Friday Afternoon Update

Well, I haven't done updates in a while and since I am home bored, thought I should start. :)

Tuesday I had surgery. Yuck! Had a kidney stone that wouldn't pass so the doctor went in and shattered it and I got a stint put in between my kidney and bladder. Yuck! Uncomfortable but glad to have it fixed! I will heal in no time! 

My sister came into town to help my Momma take care of me and it has been such a blessing. Last surgery I had in Arkansas was a nightmare. Spent lots of days trying to walk myself to the bathroom or make something to eat and would be in so much pain that I would end up just not eating cause it hurt so bad to get up and fix myself something. My sister was in town for a couple of days for that surgery too but had to go back and when she went back.... I had nobody helping me. It is amazing to have family here helping me! I am so blessed! 

I have had some awesome friends send me flowers and treats and many visitors drop by to check on me! 

 

And of course Momma's home cooking and the dogs loving on me.....

 

God is so awesome!!!!! 

Sunday Social ~ End Of Summer

1. What was your favorite trip/vacation/activity this summer?

My favorite activity this summer was the family trip to CO that pretty much kicked off the summer!!!  We traveled to CO to celebrate Alec's graduation and it was an amazing time with family!!!!  Definitely a memorable family trip!

2. What was your favorite outfit look/clothing item of the summer?  I definitely loved my summer dresses this summer! 

3. What is one thing you wish you’d gotten to do this summer? Take a trip to Arkansas to see my friends but hopefully that will be a good fall trip!  The trees are beautiful that way during the fall season!

4. What was your favorite song of the summer?  Definitely Ready Or Not by Britt Nicole Ft Lecrae
http://youtu.be/fccqaKTz3Ko

5. What was your favorite movie/tv show of the summer? Big Brother of course!!!! WOOT WOOT!

Relay For Life 2013

 
Every year, my family comes together to help bring awareness to cancer.  This year was the first year that I have been able to join them.  I have always been in Arkansas so living back home in Texas allowed me the opportunity to join the family at Relay For Life and help spread awareness regarding cancer.

Regina was in the contest to see who could get the most signatures on her t-shirt.....

And Ethan wanted to be like his Tia....

So they both raced for signatures.... it was cute!

We were able to honor the ones we have lost to cancer as well as our survivors in a candlelit service. 

After the candlelit vigil, Kenly, Noah, and I were in a dance off.....that we all got tagged out of.... haha but we had fun while we were still in.....

All and all, it was a great night with family supporting a cause that is very dear to all of us.

Day 1- Recent Picture Of Me and 15 Interesting Facts About Myself

Recent Picture Of Myself.....

1.  I was born and raised in Lubbock, Texas and glad to be a resident of my hometown again!
2.  I crave hot wings on command.
3.  I heart hot chocolate any season, any weather.....give me hot chocolate!
4.  I am sooooo happy that it's Texas Tech football season!!!!!

 5.  I think I was supposed to be born close to a huge body of water....anywhere.  I absolutely am fascinated with the sea life.  Watching Shark and Whale shows on Animal Planet and Discovery captivates me! I could watch it for hours! 

6.  I not only love hot chocolate but I am also addicted to chocolate milk! YUM!

7.  I am also addicted to watching Big Brother! I am an Elissa fan!

 8.  I believe that family is amazing and friends are the family we choose, so friendships are just as important.  We choose them. I believe family makes the world go round....both the family we are born into and the family we choose.
9.  I love photography.  My goal is to someday have a little studio somewhere!
10.  I have a sweet yorkie named Daisy who sleeps all day and eats a lot but she's as cute and as sweet as possible!

 11.  I listen to Christmas music year round.  It makes me smile and my heart joyful!
12.  Someday I WILL go on a mission trip.  Every time I have this planned something happens but I am determined to spread the love of God!  I want to set the world on fire for Him!
13.  I love my family and feel so blessed that God placed me in the family He placed me in!  They mean the world to me!

 14.  I miss Arkansas and my wonderful friends there!

 15. I am truly happy and at peace in life! :)

30 Days Of Me

I haven't blogged in a while, so thought I would start back up by doing a 30 days of me challenge!!!!  :)

Here we go!!
day 1- recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself
day 2- the meaning behind you blog name
day 3- a picture of you and your friends
day 4- a habit that you wish you didn’t have
day 5- a picture of somewhere youve been to
day 6- favorite super hero and why
day 7- a picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you
day 8- short term goals for this month and why
day 9- something youre proud of in the past few days
day 10- songs you listen to when you are happy, sad, bored, hyped, mad
day 11- another picture of you and your friends
day 12- how you found out about blogger and why you have one
day 13- a letter to someone who has hurt you recently
day 14- a picture of you and your family
day 15- put you ipod on shuffle: first 10 songs that play
day 16- another picture of yourself
day 17- someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why
day 18- plans/dreams/goals you have
day 19- nicknames you have and why you have them
day 20- someone you see yourself marrying or being with in the future
day 21- a picture of something that makes you happy
day 22- what makes you different from everyone else
day 23- something you crave for a lot
day 24- a letter to your parents
day 25- what I would find in your bag
day 26- what do you think about your friends
day 27- why are you doing this 30 day challenge
day 28- a picture of you from last year and now, how have you changed since then?
day 29- in this past month, what have you learned
day 30- you favorite song

The Battle Is In Our Thoughts

Recently I have been struggling with decisions I have made and in the process of making.  Wondering if I am making the right ones, wondering if God is proud of me, and wondering if I will ever know when I am in His perfect will for me.  The truth is, there have been times when I have felt that complete peace but even in those times.....I wondered if it was my own peace or a peace brought on by Him. 

I know, this sounds weird and confusing and God is not the keeper of "confusion".  So with that being said, I have started to pray and pray for this chaos I call "thoughts" become a battle I hand over to Him.  A battle that when negative thoughts, doubts, or worries come in....I hand them over to Him.  I take my thoughts captive!

"Reject negative or sinful thoughts as soon as you become aware of them." Max Lucado

Easier said than done.   However, when I was doing my Bible study the other day, I realized that my negative thoughts are a HUGE reason for my confusion.  I start to focus on the bad, whether it be my bad decisions in the past or current.....I allow the enemy to come into my head and remind me of all the times I have failed and sinned.  I allow him to tell me how unworthy I am and how ugly I am inside and out and most horridly, how guilty I am.  I don't take my thoughts captive.  I allow the enemy to run with my mind and before I know it, I'm confused.

"Control yourselves and be careful!  The devil, your enemy, goes around like a roaring lion looking for someone to eat." 1 Peter 5:8

Taking our thoughts captive is vital.  We can't possibly think positive or Godly when we allow the enemy to take over our minds.  It really is a battlefield of the mind, it really is a spiritual warfare between good and evil and it all begins in our head.  If there are negative thoughts  that keep lingering, tell God.  Have a relationship with Him and share your frustrations and your thoughts and give it up to Him.  Get lost in prayer!  Get lost in Him.

Retraining my mind is something I have been working on for a while now and I have realized lately how vital it is to be positive and to think purity and lovingly.  I pray for God to fill my whole thought process with love and His spirit!  I pray the same for you!  Remember, He is love. Let that love fill your whole being and your whole thought process!  Be blessed today and remember to take your thoughts captive! Nothing is more important than a healthy spirit and a healthy mind!

My Soul Has No Wrinkles

So, a lot has happened over the last week.  Some things that have left me in awe of Him and His love for me.  Some things that have made me question what I am really doing with my life and circumstance that have allowed me to realize that I have not been completely putting God first in my life.  I try to be a good Christian.  I pray, dig into The Word, and talk about Jesus non stop.  However, the one thing I have failed to do is to totally trust Him and trust how He wants my life to unfold.  So many times I take matters into my own hands and end up creating my own destiny.  I have done this over and over again. 

My Aunt Ofelia came to visit and if you have kept up with my blog over the years, you know how much this woman means to me.  She is the most precious person in my life and I always adore my time with her! 

She is just so amazing!  I spent the afternoon with her yesterday and we talked about so much!  We talked about God, relationships, and death.  In our talk about death we talked about aging.  She explained to me that she had asked God the other morning if she was getting old and wrinkled and she said He answered her with "your soul does not have wrinkles".  We giggled but I walked away so inspired by that one comment. 

As we age, we begin to wonder where the time has gone.  We look back and remember the bad choices we have made, the loved ones we have lost, and we often find ourselves wondering if we truly did everything in our lives that we were supposed to.  As I said my prayers last night before bed, I wondered if God felt the same way about my soul, that it has no wrinkles.  See, somebody like my Aunt who has given her whole life to serve Him, I know does not have one wrinkle in her soul.  As I sat in prayer with my head hanging down, I wept.  I asked Him what I could do have a soul and a life to honor Him.  I asked Him questions about love and life and what I needed to change for my life to be more honoring to Him.  I fell asleep in prayer (I do this often because I pray and pray and pray until I wake up the next morning realizing I never quite ended my prayer).  As I awoke this morning, I felt His warmth in my spirit and He whispered, "I will make you wise and show you where to go."  As I did my Bible study this afternoon, I stumbled upon Psalm 32:8, "I will make you wise and show you where to go."  I love how He confirms when He speaks. 

I don't have all of the answers and I will always fall short but I know I have a loving God who I can come to and ask questions, who I can call upon when I'm not really sure what I'm doing or what I am supposed to do next.  He always comes through for me and He always guides me.  I need not worry about what the next chapter in life is because He already has it written for me.  All I need to do is follow His lead.  He will show me where to go and most importantly, He will always smooth out the wrinkles in my soul!