the President Benjamin Harrison house in downtown Indianapolis.

Then we each ate a yummy cupcake at 111 Cakery on 16th Street downtown. I had a pumpkin cupcake with cream cheese icing and she had a turtle cupcake. It was delicious. We ate dinner at a Peruvian restaurant in Fountain Square called Mama Irma's and it was awesome. I had cilantro rice with chicken and vegetables and fried plantains on the side. Later on, we went to Burlington Coat Factory where I found some much needed new purple slippers for only $6.99 and a cute headband for only $0.98! I love a bargain.

Today we watched a movie called October Baby at my house. It was a really touching story about a 19 year old girl who found out she was adopted and set out to find her birth mother and where she came from. She also learned that she had been born out of a failed abortion attempt and that she had had a twin brother who died as a baby. It was a tearjerker, but it was also very encouraging, joyful, and had some good comic relief in it as well. I highly recommend it.

My music practices have been going well and singing last week at the nursing home went great again. I get so much joy and encouragement from singing to the people there. And so do they. They are always so thankful when we come and they always say that they look forward to us coming back. I look forward to singing to them next month about Thanksgiving and about Christmas in December as well.

I'm also excited about some fun fall activities I have coming up in the next few weeks. I'm going to a haunted house this weekend and a Halloween party next week. There are good things to come ahead and I'm thankful and blessed to enjoy it all. Thank you Lord. Until next time...dance, laugh, live, and love. :-)

Pleasantly Surprised

So since my last post on here I've had: two more singing practices, celebrated my brother's 22nd birthday, seen my nieces and nephew sing in front of church during church service, and had two more dates with the nice guy that I mentioned in my previous post. Each date we go on, is better than the last one we went on. He is a very funny, smart, cute, honest, and sweet Christian guy. I feel very blessed to have met him and am enjoying getting to know him better each day.

We have fun when we hang out and really enjoy each others' company even if we are just talking or playing cards together. We had the best date yet last night. He made me dinner, fully furnished with delicious food and drink, candlelight, and even some Kenny G music (per my suggestion ha ha). It was better than any five star restaurant you could eat at, because I knew it was from the heart. We had some great conversations and a great connection.

We even took a little personality quiz for fun to see how compatible our personalities are. And we seem to be pretty compatible and be hitting it off pretty well. Early this morning, he asked if I thought we were becoming more than just friends. I said yes.

He said, "I think I have a girlfriend now. What do you think?" I responded sarcastically, "Really who is she?" Haha. Then I said, "I think you might have a girlfriend now." Then I asked, "Does that mean that I have a boyfriend now?" And he said, "I would say so." So as of today, we have both decided to pursue a dating relationship with one another. And I'm pretty excited about it. :-)

I'm excited to see where the Lord takes me in the future. I'm also excited to see what doors He will open in my career, dating relationship, serving opportunities, friendships, and in the pursuits of my passions and dreams. May the Lord establish my plans and steps! Not my will, but His be done.

As it says in Proverbs 16: 1-3 & 9:

"1 To humans belong the plans of the heart,
    but from the Lord comes the proper answer of the tongue.

² All a person’s ways seem pure to them,
    but motives are weighed by the Lord.

³ Commit to the Lord whatever you do,
    and he will establish your plans.
⁹ In their hearts humans plan their course,
    but the Lord establishes their steps."

Stood Up, But Not Standing Down

So in case the title of this post hasn't given you a hint as to my topic yet already, this post will involve my new blog theme of dating. Yes it's been a busy week and a half since my last post, but I will quickly bring you up to speed.

On Friday Sept. 14, I went to a play with the Christian artists group couple I told you about in the last post. One of the girls in the group who likes to act was acting in the play Arsenic and Old Lace. It was a hilarious play! After seeing it I really want to rent the original 1940's movie version on Netflix sometime which had Cary Grant & Boris Karloff in it, if I'm not mistaken.

On Sat. Sept. 15, I relaxed at home most of the day and then went to the Beech Grove Fall Festival that night with my family. I was suppose to have a first date with a guy I met online that night but he texted me an hour before we were suppose to meet at the bowling alley and said he couldn't make it. At least he let me know though that he was going to stand me up. I prefer courtesy to none at all. We both decided that the fact that he lives an hour and a half a way, was too far apart anyway.

On Sun. Sept. 16, I sang at the nursing home for the first time with the music outreach group I'm now a part of. I really enjoyed it! The residents in the audience were so responsive and most of them sang along, smiled, clapped, and one elderly gentleman even said several times, "Good job guys!" It was a very encouraging and uplifting experience. And afterwards we got to talk to a few of the residents and they were very supportive of our singing and thankful for us being there. God really is working through this music outreach group!

On Tues. Sept. 18, I had a fun girls night out with two good friends of mine from work. We ate at a yummy Mexican place for dinner, got frozen custard, and then visited at my friend's house. We had a nice time visiting and catching up. Later on, we even got pumpkin spice lattes at Starbucks. I've been in a pumpkin spice mood lately with the cooler fall weather we've been having.

On Wed. Sept. 19, I was suppose to have a second date with a seemingly nice guy. We were suppose to meet at 2pm to play putt putt at a local putt putt place. When 2:15-2:20 rolled around and he had not yet returned my call or text I decided I wasn't going to wait any longer. I was hungry anyways so I went and got some lunch. Stood up for a second time in less than a week. That was fun haha.

As I was eating my food in my car it dawned on me that another guy I had been talking to, whom I had met online, but had not yet met in person was also off work that day. I texted him and asked if he would like to hangout since my other date had canceled. He said sure and it was a beautiful day so I drove and picked him up. We went to a local park and swung on the swings and talked.

Then we went to Starbucks, I had a delicious pumpkin spice latte, he had a salted caramel hot chocolate, and we played Uno with the Uno cards he had brought. All in all it was a better date experience than the other one that had happened earlier in that day. So even though I was stood up, I did not and am not standing down. Just when the Enemy thinks he has you discouraged in life, God likes to prove Him wrong and encourage us all and lift us up all over again.

Today Sun. Sept. 23, I had singing practice with my music outreach group, ate at Olive Garden for dinner with my dad and his girlfriend, then went for a 2.5 mile walk to the park with my brother. It was a beautiful day/evening for it and it felt good to burn some calories. I need to start getting back into more indoor exercise as it gets cooler out, but until the weather gets too cold out I still prefer working out outside lol.

I may not know what God has in store for me in the future, but I know He's got some good plans for me. His plans way are better than anything I can ask for or imagine. As in says in Ephesians 3:20-21, "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." May He do more for us all, more than we could ever ask or imagine.

Until next time...walk on, sing on, date on, and don't stand down!

God is Good!

This week has been an amazing testimony to the faithfulness of God when you fully trust Him with every area of your life.

On Sunday, I had a good time of communication with God and I re-surrendered all of the areas of my life into His control and not my own. I told Him whatever He wanted to do with my life, He could. That includes my finances, my dreams, my passions, my relationships, everything. Not my will, but His be done.

On Monday, I finally had the interview for the possible new career path I had mentioned in my last post. And even though the other position I had applied for had just been filled over the weekend, God made a way and created a new position just for me! In the next few months I will be able to transition into this new position, in a new area, at my current job and I'm very excited about it! It will be more mentally challenging, a better use of my skills, and it will pay a little better too, which are all answers to prayer!

On Tuesday, I met with a young, married, Christian couple who I found on meetup.com. They lead a Christian artists group, a Christian artists Bible study, and a Christian praise band among other things. They are passionate about bringing other Christian artists together for fellowship and encouragement to others. I had a great time meeting and getting to know them better and they invited me to a local play that one of the actors in the group will be performing in on Friday night! I'm excited to get to know them better and meet other Christian artists like myself in the near future.

On Wednesday, I went for a 1 mile run around my neighborhood. It was my first time running again since I fell running a few weeks ago and hurt my knee really bad. It felt good to get back into it and not let my fear of possible injury hold me back, from getting the exercise I need and doing what I love. After running for about 16 minutes I also trimmed bushes and pulled the weeds in my front yard for 1 hour. So now my house has better curb appeal again and looks like someone actually lives there lol.

On Thursday, I met with an older married, Christian couple who I also found on meetup.com. They lead a Christian acoustic outreach group in which they sing and play guitar once a month at a local nursing home. They also write, publish, and sell their own songs, books, and games online. They are a very sweet couple and we had a great time getting to know each other today. We also had a great time singing together and practicing the songs we are going to sing this Sunday at the nursing home.

Overall, I can tell that God has some amazing things in store for me and I'm so glad that I'm trusting Him with all of it because it's way better than anything I could do on my own! Praise Jesus!

Time Flies...

Wow time really does fly when you are having fun haha.

My Favorite Gatlinburg, TN Vacation 2012 Photos:

Me atop the Great Smoky Mountains in Gatlinburg, TN, July 2012.

 Me during a one mile hike up the mountains to a waterfall.

Me at the bottom of the beautiful waterfall!

The beautiful mountain view behind the timeshare we stayed at.

Me and my silly 7 year-old cousin at a Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge, TN. 

We tried to recreate a famous scene from the Titanic movie, but better lol.

 Me and some friendly black bears, taking a break together on a bench. Haha.

 Me at the waterfall in front of our timeshare.

Notice more of those playful little black bears again in the background.

 

One of the many gorgeous mountain views I was able to capture.

So my vacation to Gatlinburg, TN overall was a blast and should get me through the next year or so until my travel cravings start to come back. Of course I spent way too much money on souvenirs, attractions, and the like. So I will probably spend the next year trying to make up for what I spent on vacation, saving as much money as I can, and trying to get my last school loan paid off. I can't wait to be debt free! If only for a little while. I am also pursuing a new career field and hope to continue to study on my own and eventually break into this new career field. More about that at a later date...

In other news, my boyfriend of four months and I broke up at the end of May, not long after my last post. While it was hard to get through at the time, looking back I now know that it was for the best. I really learned how important it is to communicate how you feel and what you are conflicted about with the person you are in a relationship with and not through a third party. I also learned how important it is to see how well the other person deals with conflict or whether they shutdown and avoid it altogether. An argument or conflict sometimes really is a good test to see what the true character of a person is like, as opposed to how they claim their character is.

God is in control of all aspects of my life right now, whether it makes sense to me or not and whether it's easy or not. And lately it has been hard to learn the lessons that He has been teaching me. I have been reading a lot lately about sanctification and maturing in the faith and I truly believe that is what God is trying to do in my life right now. He is refining me into what He wants me to become and not what I  currently am. He seems to be refining me by fire too at times. But I know it's for my own good even though I can't see what's coming next, I'm trusting Him to guide me along this crazy path that we call life.

I'm not sure at this time what I really want to do with this blog. I'm almost tempted to add one more topic to the title. And that topic would be "dating." I have recently in the last month or so gotten back into the dating scene and it has been interesting to say the least. I have some pretty good dating stories new and old alike that are worth a good laugh if nothing else.

Over the last three years, all of my dating experiences have all been good learning experiences for sure. And I've come a long way in learning what I do want and don't want in a potential life partner. I am hopeful that eventually God will bring the right person along when the time is right. I have a feeling that it will be soon, but I'm trusting Him either way on the timing. I've met some great people along the way, made some great memories, and learned a lot about myself in the process. So I guess it's been a blessing in a way, even if it doesn't always feel like it.

Perhaps, a new topic to add to this blog would revive my passion and motivation to write on here again. I have gotten back into dancing a little recently when I went swing dancing a few weeks ago and I joined a dance social group on meetup.com. So I'm just trying to reprioritize my life right now and figure out how best to spend my time. So maybe a new topic that is fresh on my brain would help this blog and give it the new flavor and zest that it needs to make it one of my priorities again. Haha.

So what do you, the audience, think? How does this sound? "Dancing, Dieting, Dating, and a Diary." Too long? Or I could just take off the dieting part and have, "Dancing, Dating, and a Diary." I kind of like the second one better. Maybe I will try a new name out for a while and see if I like it and how it goes.

Until next time...dance on and date on!

Memorial Day Weekend

So I had a good Memorial Day weekend. How was yours? Yesterday I went to church, went to a graduation open house, visited family and friends, walked around at the park with some relatives for an hour, got ice cream, did a little gardening, and watched the end of the Indy 500 race on TV. Today I got the house cleaned up, went swimming at a pool party, and even had time and energy to do my dance video game tonight for 40 minutes. I even have a pretty good tan starting now from being outside so much lately. All in all it was a good Memorial Day weekend.

I'm starting to get excited because my vacation is coming up in the beginning of July! It's only a little over a month away now! I am going to Gatlinburg, Tennessee with my aunt and two cousins. Smoky Mountains here we come! I haven't been there since the summer of 2007 and I can't wait to go back! It's so beautiful & relaxing there. I hope to get to go to Dollywood this time and some other new places. I will be gone for about two weeks and I will be having a blast I'm sure!

Oh and FYI my boyfriend Michael and I have been dating for four months now and I'm loving every minute of it. He really is a special, one of a kind, amazing guy. I look forward to many more fun experiences with him in the future. I will miss him while I'm on vacation though. But that's what phone calls and facebook are for right? lol.

Oh yes I am also currently preparing a short story for a writing contest about an experience in my life that required faith in God & how He worked in my life through that experience. So I will keep you updated on how that goes. I have to submit it by June 20, 2012. So pray that it goes well! Thanks!

Well that's enough for now. Until next time...keep reading, writing, and living life to the fullest!

Mother's Day & Memories

Happy belated Mother's Day to all of you moms out there. Lately my mom has been on my mind. It was eight years ago on May 11, 2004 that my mom passed away from a second bout with cancer. It was a few days after Mother's Day & four days before my sister's wedding. We had her funeral on Friday and my sister's wedding on Saturday. Even though, that was the hardest weekend of my life, I now see that God had a plan through all of that. All of those experiences taught me a lot and helped me to become who I am today.

Lately, I have been having good memories of my mom. Like when I was a kid she read a book called "The Boxcar Children" to me and my brother. She would read to us on nice summer days while swinging on the porch swing on the back patio of my grandmother's old log cabin. I remember her introducing me to the "Nancy Drew" mystery book series which I still love and read to this day.

Just recently I found both of those kinds of books at a book sale they had at the mall. That particular book sale only comes to the mall three times a year. Since I don't see those kinds of books for sale very often I couldn't pass up the chance to get some. So, I bought a few books in her memory and for my own enjoyment. I hope to pass those book traditions on to my nieces and nephew and maybe my future kids some day.

I also remembered just today how she used to help feed the homeless. She would stop and buy some hamburgers for a homeless guy on the street corner or make him a sandwich from our picnic supplies. She tried to make a difference for others in her own, small way. And she tried to lead by example.

I hope that I am leaving a good legacy behind with my life. And I hope to continue to be a Godly example to others that I encounter through out my life. What kind of example are setting for others around you? What kind of legacy do you hope to leave behind for future generations to remember?

It was such beautiful weather out today that I played outside with my nieces and nephew while visiting my sister, later I went for a walk around my neighborhood, then I planted half of my garden. While at my sister's we even ate fresh mulberries off of a mulberry tree. It was a good day. And me, my sister, and my brother all talked about our best memories of our mom. It was our little way of honoring our mom on Mother's Day.

We'll never forget you Mom. Happy Mother's Day!

Love,

Your Daughter 

Sticking to the Diet

I am trying hard again to stick to the diet of eating lots of fruits, veggies, nuts, some healthy whole wheat carbs, little lean meat, and not a lot of high fat or fried foods. Tonight I went to the grocery and bought all kinds of unusual fresh fruit. I bought passion fruit, star fruit, ugly fruit, pomegranate, and a banana mango among others. I tried the passion fruit and star fruit tonight. Both were weird yet delicious. I also bought some veggies, whole wheat bread, pasta sauce, whole wheat noodles, and some healthy veggie chips and snacks. I plan to make healthy meals for the rest of the week and try to take my lunch to work.

Last week, I got back into more consistent exercise and worked out five out of seven days! I danced at home, ran outside and on the treadmill, and walked out side. I also went for a walk outside tonight for a mile around my neighborhood. But I am starting to miss going out dancing. I am kind of burned out on swing dancing. So I think I will go back to salsa dancing which I only did for a little while before I ran out of time last fall. I hope to have more exciting dance updates to come in the near future. But, until then hear is a picture of some of the cool fruit I ate tonight. Enjoy!

Star fruit

 

Passion fruit

Faith and Trust

Those are the two topics that God has been teaching me about so far this year. I have been learning to have faith in God and His ability and trusting that He will take care of things in my life. It sounds like a simple concept to follow, but it's really hard to put your own pride and ego aside to let God work in your life. Instead of always trying to do things my way and usually watching them not work out, I have been trusting God by having faith in Him to work things out. And so far He has!

It's actually a lot easier and a big relief not to have to worry about every little detail of my life anymore. It has taken me a long time to come to this realization, but obviously God has been teaching me these lessons all along the way to get me to this point in my where I am now willing and able to do the things He has set before me to do. Not my will, but His be done. And let's face it, what He has in store for us is way better than anything we could come up with!

So this post isn't so much about dancing (which I haven't done for a while) or dieting (which I've been sticking to most, but not all the time). This post is more about the diary part. (Although I think I lost a few pounds last month, but I haven't weighed myself recently to see if I've kept it off lol.) Anyway, God has been teaching me a lot and I've been putting what I'm learning into action and so far it's paying off. I have been trusting Him with a particular need in my life and then He provides the solution to that need. He also uses me to help with the needs of others and to encourage them along the way in this hard life we all live.

I challenge you to seek God, have faith, and begin to trust Him like I have. One step at a time of growth in our relationships with God, can lead to a wonderful time of blessing and opportunity now and in the near future. We don't always know what God has in store for us, but we can rest assured that it will be better than our plans or dreams. He created each of us with special gifts, talents, and abilities to serve Him and others in a special and unique way. God is calling you to Himself, to serve Him and love others. Are you listening to His calling? Your spiritual phone is ringing...will you answer?

Spring Cleaning

Spring is here and I have been loving every minute of it. I have been getting outside as much as possible and enjoying the lovely 60-70 degree weather that we have had so far this month. I have been walking, jogging, and running outside each week. I have also danced inside either to music or my dance video game. And last week I even worked out at a local gym with a friend of mine.

Last week, I exercised in all four days in a row. I walked and ran a little over three miles last week. The week before that I walked and ran a total of six miles. Even though I felt tired by the time the weekend rolled around the last two weeks, it also felt great to get lots of exercise and sunlight. All of which is much needed and appreciated by my body and spirit. Oh yeah, I almost forgot I think I even lost 2 or 3 lbs. finally!

All of this is also due in part to the fact that I've been trying again to stick to a healthy overall diet. This diet includes: lots of fruits, veggies, nuts/seeds, and lower carbohydrates, fat, and meat. I eat about every two or three hours and usually snack on fruit, granola bars, or healthy trail mix that has dried fruit, nuts, and sunflower seeds in it. It's a lot of hard work with the extra exercise and involves me bringing my lunch to work more often and eating out less, but it's proving to be worth it. And when I do eat out, I try to make healthy choices. For example, I might eat a meal with lean meat, veggies or a salad as side and no dessert.

I've also been enjoying doing some spring cleaning in my closet and room. Last Sunday afternoon, I cleaned out my closet and gave away seven bags full of clothes, shoes, scarves, and purses to Servant's Heart. Servant's Heart is a local food pantry, clothing, & furniture donation organization that helps needy families on the south side of Indianapolis. It felt good to get rid of unwanted things taking up space in my room and to help others by giving away things that could be better used by those in need.

I have also been enjoying spending time with my wonderful boyfriend Michael who is a blessing and encouragement to me. He makes me want to be a better person, a better servant for God's kingdom, and to be more Christ-like in all I do. I am truly thankful to God for bringing him into my life. I have been waiting for God to bring a man into my life like this man and I feel so blessed to be getting to know him better all the time.

Isaiah 64:3-4 speaks about waiting on God's timing and direction in your life in regards to His will and how He rewards us in return for being patient and trusting Him. Isaiah 64:3-4 says, "3 For when you did awesome things that we did not expect, you came down, and the mountains trembled before you. 4 Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him." God acts on our behalf if we are willing to wait on Him, be patient, and trust Him.

I just watched a sermon online tonight by Dr. Charles Stanley and that is what inspired me to share those verses. These verses spoke to me about where I am in my life right now and where God is taking me. I am trusting in Him to guide me in His will for my life, whatever that may be. I pray that you will do the same and be willing to allow God to touch your heart and impact your life.

He loves you, even if you don't love Him or know Him. God sent His only begotten son to come to earth, die for your sins and mine, descend into hell to pay our sin punishment, to rise again, and ascend into heaven. Jesus is the Savior of the world and the only way to heaven. No amount of good works, good thoughts, or monetary donations to good causes can buy your way into heaven. John 14:6 says about Jesus, "6 I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

So the question is where do you believe you will go when you die? We all sin and fall short of the glory of God and do not deserve to go to heaven. That means that we will go to hell for all of eternity unless we confess our sins and ask Jesus to forgive us. I pray that God will speak to you through this message and convict you of your eternal destination. And I hope that you will turn to Him because He is waiting with open arms to receive you and share His love with you.

John 3:16-18 says,"16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God's one and only Son."

Week of Workouts

I worked out four times this week! For me that is a pretty big accomplishment considering I usually end up being too busy to fit in three or four workouts per week. On Tuesday of this week, I worked out with a friend at her gym for an hour. On Wednesday, it was warm enough so I ran a little over a mile outside, around my neighborhood with my dad for about twenty minutes. On Thursday night, I went out to eat with two friends from work and Michael the guy I am dating. We had a nice time eating and visiting.

On Friday, I bought a dance game for my game console and danced for 45 minutes. On Saturday night, I went with Michael to my sister's house and we visited my sister, brother-in-law, and their children. We had fun visiting with everyone and playing with the kids. Today, it was sunny and I ran a mile outside in 15 minutes. Then I came inside and danced to my dance game for about 45 minutes. So all in all I've worked out for about three hours this week. I hope to keep it up!

Tonight, I decided to dub some of our old family movies that were on 25 year old VHS tapes over to our hard drive recorder. So that way I can then burn them to DVD, make some copies, and pass them out to my various family members who might want some copies of them. It was neat to see myself as a month old little baby in Christmas of 1986. Then to see myself again as a one year old and later as a two year old. I was so cute! And it was funny to see relatives a lot younger, with more hair, and with funny clothes and hairstyles.

It was so neat to see relatives who aren't even alive anymore smiling and talking to everyone. I hope to preserve some of this family history that is on video and to pass it on to future generations.
I know my nieces and nephew will get a kick out of seeing us all in the family videos. I know I sure did. LoL. ;-)

Valentine's Day Surprise

Valentine's Day this year was the best one ever. I woke up in the morning to having my dad tell me that my sister had her baby. And to my surprise it was another girl. Now I have four nieces and one nephew. Her name is Adelise Joy and she was born at 4:32 am on Feb. 14, 2012. She weighed 8 lbs. 2 oz. and was 20 inches long. I saw her for the first time the next day and she was adorable.

When I got to work that day the time clock told me, "Happy Anniversary." I was three years at my job on Feb. 14, 2012. I can't believe it! And my raise went into effect that day too so that is a plus. I worked a short shift that day and got off at 3pm.

After work I went  home and starting getting ready for a fun night out. I went on a double date with a nice guy I'm dating and my dad and his girlfriend. We had dinner at a nice German restaurant called The Rathskeller and then went to a Valentine's Day Dance and Concert with the Indianapolis Jazz Orchestra at the Athenaeum downtown. We danced, listened to live jazz music, and had a great time.

It was definitely the best Valentine's Day ever. And the next day was pretty good too. I took my three older nieces to the Children's Museum with my aunt. We had fun exploring the new Mr. Potato Head exhibit, a few other exhibits, and playing together. I even treated everyone to ice cream after lunch. When we went home we all got to visit the new baby and all took turns holding her.

Since then I've been busy working and helping take care of my brother who had his wisdom teeth taken out last week. And I've gotten back into the diet for the most part and I've been exercising more. Last Sat. I danced for three hours while playing a dance video game at a game night at a friend's house. And last night I worked out for an hour at a gym with a friend. Yesterday, I also cooked greens and made bean burritos. So I'm getting back on track with my health again.

I will try to keep my updates on here coming at least once a week if not more. But you know how life can sometimes get crazy. And when it does that's when I try to slow down and then write about it. So here's to living life, dancing, dieting, and then writing about it. ;-)

Whirlwind Week and a Half

So I guess I have been busy lately! Between getting over that bad sinus cold last week, working extra hours, and having fun after work, I wore myself out quite a bit. On Friday Jan. 27, I went swing dancing with my cousin and a guy friend. It was fun & the band was great that night. The next night on Saturday Jan. 28, I went with some friends to a Christian rock concert downtown called The Rock and Worship Roadshow. It featured Christian artists such as MercyMe, Tenth Avenue North, Hawk Nelson, and Lecrae. It was a great show and very encouraging.

On Sunday Jan. 29, I went to a funeral for my co-worker's mom. From family photos and the expressions on many of the faces I saw there I could tell that she had led a good life and was now at peace in heaven. She had been a wife, a mother, traveled the world, and led the occasional worship hymn at her church service. I hope to leave a legacy behind that encourages future generations to serve God and others through Christ's awesome love.

On Monday Jan. 30, the weather in Indiana was unseasonably warm and it was sunny. So I went for a walk and jog around my neighborhood for 1.3 miles in 22 minutes. Then when I got home I danced to some music for 8 minutes. So it added up to about a 30 minute workout total and I burned about 154 calories when I worked out outside. So that was good. On Wednsday Feb. 1, I went to my women's writer group. We discussed stories we are working on and how to use online resources such as blogs, ebooks, and youtube channels to get our writing out there for the world to see.

On Thursday Feb. 2, I went to my Bible study where we are reading the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan. It's about how we should be showing Christ's love in radical ways and not let fear or other distractions hold us back from sharing God's love with others. On Friday Feb. 3 I went downtown with a friend to explore Super Bowl Village and to attempt to see a free concert. It was fun to see some the sights but the huge crowds made me feel slightly claustrophobic. I was able to see LMFAO perform and I had fun taking pictures on Monument Circle and around downtown. I walked around downtown for a few hours and got some good exercise in return.

On Sunday Feb. 5, I went to a friend of my aunt's house and watched the Super Bowl with some of my family members and their friends. We ate all kinds of snacks and I can honestly say that I severely fell off of my healthy diet during the first week of February. I ate all kinds of goodies that I should not have, but I hope to get back on the healthy diet soon or at least stick to it better and only splurge a little here and there. While at the party I talked to a guy who said he likes to go salsa dancing at the Jazz Kitchen in Broad Ripple on the nights they have it. So I hope to go salsa and swing dancing again in the near future.

Well I think that catches you all up to what I've been doing in my life lately and why I haven't gotten on here sooner. In my free time God has been teaching me a lot about faith and what it means to trust and believe that God will do what He says can do. My lack of faith in Him and my pride often tends to get in the way of what He is trying or wants to do in my life. I hope and pray that He continues to remove my pride and strengthen my faith so that He can do the work in me and through me to accomplish His will in my life.

Until next time, keep on dancing!

So Much For Super Immunity

So since the new year began I have been following a great healthy diet from a book written by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. It is called Super Immunity: The Essential Nutrition Guide for Boosting Our Body's Defenses to Live Longer, Stronger, and Disease Free. On the cover it says, "No Shots, No Drugs, No Sick Days." Well this had been true so far until Monday of this week when I began to feel a sore throat and runny nose coming on. By Tuesday I had a stuffy and runny nose and started to feel run down. By today I had a full blown sinus cold and stayed in bed most of the day. Luckily, I ended up being off of work today and tomorrow so it worked that I did not have to call in sick.

As I gathered more detail from the book I came to find out that it does not guarantee that you will not get sick. In all honesty my dad has been reading the book and just relaying the information to me. I have only glanced at some of the key information and some of the recipes. So even though I may be giving this book a hard time since I did get sick, I do seem to be recuperating quite well and fairly quickly. A few weeks ago I could feel a cold coming on but my body fought it off and after a few days it never amounted to anything.

So I guess the overall healthier diet has been helping my immunity to become stronger to fight off some of the possible illnesses that have come my way. Time will tell and documenting it all in this diary will show just how well this diet and my overall improved lifestyle will help my health. Which reminds me that I forgot to mention that last Wednesday I ran one mile in 15 minutes and 50 seconds on the treadmill and got my fastest time ever! I even got up to a five mph running speed on the treadmill which I have never been able to do before! I burned 145 calories and was quite impressed with my progress.

I have not really worked out since then due to being busy and getting sick, but I plan to go swing dancing this Friday night again if I am feeling better by then. I am eating lots of fruits and veggies, drinking a lot of water, and taking zinc every three hours to try to fight off this cold faster. I am also getting a lot of sleep and rest. I hope that all of this combined will bring me back to my optimum health and make my immunity super yet again.

Please check out Dr. Fuhrman's blog about how to disease proof your health at: http://www.diseaseproof.com/.

Until next time, keep on dancing! ;-)

A Good Weekend and an Awakening

So on Saturday I worked and I had my one year evaluation. I was a solid performer in every area except for in the areas of customer service and adaptability I exceeded expectations. So starting next month I will be getting a raise which is great! So even though I don't have the job I thought I would at this point in my life, at least I am doing well where I am at. I am blooming where I am planted and God is blessing me for being His servant.

Lately He has been teaching me about contentment and finding satisfaction in Him alone and I am glad. I have accepted the fact that He has me where I am at in my life for a reason. And if He decides to take me to another job or another place in life that will be fine as long as I am where He wants me to be. I am trying to become less concerned with how the world views me, my life, my job, my skills, my education, my background, and my appearance.

Instead, I am trying to become more concerned with how God views me and my actions. I am trying to learn to be a courageous, strong, and faithful witness to others in the world and not worry about what they think of me. We only have one chance to be the light of Christ on this earth to others. So why would you waste it worrying about what others think of you?

I know I don't want to waste this life. Do you?

In other news, I have continued following a healthy diet and doing some regular exercise since the new year. And now I have finally lost a few pounds! I am so excited and encouraged to be heading in a positive direction in my life right now. I feel that God has some great things in store for me this year and that I had to go through the dark and rough days last year to grow closer in my faith to Him.

He has been teaching me some important lessons that my stubbornness, ego, and hardheaded self really needed to learn. He is humbling me each day. Even though it can be hard and annoying at times, I know I need it in the long run. Thanks Lord for everything You are teaching me and working on in my life. I would be lost without You. 

Love,

Your Servant

Friday Night Swing Dance!

Tonight I had fun! I went out to dinner at Red Lobster with a friend of mine. Then I went swing dancing at the Fountain Square Theater with my aunt. I happen to run into a guy there who I knew from my old church I used to go to a few years back. So we started talking and the we danced two dances.

Then I danced with various guys throughout the night. I even danced a few dances with my aunt just for fun. The live band tonight played mostly slow jazz music so it was kind of hard to dance to certain songs. We still had a pretty good time though despite the less upbeat music. It felt good to get out and exercise after not exercising much this week. I danced off and on for about two hours so that was a good workout.

Afterwards, my aunt and I went to Denny's and got hot chocolate and mozzarella sticks for a snack. We discussed dancing and both decided that we want to start taking some lessons again. We both agreed that more salsa lessons would be nice. There are several places around town to go salsa dancing. I like to learn dances that can be danced at local clubs, studios, and events nearby. I mean what is the point in learning a certain style of dance, if there is no place local where you can go and dance it?

So I've done some research and I have concluded that swing and salsa dancing are two of the more popular local dance styles around Indianapolis. It might be fun to learn some of the more formal ballroom dances, but there are not as many places nearby to go ballroom dancing. Also, from what I hear the ballroom dancing crowd does not usually seem to have many young people around my age in it. I would prefer a somewhat younger crowd or at least a variety of ages to dance with when I go dancing.

 Now all I have to do is more research to figure out when and where I should start taking more salsa lessons with my aunt. I also am interested in possibly finding some casual freestyle dance clubs that play more recent pop and dance music to dance to. A nice karaoke bar would also be fun to go to. Maybe they even have a dance and karaoke club that exists somewhere. Now to me that would be awesome! LOL.

Well I'm off to bed now. But, before I go here is a picture of what I wore swing dancing tonight. Until later I'll be dancing in dreams. :-)

A Good Day

Today was a good day. I actually enjoyed being at work since I began working in a new department this week and it has been a nice change. I also stuck to my healthy diet all day. I only ate fruits, veggies, some carbs and very little meat today. I still have not gotten a chance to exercise since Sunday, but I plan to over the next few days. Luckily, I think sticking to a healthy diet, reading spiritually encouraging books, praying each day, and getting regular rest has contributed to my overall good mood and positive outlook this week.

God has really been speaking to me lately through His word about being obedient, strong, courageous, righteous, and strengthened in faith. It makes me wonder, "Why do I let fear hold me back from doing what God calls me to do or what I am most passionate about?" Now I realize that fear should never hold us back from what God is calling or commanding us to do. I encourage you all to seek first His kingdom and see what happens. What do we have to lose? You never know what could happen until you try. So here's to trying. ;-)

A New Year, A New You...

So far in this new year things are going well. I'm reading a few books to keep me encouraged and positive. I'm following a new, healthy diet, readjusting my priorities and pursuits in life, and seeking God's guidance through it all because without Him I am a helpless mess lol. Some of the books I'm reading include: the Bible, Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God, and The Myth of Happiness: Discovering a Joy You Never Thought Possible. All of these books are proving to be very helpful to me.

The first book I am reading is the Bible. I am attempting to read the Bible in one year which I thought sounded quite overwhelming at first. However, now that I have started reading a few chapters a day I find it quite enjoyable and I look forward it each day. The second book I am reading is Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God by Francis Chan. This book has really helped me so far and I have a hard time putting it down! The third book I am reading is The Myth of Happiness: Discovering a Joy You Never Thought Possible by Rich Wagner. This book is teaching me a lot about the idea contentment and joy vs. the idea of pursing happiness.

I would highly recommend any of these books, especially the Bible. My attitudes and outlook have been changing for the better since I started reading these books and I hope it continues throughout the year. Please let me know how your new year is going. If you decide to read any of these books please tell me about it. I hope that with God's help, reading these books changes you for the better as well.

New Years Resolutions and Goals

Last year about this time I made a goal to learn how to dance. I started dancing last January and I haven't been able to stop since. I prefer making goals instead of resolutions since I tend to stick to them better. This year my goals are to continue to learn more dances, to stay on a healthy diet, and to keep a diary online of my experiences while pursuing these goals. I'm sure I will have days when I fall off of my diet (like yesterday lol) and days when I don't have time to dance, but at least I will have this blog to turn to and keep myself and my goals accountable to. Even if no one else ends up reading this blog except me, at least I will know that I tried. You can't fail unless you try... right?

So today I danced for 30 minutes to a salsa dancing video at home. I also ate mostly healthy stuff today except for some cream cheese on crackers and a little chocolate. So far so good. I noticed that my mood was positive all day. I believe a lot of that is due to eating a healthy diet and exercising. I mention this because over the last few months I have experienced a lot of mood swings, depression, and lethargic tendencies since going off of birth control medicine for my polycystic ovary synrome.

However, I've noticed that when I eat healthy, get regular exercise, and stay on a good sleep schedule I tend to not have as many mood swings or feelings of depression. Plus I just enjoy life more overall when I do these things. Dancing is one form of exercise that I still really enjoy in addition to jogging. I also enjoy the social aspect of dancing and the fun part of getting dressed up for it. So we will see over time how I do with these goals and how my life just might change for the better because of it.

Until tomorrow I'll be dancing in my dreams. Goodnight. ;-)