Friends & God

My friends are such a blessing. In the past week I've gotten to talk on the phone with 4 of my closest friends and I've been so uplifted and encouraged by them! They love the Lord with all they are and they inspire me in my walk. They listen to my struggles and the lessons I'm learning and they encourage me to keep going strong. They cry with me. They laugh with me. We have a history together. We have so many memories we've made together. I'm so grateful for the laughter, the tears, the spiritual convos, the boy convos, the memories, and the life we have together! God is good!

Not very many of my closest friends live in Conway with me. Since they love the Lord with all they are, a lot of friends are obeying His calling to live in different places. I have so many close friends that are serving the Lord in India (that's on the other side of the world, people!!) I have close friends in Oklahoma, Northwest AR, Little Rock, and Fort Worth, Texas. This makes fellowship and intimacy with friends difficult. This year, Allie (a friend and co-worker) and I have clung to God and each other so much more because there just aren't very many people here. God has taught me a lot this year as I live in Conway and grow closer to my friends through skype and the phone. Thank the Lord for technology!! Otherwise, it would be even more difficult to keep in touch.

Today, I'm grateful for the presence and closeness of Christ. He is with me here. He comforts me here. When I'm really missing my friends in India and I can't just call them, Christ comforts me. When I can't just laugh and cry over coffee with my friend in Texas (who also discipled me some in college), God comforts me. Thank you, God, for being a friend and always being close. Thank you, God, for giving me such incredible friends that I sometimes physically hurt because I miss them so much. God, you know me and you know what I need and you've provided. How faithful you are!

Buffet Style

This post is going to be buffet style....a variety of topics and you can read as little or as much as you like.

-I'm a fan of Starbucks Via. I was hesitant at first. One of the worst things in the world to me is the feeling of coffee grounds (or sand or dirt) in my mouth. I almost vom if I feel it. So, I was hesitant of Via for the icky grounds factor. "Will it dissolve all the way?", "Will there be big grounds?",  "Will it taste good?", "Will I vom?" You know...the normal questions for someone that could vom just thinking about sand in my mouth. sick. Anyway....I tried it this morning (woke up too late to make a real pot of coffee) and I'm a fan!
-If you're keeping track of the types of apples I enjoy (it's not hard...there is only 1), you can add a 2nd to the list! Pink Lady Apples. (of course I'd like them...they're called PINK LADY. It just fits.) Anyway, I now purchase both Granny Smith and Pink Lady apples at the store.
-God and I are going on an interesting journey this summer. He's teaching me a lot about myself. He's teaching me a lot about Himself. I'm being stretched. I'm being strengthened. I'm getting confused. I'm being humbled. I'm learning how dumb I can be. You know....the norm. Man, is it hard but fun.
-2 of my single friends have gone on 1st dates with new guys!! I am SO excited for them! Neither of them have dated in a while so I'm thrilled that guys are pursuing them!! :)
-I finished the HP books. When I read or watch a series, the characters become my family. It was definitely difficult to experience death and hardships along with the characters (I'm telling you...I get attached!) I can now start renting the movies and watch them! (looking into Netflix-any other services you'd recommend?)
-I just finished a small book by Ray Comfort called "God Has a Wonderful Plan for your Life." It was incredible! It is all about evangelism and discipleship. It's point is that we can't get people to convert by telling them God has a wonderful plan for their life. Then they follow Him for a bit, experience trial, and fall away. We have to lay the foundation that they are sinners (10 Commandments) and that Christ forgave them for that and they can experience hope. Once they see their depravity, they desire the hope. It made me want to go share the gospel right now!
-One thing I am pursuing now, after a full year on staff, is a personal ministry. I did DivorceCare4Kids last spring and loved it! I'm going to continue with that. But, I also want a ministry where I am discipling and pouring into young women, whether it be kids, youth, or college students. I'm in the midst of figuring this out. I plan on leading a Bible Study for girls/women in Conway through my church. I'm excited about this opportunity. I'm praying God would reveal to me if this is what He wants me to continue with or if He wants me to reach out into another type of ministry in my church. I'm also praying about opportunities to share the gospel. I just don't know where to do it! Since I work for a ministry, I don't have non-believer co-workers to share with. So, if you enjoy praying for things, ask God to give me wisdom in ministry and gospel sharing! Thanks! :)
-I now have a sister-in-law! Cam and Andi's wedding was unique, sweet, and God-glorifying. I loved being a part of their special day! They got home from San Diego on Saturday. Mom and I picked them up from the airport and they came back to mom's house to open all their presents. It was fun hanging out with them!
-Last night I went on a 40 minute walk that only felt like 15. I called my great friend Michelle and talked and talked and talked and it was great. We are in the same phase of life and it was so refreshing to talk through a lot with her. I'm so grateful for her friendship! I love quality time with deep convos with friends.
-Last Friday night, Macy, Kate, Christy and I went to Wild River Country and back to my mom's house for dessert (leftover wedding cake!). We hadn't all hung out since Macy's wedding so Friday was a great time!
-I've read a lot of books this summer. I LOVE to read. Here they are: HP 5,6,&7; God has a Wonderful Plan for your Life; Youniquely Woman; The IT Factor; Living Water and Indian Bowl; Spiritual Leadership; The Magician's Nephew. I'm currently reading The Lion,the Witch,&the Wardrobe, Counterfeit Gods, and In This Generation. Seriously, I love reading.
-I've made some good recipes lately. I'll try to make a recipe post soon. This week I've had Bar-b-cups (childhood fave), Southwestern Chicken Roll-ups (an improvised version), and tonight is Fish Tacos. Get excited!

If you've read all of this, you must be busting at the seams with upates. Thanks for being a part of my life! :)

Blown Away

I have been overwhelmed by God's greatness over the past few weeks! Every prayer that I have been praying for the past few months, God has answered in bigger and better ways than I could have EVER imagined! For work, I am consistently applying for international visas for our staff. Over the years, this has been a stressful game we play with the consulate, never knowing if they will give us the visas we want. This year, we came up with some new business platforms and God has been using them in huge ways. So far, we've applied for 33 visas and ALL 33 VISAS HAVE BEEN APPROVED!!!!! This is unheard of! We have fewer than 10 left to apply for and we're praying they all go through as smoothly as the first 33. God is blessing our efforts and we know He wants us to be doing His work internationally! Whenever I think about this, my mind can hardly grasp how incredibly these prayers have been answered. This also answers another prayer I've been praying - that God would show me more clearly my purpose for staying in Conway for a few years and my role in our overseas efforts. My Conway position allowing me to apply for these visas for our staff=my role in our overseas efforts and the reason God has me in Conway. Wow, is God great!!!!

Last week, I got to visit our Kaleo project in Destin! It was a wonderful time of seeing how the Destin project flows and of hanging out with friends at the beach. I was incredibly refreshed by my time down there! I got some great one-on-one time with close friends and got to have great convos and catch-up times with girls I haven't seen in way too long. Also, the beach is my ALL TIME favorite place on the planet, so that was a plus! I love laying in the sand, feeling the suns rays, and hearing the oceans waves. I loved my time down there and definitely didn't want to leave! Then, my expected 5 hours of travel time home turned into 12 hours, due to every possible delay you could imagine. It was good to be back in Conway once I finally got home!

This past weekend, my fam went to the lake. I spent 2 solid days laying out and got some great sun! :) The Marina had a rental boat available on Sunday so we got to go out for 4-5 hours. It was great! Second to the beach, I LOVE being on a boat on the lake! (my loves stem from laying in the sun - can you tell?!) We drove around, jumped into the 50* water by carpenter dam (felt like jumping into a glass of ICE water), and tubed.We are going to the lake again this weekend for the 4th - I'm looking forward to 3 more days in the sun!

Lastly, Cameron's wedding is LESS THAN 2 WEEKS away! Can you believe it?! It seems like not that long ago that he proposed. Where has the time gone? I am so excited for him and Andi! I'm honored to be a part of their big day. I am pumped to be adding someone so wonderful to our family!

Have a great week blogger friends!

Healthy Update

I've still been working out but I've been running less. For some reason it's getting harder. That doesn't make sense to me. But, I'm still trying for it! I've been doing the elliptical and lifting lots of weights. I can already tell a huge difference! My muscles are more toned and stronger and I've already lost a couple of inches in my waist. I am loving going to the gym every night and walking/running outside. It's so refreshing! I've been waking up at 630 every day no matter what time I go to bed - it must be from the exercise and change in energy. Because of this, I'm going to add in a morning walk. I read that 2 small workouts a day is great to boost your metabolism so I'm going to try this out. I'm going to go for a slow walk in the mornings while listening to a sermon and then do a more hardcore workout at night.

I've been cooking every night to try to avoid fried foods. This week I've had wheat pancakes, homemade pizza (best ever!), fish with asparagus and salad, and a burger with baked fries. First off, burgers are my all time favorite food ever! Second off, the pizza concoction I came up with is incredible. For the sauce, I mix pesto and alfredo. I put chicken, tomato, mushrooms, and mozzarella cheese as the toppings. SO GOOD!
I used to eat super unhealthy cereals and other breakfast foods but I've also switched that up too. I now eat 1 scrambled egg and 2 pieces of turkey bacon for breakfast. If I decide for cereal, I eat Honey Bunches of Oats. I think changing my breakfast food is helping a lot too - the protein holds me over to where I don't need a morning snack. ( I read an article about this too! :))

Just for fun, here is a pic of the most comfortable pants that are so fun! They're from India!

Have a great weekend! If you need me, you can find me poolside at my apt complex :)

Nail Polish and Weddings

Here is the post of pictures I promised!

Houston We Have a Purple and Golden. This picture doesn't do justice to the left one. It's a great color! And the gold is really fun :)

These were 99 cents!! Pale yellow, bubble gum pink, orange/coral, and Cotton Candy pink. I love them!

Yep, I'm just as obsessed with nail polish as ever! I change the colors on my fingernails at least twice a week! It's the perfect accessory to change up for different events or occasions. Love it!!

Here are some pictures from last weekend's wedding festivities!

 

The bride-to-be and I at the rehearsal dinner!!!

It was so fun to see and catch up with all my Nursing School friends! We had such a great time! Macy's mom rented us a cabin for the night before the wedding. We stayed up until 2 laughing, reminiscing, and catching up. It was great!!

The view from the cabin was beautiful!

Macy was a BEAUTIFUL BRIDE!!!! I felt honored to be a part of her big day!

Also, I CAUGHT THE BOUQUET! haha. I actually ran for it - I didn't want it to hit the ground! I also caught a bouquet in October and nothing as happened...so we'll see if anything comes from this one. Here's to hoping!

Post of Pictures complete! Hope you enjoyed it! Soon, I'll have some BEACH pictures to post! SO EXCITED!

Joyful Days

Brooke and Christy, this is for y'all!! :)

I feel like there is a common theme out in blogger world right now.....a long hiatus with no motivation to restart because it's overwhelming. Well, I'm back (hopefully I'm back and more consistent!). A lot has happened over the past 2 months so I'll give you a recap.

I ended up doing the Daniel Fast/Diet for about 3 weeks. I welcomed back meat, dairy, coffee, and diet coke with wide open arms! Since I ended it, I've decided to get rid of diets and "forbidden foods" and just go with what my body feels. At this point, fried foods don't sound good (too heavy in this HEAT) and lighter, healthier foods do. So, I'll stick with what my body wants! (Sidenote: my body still wants sweets and I'm giving it what it wants in moderation!!)

I was in Tulsa at the end of April/start of May for April Staff Training. It was so great! I got to spend 5 days with StuMo staff and I loved it!! So many hours of incredible fellowship with people I don't get to see often. I love StuMo staff. I love Tulsa. After training, I stayed for a few days with Lane and Kel. Love them!

This spring, my apartment has been like a hotel - so fun! Ganson stayed with me for a few days while home on her visa run. Then, a few weeks later, Ang was home and she stayed with me! In mid-May, a few friends stayed with me over the weekend for a wedding. After that, Ellie (co-worker/friend) stayed with my for a few nights en route to Kaleo. Hospitality and guests are a goal for my apartment and it's happening! Love it!

2 weeks ago my family went floating the Caddo. All I'm going to say is.....I'm a city girl that likes nail polish, heels, and poofed hair.

Last weekend, I spent 3 days laying on the dock reading Harry Potter 6. Perfect memorial day weekend!

Yesterday, Christy and I headed up to Marshall for Macy and Zach's rehearsal dinner and wedding!!! SO FUN! Zach and Macy are such a cute couple and their wedding was so sweet. It was a cherished weekend with Kate, Macy, Brooke, and Christy as we stayed up late and caught up on life. I love these sweet friends so much! We will have a lifelong connection with each other because of our 3 years together in Nursing School.

I caught the bouquet today - I actually ran for it. I think this is the first time that's ever happened. haha. I didn't want it to hit the ground...so I ran...in my 4 inch, nude, platform heels. #lovemylife  I've caught 2 bouquets in the past 8 months - does that mean anything? Should I catch 3 within a year for something to happen?

I'm taking up jogging and LOVING it! Fine, call me insane (Christy already has :). I'm going the route of jogging until I can't anymore. Wednesday, I jogged 3 minutes (yes, I'm out of shape). Thursday, I jogged 6 minutes. Today, I jogged 8 minutes. I've never been so refreshed and energized by jogging....this time it's just different. Again, I'm just doing what my body wants. I can feel the muscles relaxing and stress being released. By the end of the day, my body wants to go for a jog.

I bought gold nail polish today. I like it a lot :) Yep...I'm still obsessed with nail polish. I'll try to add pics of new colors soon (I've probably gotten 7 since that last post! In my defense-most were on sale for CHEAP).

Cameron and Andi's wedding is 5 weeks from today. Where did the time go? I'm a bridesmaid. We're wearing black dresses in the style of my choice. I'm going to borrow from a friend - she has a few different options. I'll def update with pics after the wedding!

I made my summer development schedule for reading. I'm excited about the variety of books I'm going to read and what I'm going to learn. I've had some sweet, sweet times with God over the past few days. It's been extremely refreshing, joyful, energizing, and transforming. 

If you read all of that, you're a true friend :) If you didn't, you're still a true friend :) Now that we're recapped, I'll TRY to do a better job of updating. I'll also try to do a photo post soon of recent photo captures. Love you guys!

Working Gal

People always tell you every stage of life is busier than the previous stage but we never believe it. NOW I DO! Man, I'm even busier working 9-5 than I was in school. And I have NO doubt the marriage/mom stage (if God lets me get there) will be even busier.The past 3 weekends I've been out of town or super busy in Conway. This weekend is no different. A lot of great things and rough things have been going on with me lately. I promise to update as soon as I have a free night to sit in front of the computer and collect my thoughts. Tonight is not that night - tomorrow night might be...we'll see if anything comes up!

6 A.M.

A time I haven't seen in quite a while. On normal days, I set my alarm for 6:30. Even then, I'm pressing snooze until at least 7, most of the time, later. Not this morning....I woke up at 6:00 wide awake with full energy! I laid in bed for a few minutes thinking "I'll just lay here until 7 and see if I fall asleep again." Nope, God wasn't having it. He wanted me up! Normally, if I get up at or before my alarm, I'm falling asleep during my Quiet Time and end up taking a morning nap. Not today! Man, God is good! I had an incredibly sweet time with my Savior this morning and still feel energized. I guess this detox is working! Even last night, I was able to walk 1.3 miles, read, cook some roasted potatoes, eat dinner, and watch some TV. Then, I went to bed around 10:30 when my body was feeling tired. Today, on day 4, I'm realizing the effects of this detox - more energy, bad breath (that goes away soon!), freezing all the time(I read this is an effect because your metabolism is working so fast to get rid of toxins that it can't keep you warm?-maybe?), and fewer headaches. Don't worry, I'm still imperfect and quite selfish. I find myself wondering how much weight I might lose instead of thinking about how I can treat my body even better. This is a learning and growing experience. My prayer is that as I detox and cleanse my body, God would detox and cleanse my heart and mold me into more of His likeness. Would you join me in praying this?

1 Cor. 3:16

"Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's spirit lives in you?"
I started memorizing this verse this semester for staff development. Little did I know that God would use it to convict me majorly! (His Word is LIVING and ACTIVE) I knew of this verse but it had never hit me before like it did this spring. God has shown me that I am not taking care of my temple or honoring it in a way that is glorifying to God.

I'll start by saying I don't think food is bad. I think the opposite of that - it is YUMMY! However, when I'm only consuming things that aren't the best for my body instead of good things, it can become bad. My love for coffee and diet coke led me to not drinking much water. My love for sweets and fried foods and convenience led me to not eating many fruits and veggies. As I noticed this, I felt led by the Spirit to change my habits. As I prayed about it, God revealed to me the Daniel Fast/Diet/Detox. I'm calling it all 3 of those things because that's how I am approaching it.

I started this on Monday and it hasn't been easy. Yesterday, I wanted to give up and call it quits! Today, I'm feeling much better. I know this is going to be a tough rollercoaster with God, but I'm excited about the journey He is going to take me on.

My menu:
Drinks: only water (I've had some mega caffeine headaches!).
Foods: only fruits, veggies, and whole grains. It's kind of a fun challenge to come up with recipes that are filling and nutritious with only fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. For breakfast, I've had fruit smoothies with almond milk (no dairy on this diet). Throughout the day I eat a variety of fruits. Today, I had a spinach leaf salad with oranges with EVOO for dressing (olive oil is allowed). For dinner I've made guacamole and added corn, onions, tomatoes, jalapenos, and cilantro and I eat it with natural corn chips. Some recipes that I look forward to trying are: onion stuffed mushrooms, stuffed peppers, a black bean and rice mexican dish, tomato and spinach soup, roasted potatoes, and others that I've found.

Exercise: walking 1-2 miles a day. Since my diet is changing, I'm not doing any drastic workouts. I just want to be active on a daily basis to increase my metabolism and to create healthy habits.

My purposes behind this fast/diet/detox are:
1-To practice self-control by denying selfish cravings.
2-To get rid of the toxins in my body and to lose some weight to create a healthier temple.
3-To increase my reliance on Christ for complete satisfaction throughout the day. (Matthew 4:4-"It is written:'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God'.")
4-To gain a healthier perspective on food and portions and cravings.

Don't get me wrong, when I've completed this, I plan on eating sweets and burgers again. I plan on drinking coffee and diet coke. But, I'll have a new, healthier perspective of all of it and I will have created healthier exercise habits.

Project #3

All my projects are complete!! My apartment is officially decorated and finished. Ahhhhh - it feels great! Tonight, I made a curtain to cover up my movie shelf. I don't sew, so I just ironed on some hemming tape and it's good to go. I'm sure a professional seamstress would absolutely DIE over it, but I'm not a professional seamstress and I'm proud of the work I did with some tape and an iron :)

Before.

After!

The cabinet to the right with the blankets will eventually be covered...the door is broken so Chandler is going to fix it for me! (such a sweet, handy-man brother!)

I already feel like I'm on my way to becoming a more well-rounded woman, even with the little knowledge of crafting I have. Even if my crafts aren't perfect, I still feel accomplished :)