THE most precious sound in the entire world!
I should start with a small fact about myself. I love to sing! I love to listen to others sing! I love the effect, motivation, joy, peace and so on that music brings to my life. So this morning in church as I was singing I was listening to others worship around me. The unique and diverse sounds and sights of others’ worshipping. Worshipping surrounded by family and friends is a blessing to start with but have you ever just stopped to watch or listen? There is so much beauty in hearing and watching others worship. I believe that we should experience worship and that isn’t just through singing (though music is NOT the only way to worship) but through listening and watching others worship. It definitely brings me closer to Lord watching and listening. But that is still not the most precious sound . . . I’m getting there!
So today in worship I took just a little time to watch others. My friend Angie with her hands in the air in complete surrender, Luke sitting in prayer and thought, Laura and Patrick worshipping as a couple, others with their eyes closed singing their praise to Him. But then we started singing “he is good he is good when there’s nothing good in me . . .” and I hear this sweet voice next to me singing this song that she knows so well because she has been raised in church and around Christian music. My sweet cousin Kylie, in the sweetest and purest voice I could imagine singing to Him. It was the most precious sound in the entire world. I swear I heard the angels singing with her. And though my first instinct was to just listen (how can you not just stop and listen when you hear that?) but in some weird way I felt compelled to join in. I didn’t want to miss out on singing this praise with this precious girl next to me. I don’t know how to explain it. The longer I listened to her the more I felt I HAD to sing with her. I even tried mid song just to stop and listen again but still felt that tugging that I NEEDED to be a part of it. The most precious sound in the entire world is the worship of a child and today Kylie was that child!
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Most recent project
After a stressful and I mean S-T-R-E-S-S-F-U-L day I have found that painting objects makes me happy! Its funny I will just paint an old picture frame for the heck of it, I have no talent for designs or anything but I enjoy just using paint. So I put that new found passion into action. For mothers day I painted my step mother a flower pot with a verse on it. But the picture below is my favorite one. It is a flower pot I painted for my grandmother! Of course there aren't any flowers in it right now.
It says Mimi's Grands at the top and then around the bottom I have glued pictures of all of her grandkids (including one of Levi) around the bottom. I have added hand painted flowers to add some . . . prettiness! :)
Here is a close up of the flowers that I painted around the edge! LOVE IT! I finally did something creative that I am proud of and can show off! :)
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Mark 1:40-45
So tomorrow I am teaching Sunday school and I am going to post my lesson. Its a small parable that I somehow stumbled on when thinking and praying about what to teach on tomorrow and this is what I got.
The story is of a man with leprosy being healed. It's 5 verses and yet the meaning of it today and what was revealed to me is so much more.
First what is leprosy? yes I know its a skin disease with many emotional and social problems along with it. So I broke it down into physical and emotional/social.
Physical: A lepor may lose sense of touch, develope skin lesions, ulcers, it can cause eye damage and facial disfiguration. It mainly effects the hands, feet, face and knees.
So this wasn't a disease that could be hidden or denied. If you had it, everyone could see it and it wasn't something pretty. It was something that made people cringe because of how discusting it was. Because of the disgust of the disease and the fear there were many emotional/social problems associated with leprosy.
Emotional/Social- The individual would be an outcast. They would be rejected by everyone, friends and family. They were isolated away from anyone that didnt have leprosy. They most likely had a low self-esteem. No one could touch them without being deemed unclean themselves therefore they weren't touched. They had lost all human interaction with those without the disease.
So let me get this straight. This poor person was living with this disease that they didnt bring on themselves. Induring the physical pain and ugliness of the disease and what did we as a human race do, we told them they werent worthy to be around us. They werent worthy of touch or even interaction. They were deemed unclean and those that interacted with them were unclean as well. All of this out of what. . . fear?
And I thought about our sin. Christians hide their sin, thats what we do. We dont broadcast it and some of us even judge those that do show their sin. Sometimes we even shun, reject or outcast those that display their sin.
I tried to think of sin in our world that Christians shun . . . homosexuality, transvestites, prostitutes or excorts, exotic dancers, adultors, child molesters, those that view child pornography or pornography. Then there are those with actual diseases that are shunned HIV, aids, STDS (or STIs whatever they want to call them now) and the list goes on. We cringed when we run into someone in one of these sins. We keep our distance, I mean we don't want to catch it right. Like homosexuality is contagious.
But when did we decide to put a value on sin. How is sin that is shown and displayed different in Gods eyes than my sin I hide? A sin is a sin no matter what human value we put on it. Sin seperates me from God, done deal . . no matter the "value" of that sin. Hmm . . .
Now I do realize and know that when being around others sin, I have to guard myself. Of course. When a doctor is healing an HIV patient they dont walk away from them because of fear of catching it but rather puts on gloves to guard or protect themselves. The same way, we should be guarded and protected but I dont believe we should stay away.
In this healing the leper saw Jesus as His rescue and Jesus has compasion on him. Jesus didnt run away, or hide, or shun him but rather responded out of emotion for him. Jesus broke the social norms by touching him, by just being around him. Can you imagine the boundaries we would cross if Christians responded to the those listed above with compassion, rather than jugdement. If we reached out to them as Jesus did. I bet some views on Christians would be reversed.
Jesus' touch alone had the power to heal. The man reached out to Jesus out of desperation but Jesus reached out, when no one else would, out of compasion. And with that touch healed not only the phyical but the emotional and spiritual as well.
I think we sometimes forget that we are all unworthy of his touch, of his healing. We are all unclean and need his touch. Like the leper who reached out to Jesus believing that there was no hope for him, no cure, others believe that too. They live their life in sin because they don't believe that their is hope for them. They are too far gone. They are too deep in. They don't think their is a cure. As Christians we are to be the hands and feet of Christ and that means showing them that he is the cure and using our own healing as a testimony. It goes for our sin as well. Some of us are in a sin we can't seem to escape, we are too addicted to it. But Jesus is the cure.
The healing ends with the man not following Christ's instructions and according to vs. 25 caused Jesus to not to be able to enter the cities and therefore might of hindered some of His ministry. But I can't stop thinking about how happy this man was. He wanted people to know that he was healed. He probably wanted to shout it from the rooftops. He now was part of society again able to talk to people, interact with people, touch others. Things we take for granted, he could now go to worship or have lunch with his family. He could hold a new born baby and the list goes on. He was a new man both inside and out.
The only reason I could think that Jesus didnt want him to tell is because he didnt want to be bumbarded with those seeking physical healing. I dont know why Jesus said this (knowing that the man was going to go tell everyone anyway). Maybe he did it out of humility. He told him to show the priest because this was part of the time. To return to society he had to have the blessing of the priest. And it never says whether the man showed the priest or not. Oh well, we may never know.
I told you . . . 5 small verses said so much to me. Leprosy is not that big of a deal anymore because of modern medicine and even then its not something we see in America. But we do have lepors in our lives. We have people that are shunned for their sin. I think I have a new view on those I shun for their sin. I do say shun but in many ways its "judge" them for these sins.
Well I dont know how to end this so I am ending it with . . . Thats all folks! Please comment I would love to hear any insight you have on these small 5 verses.
The story is of a man with leprosy being healed. It's 5 verses and yet the meaning of it today and what was revealed to me is so much more.
First what is leprosy? yes I know its a skin disease with many emotional and social problems along with it. So I broke it down into physical and emotional/social.
Physical: A lepor may lose sense of touch, develope skin lesions, ulcers, it can cause eye damage and facial disfiguration. It mainly effects the hands, feet, face and knees.
So this wasn't a disease that could be hidden or denied. If you had it, everyone could see it and it wasn't something pretty. It was something that made people cringe because of how discusting it was. Because of the disgust of the disease and the fear there were many emotional/social problems associated with leprosy.
Emotional/Social- The individual would be an outcast. They would be rejected by everyone, friends and family. They were isolated away from anyone that didnt have leprosy. They most likely had a low self-esteem. No one could touch them without being deemed unclean themselves therefore they weren't touched. They had lost all human interaction with those without the disease.
So let me get this straight. This poor person was living with this disease that they didnt bring on themselves. Induring the physical pain and ugliness of the disease and what did we as a human race do, we told them they werent worthy to be around us. They werent worthy of touch or even interaction. They were deemed unclean and those that interacted with them were unclean as well. All of this out of what. . . fear?
And I thought about our sin. Christians hide their sin, thats what we do. We dont broadcast it and some of us even judge those that do show their sin. Sometimes we even shun, reject or outcast those that display their sin.
I tried to think of sin in our world that Christians shun . . . homosexuality, transvestites, prostitutes or excorts, exotic dancers, adultors, child molesters, those that view child pornography or pornography. Then there are those with actual diseases that are shunned HIV, aids, STDS (or STIs whatever they want to call them now) and the list goes on. We cringed when we run into someone in one of these sins. We keep our distance, I mean we don't want to catch it right. Like homosexuality is contagious.
But when did we decide to put a value on sin. How is sin that is shown and displayed different in Gods eyes than my sin I hide? A sin is a sin no matter what human value we put on it. Sin seperates me from God, done deal . . no matter the "value" of that sin. Hmm . . .
Now I do realize and know that when being around others sin, I have to guard myself. Of course. When a doctor is healing an HIV patient they dont walk away from them because of fear of catching it but rather puts on gloves to guard or protect themselves. The same way, we should be guarded and protected but I dont believe we should stay away.
In this healing the leper saw Jesus as His rescue and Jesus has compasion on him. Jesus didnt run away, or hide, or shun him but rather responded out of emotion for him. Jesus broke the social norms by touching him, by just being around him. Can you imagine the boundaries we would cross if Christians responded to the those listed above with compassion, rather than jugdement. If we reached out to them as Jesus did. I bet some views on Christians would be reversed.
Jesus' touch alone had the power to heal. The man reached out to Jesus out of desperation but Jesus reached out, when no one else would, out of compasion. And with that touch healed not only the phyical but the emotional and spiritual as well.
I think we sometimes forget that we are all unworthy of his touch, of his healing. We are all unclean and need his touch. Like the leper who reached out to Jesus believing that there was no hope for him, no cure, others believe that too. They live their life in sin because they don't believe that their is hope for them. They are too far gone. They are too deep in. They don't think their is a cure. As Christians we are to be the hands and feet of Christ and that means showing them that he is the cure and using our own healing as a testimony. It goes for our sin as well. Some of us are in a sin we can't seem to escape, we are too addicted to it. But Jesus is the cure.
The healing ends with the man not following Christ's instructions and according to vs. 25 caused Jesus to not to be able to enter the cities and therefore might of hindered some of His ministry. But I can't stop thinking about how happy this man was. He wanted people to know that he was healed. He probably wanted to shout it from the rooftops. He now was part of society again able to talk to people, interact with people, touch others. Things we take for granted, he could now go to worship or have lunch with his family. He could hold a new born baby and the list goes on. He was a new man both inside and out.
The only reason I could think that Jesus didnt want him to tell is because he didnt want to be bumbarded with those seeking physical healing. I dont know why Jesus said this (knowing that the man was going to go tell everyone anyway). Maybe he did it out of humility. He told him to show the priest because this was part of the time. To return to society he had to have the blessing of the priest. And it never says whether the man showed the priest or not. Oh well, we may never know.
I told you . . . 5 small verses said so much to me. Leprosy is not that big of a deal anymore because of modern medicine and even then its not something we see in America. But we do have lepors in our lives. We have people that are shunned for their sin. I think I have a new view on those I shun for their sin. I do say shun but in many ways its "judge" them for these sins.
Well I dont know how to end this so I am ending it with . . . Thats all folks! Please comment I would love to hear any insight you have on these small 5 verses.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
SHOES are the cure for a bad day!
Took today off as a mental health day, a much needed mental health day. Monday night I took my last final of this semester, so now I just get to focus on teaching and then the week that teaching is done I start summer school. So things are definately not slowing down for me!
So today was a great day. I woke up somewhat late and did nothing. :) Went to conroe and met Diana at Olive Garden and then went to a nail/spa place (the best one I have EVER been to) and got a pedicure. Seriously one of the best places ever. It was about the same price as the others Ive been to put they put a hot towel thingy on your next, you choose you own lotion from a list of like 10 and your own salt scrub. They spent about 15-20 minutes just massaging with oils, salt scrub and then lotion. AWESOME!
So to the shoes part . . . I needed to go to Michaels for a few project things. Actually I messed up a few projects and needed more stuff to try it again. As Angie (a very creative friend does) maybe I should post my projects, though they are very very simple maybe I will. So I wanted to look at shoes because I really wanted some and I LOVE shoes. And I have a great philosophy on why women LOVE shoes (and it works for handbags as well). No matter how fat, skinny, tall, short, funny looking or pretty you are, pretty shoes look good on you. I love that. I have so much trouble finding clothes that look good and forget about them fitting right and decently priced. But shoes you can always find a pair that looks good, they almost always fit and are good priced. "Big" girl clothes cost more and are rarely on sale. Shoes on the other hand, it doesnt matter the size or whether you need narrow or wide you can always find your size on sale and the price isnt dependent on the size you wear. I love shoes. Its like the shoe industry doesn't discriminate against size because size doesnt determine the price. I bought 2 pairs of shoes from Room rack and 6 pairs of baby socks for $35! I LOVE shoes! And I love a good deal on shoes! :)
Oh and we topped it off with Tutti Frutti, a great yogurt shop! You can choose from 14 different flavors of yogurt and then there are like 60 plus toppings you can add and you do it all yourself and the price depends on the weight of your yogurt! I got cookies and cream yogurt with brownie pieces, heath bar, cookie dough and receeses on top! Yum! Diana on the other hand got french vanilla yogurt with strawberries, sprinkles, carmel sauce and cookie dough. Definately need to try it!
So in short, when you are having a bad day here is the cure! Sleep late + Olive Garden + pedicure + new shoes + tutti frutti = CURE FOR A BAD DAY!
So today was a great day. I woke up somewhat late and did nothing. :) Went to conroe and met Diana at Olive Garden and then went to a nail/spa place (the best one I have EVER been to) and got a pedicure. Seriously one of the best places ever. It was about the same price as the others Ive been to put they put a hot towel thingy on your next, you choose you own lotion from a list of like 10 and your own salt scrub. They spent about 15-20 minutes just massaging with oils, salt scrub and then lotion. AWESOME!
So to the shoes part . . . I needed to go to Michaels for a few project things. Actually I messed up a few projects and needed more stuff to try it again. As Angie (a very creative friend does) maybe I should post my projects, though they are very very simple maybe I will. So I wanted to look at shoes because I really wanted some and I LOVE shoes. And I have a great philosophy on why women LOVE shoes (and it works for handbags as well). No matter how fat, skinny, tall, short, funny looking or pretty you are, pretty shoes look good on you. I love that. I have so much trouble finding clothes that look good and forget about them fitting right and decently priced. But shoes you can always find a pair that looks good, they almost always fit and are good priced. "Big" girl clothes cost more and are rarely on sale. Shoes on the other hand, it doesnt matter the size or whether you need narrow or wide you can always find your size on sale and the price isnt dependent on the size you wear. I love shoes. Its like the shoe industry doesn't discriminate against size because size doesnt determine the price. I bought 2 pairs of shoes from Room rack and 6 pairs of baby socks for $35! I LOVE shoes! And I love a good deal on shoes! :)
Oh and we topped it off with Tutti Frutti, a great yogurt shop! You can choose from 14 different flavors of yogurt and then there are like 60 plus toppings you can add and you do it all yourself and the price depends on the weight of your yogurt! I got cookies and cream yogurt with brownie pieces, heath bar, cookie dough and receeses on top! Yum! Diana on the other hand got french vanilla yogurt with strawberries, sprinkles, carmel sauce and cookie dough. Definately need to try it!
So in short, when you are having a bad day here is the cure! Sleep late + Olive Garden + pedicure + new shoes + tutti frutti = CURE FOR A BAD DAY!
Thursday, April 21, 2011
I cant think of a title! :)
FRUSTRATION
Why do I let them bring me down?
Why do I let them tear me down?
Why do I let them kick me and drag me?
Why do I let them walk all over me and take advantage?
Why do I surrender to them?
I know that they shouldnt influence who I am
I know what is right, I know what God desires from me
I know that I am to be light in darkness
I know I should be Him with flesh
I know who I am with Him
But people try to blow out that light
People try to take Him out of me
People try to break me
People try to make me surrender
People try to make me weak
The fight is hard
The fight to who I want to be, who He wants me to be
The battle is never ending
Sometimes I feel like I am in a battle without a sword
Im in the fight but knocked out
PEACE
And then I remember he is my sword
He is my shield
Hes not my tag in while in the ring
But the one fighting the fight for me
that He already won
He will never let my light go out
He will never leave me nor forsake
He will protect and guide
He will shield and protect
He will stand with me, next to me and for me
He will be my strength
He will be my strong tower
He will save me
He will love me
He will demonstrate His power through me
He will demonstrate His love through me
He will demonstrate His joy through me
He will make straight my path
He will make a way
He will not surrender
He will not give up or give in
He will not lose
HE WILL!
Explaination: After a long, stressful week I knew that I needed to release some tension. I called my sister and vented like crazy and yes that helped some. I thought about getting a margarita but knew that this frustration wouldnt go away with a drink. I tried watching the office (it makes me laugh) but nope. I honestly tried to pray but my frustration was getting in the way (if that makes sense). My frustration I knew would turn to anger. Lately people have taken advantage of me. I let people walk on me. I allow to let people determine my self worth. So I began to write and whatever came out came out. It was amazing the change of my attitude in a matter of 15 minutes. I went back and added colors that I felt displayed my emotions and change in my emotions and added titles to the sections. And this is what we get.
I am no longer frustrated and at peace (for now :) ) I wasnt going to post this but maybe it will help someone else when they get frustrated and it might help me to read it later!
Why do I let them bring me down?
Why do I let them tear me down?
Why do I let them kick me and drag me?
Why do I let them walk all over me and take advantage?
Why do I surrender to them?
I know that they shouldnt influence who I am
I know what is right, I know what God desires from me
I know that I am to be light in darkness
I know I should be Him with flesh
I know who I am with Him
But people try to blow out that light
People try to take Him out of me
People try to break me
People try to make me surrender
People try to make me weak
The fight is hard
The fight to who I want to be, who He wants me to be
The battle is never ending
Sometimes I feel like I am in a battle without a sword
Im in the fight but knocked out
PEACE
And then I remember he is my sword
He is my shield
Hes not my tag in while in the ring
But the one fighting the fight for me
that He already won
He will never let my light go out
He will never leave me nor forsake
He will protect and guide
He will shield and protect
He will stand with me, next to me and for me
He will be my strength
He will be my strong tower
He will save me
He will love me
He will demonstrate His power through me
He will demonstrate His love through me
He will demonstrate His joy through me
He will make straight my path
He will make a way
He will not surrender
He will not give up or give in
He will not lose
HE WILL!
Explaination: After a long, stressful week I knew that I needed to release some tension. I called my sister and vented like crazy and yes that helped some. I thought about getting a margarita but knew that this frustration wouldnt go away with a drink. I tried watching the office (it makes me laugh) but nope. I honestly tried to pray but my frustration was getting in the way (if that makes sense). My frustration I knew would turn to anger. Lately people have taken advantage of me. I let people walk on me. I allow to let people determine my self worth. So I began to write and whatever came out came out. It was amazing the change of my attitude in a matter of 15 minutes. I went back and added colors that I felt displayed my emotions and change in my emotions and added titles to the sections. And this is what we get.
I am no longer frustrated and at peace (for now :) ) I wasnt going to post this but maybe it will help someone else when they get frustrated and it might help me to read it later!
Monday, March 14, 2011
Are you ritualistic? I AM!
So during my "think time" today, and yes I try to spend time every day to think, I realized how ritualistic I am.
I wake up at the same time and in the same way almost every single morning.
I get ready in the exact same order doing the same exact thing every morning.
I can tell you down to the minute how long my shower will be or how long getting ready will take me if I dont run into problems.
I take a shower exactly the same way every morning (even to the point that when I am done I didnt even realize I had taken a shower)
I do my quiet time in the same spot, at the same time, sitting the same way everyday.
I come home from school and do the exact same thing without a single change.
I go to bed at the same time every single night.
I have the exact same night time ritual every night, its sad when your dog knows your night time schedule.
I sleep in the same exact way every single night.
Now some things are OK to be ritualistic about but it bothered me that I did my quiet time the same way every day. My relationship with Christ shouldnt be ritualistic. Its ok to make my shower, my morning times, my night times, all ritualistic but a relationship is not that way. So Im going to shake things up. I am going to do my quiet time in different spots, sitting in different ways, maybe even at different times. I don't like change but I think some things warrant a change. Maybe the next blog will be on change . . . . hmmmm
I wake up at the same time and in the same way almost every single morning.
I get ready in the exact same order doing the same exact thing every morning.
I can tell you down to the minute how long my shower will be or how long getting ready will take me if I dont run into problems.
I take a shower exactly the same way every morning (even to the point that when I am done I didnt even realize I had taken a shower)
I do my quiet time in the same spot, at the same time, sitting the same way everyday.
I come home from school and do the exact same thing without a single change.
I go to bed at the same time every single night.
I have the exact same night time ritual every night, its sad when your dog knows your night time schedule.
I sleep in the same exact way every single night.
Now some things are OK to be ritualistic about but it bothered me that I did my quiet time the same way every day. My relationship with Christ shouldnt be ritualistic. Its ok to make my shower, my morning times, my night times, all ritualistic but a relationship is not that way. So Im going to shake things up. I am going to do my quiet time in different spots, sitting in different ways, maybe even at different times. I don't like change but I think some things warrant a change. Maybe the next blog will be on change . . . . hmmmm
Thursday, February 10, 2011
"What a wonderful world" - By Louis Armstrong
I stole this from someone! Well the idea for this blog!
Odd things that bring me JOY!
- snow cones in the winter!
- Drying my hair while hanging my head off the bed- I still get to be in bed under the covers and I get my hair dry
- Speaking in different accents especially while I teach
- Not wearing shoes
- Doing Logic Puzzles ok any puzzles
- Counting change, I have a change jar and I frequently take it out to just count
- Drawing flowers . . . I know girly huh?
- Singing Christmas songs . . . all year long
- Getting mail, even junk mail!
- Cleaning my ears, I know weird but I LOVE dry clean ears!
- Watching well-known movies on the Spanish channel
- Watching people I don’t know, just to watch. Its even better with a cup of coffee
I am sure that there are a lot more Odd things that I enjoy but for now that’s all I got! Good Friday peeps!
Got something special for my blog readers, next post! But it’s a surprise so tune in for later!
Odd things that bring me JOY!
- snow cones in the winter!
- Drying my hair while hanging my head off the bed- I still get to be in bed under the covers and I get my hair dry
- Speaking in different accents especially while I teach
- Not wearing shoes
- Doing Logic Puzzles ok any puzzles
- Counting change, I have a change jar and I frequently take it out to just count
- Drawing flowers . . . I know girly huh?
- Singing Christmas songs . . . all year long
- Getting mail, even junk mail!
- Cleaning my ears, I know weird but I LOVE dry clean ears!
- Watching well-known movies on the Spanish channel
- Watching people I don’t know, just to watch. Its even better with a cup of coffee
I am sure that there are a lot more Odd things that I enjoy but for now that’s all I got! Good Friday peeps!
Got something special for my blog readers, next post! But it’s a surprise so tune in for later!
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Grace, grace, God's grace! Grace that will pardon and cleanse within!
What is grace?
So lately I have been pondering more and more what grace really means. Don't get me wrong I know the textbook definition drilled in my head from years of being in church "something I don't desearve and can't earn but He still gives willingly and freely". But its one thing to know the words and another thing to know it in your heart. So I put some thought into it.
First of all I have an attitude about me, in that I don't like taking things that I didn't work hard for. I enjoy working hard for a paycheck, or getting good grades or whatever it is. I believe what you put into something is what you should get out. But the concept of grace is just the opposite. I can do nothing to earn it . . . I can't work hard for it . . . I can't pay it back . . . . I can't pay for it. Think about that. You can't just go to the store and pick it up like a gallon of milk. You can't work towards it like a promotion or a raise. You can't do anything. It just shows up and we are foolish if we think we desearve it. The One who gives it is perfect. Now perfection is a whole other thing I can't fathom. Doing nothing wrong. Selfless. Humble. Unconditional Love. Life without ANY sin. Which I might add, I am none of these?
And He gives it as a gift. Now this isn't like a gift that we give at Christmas where most expect something in return. We don't send God a thank you note for it (the mail doesn't deliver there for starters). And though I can tell Him with my words (using the same mouth that I sin with, I must add) or with my actions (which also reflect my sinful heart at times) it will never compare to what I owe him. I can tell others how much I love and appreciate this gift but it's like someone buying me a Bugatti Veyron for my birthday (the most expensive car in the world valued at 1.7 million dollars- picture below, isnt it beautiful) and I giving them a piece of lint from my belly button in return. I could give them lint all day but it will never add or measure up to that beautiful gift. All we have to do is believe in Him and He saves me from Hell and gives me grace. WOW what a deal! And yet we take it for granted!
Grace isn't something that will ever run out or will ever not be needed. There is an endless supply, it's always there and there is always enough. Again WOW!
So I have to ask myself, what in my life needs to change in order to live the life that He gives me. To live in the life that He desires for me, wants for me and sacrificed for me. Also who do I need to be giving grace to today? There's an endless supply so why not share it?
Just a thought! :)
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Round 1 of NYC Pictures!
Beth on the crazy winding stairs at the statue of liberty!
A picture of the winding crazy stairs from the statue of liberty!
The normal stairs of the statue of liberty!
the old torch! The current torch is not the original!
Me and Lady liberty!
Lady Liberty from the view of the ferry!
Beth and I freezing to death on the ferry ride! LOL
The view of the city from the ferry!
Inside Radio City! This picture does not do this place justice! It was amazing, to say the least!
Martha Stewart's decorating! Pretty nice huh?
This is Beth and I! By the huge tree is this row of angels! Angels with angels! ha ha!
SNOW!!! And it was cold!
All three of us in front of the tree!
The tiny skating rink (if you read my blog)!
I was so excited to be in front of the tree! It was awesome! 2 nights later there were 10 times more people there, lucky us!NYC Day 5
January 1, 2011 Day 5 The final day
So by this time we were totally and utterly exhausted! We got up early again with the hopes of being on the Early Show again, this time making sure that people were watching :) to find out that they had prerecorded it. Oh it was not a good start. We were tired and we dragged out of bed for something that wasnt even there. So we walked to Times Square and if you know anything about NYC Times Square is not really close to where the Early show is taped. You would think as tired as we were that we would of taken the subway but we decided to walk. You see so much more while walking especially when its more than 15 blocks to your destination.
The aftermath of New Year's was every where in the street. Though the television stations broadcasted and bragged at how quickly the clean up was I must say that it wasnt all quite true. Yes Times Square was cleaned up and the block around Times Square but every where else was covered still in confetti and trash and it was a mess. Workers were working like crazy to clean up Times Square but very few workers were found on other streets cleaning. I guess its all about the perception that they wanted to give to the world.
Times Square the morning after and I mean 9:00 morning on a Saturday was dead. There were few on the streets and nothing was opened . . .except the huge toys r us. This toy store is so huge that they have a Ferris wheel inside the store. So of course we went for a ride. Now I hate and I mean HATE Ferris wheels but I wasnt as scared on this one, I guess since it was inside and it didnt feel like we were that high since I could see the other floors. While there we met up with one of Lauras old college room mates and one of her friends.
Since we had a little time before we had to leave for our flight we went on a hunt with Lauras friends friend to find a NYC fireman for her to get a picture of. I must admit that I was totally bored with the idea of meeting a true NYC firefighter! I mean it is a man in uniform in one of the largest cities in the USA so we went on a hunt to come up short, nobody was at the firehouse. But it was an adventure and a good adventure to end our trip on.
We checked out of the hotel, went for lunch and this awesome hamburger joint. Loaded our stuff onto a hotel shuttle and headed to the airport, which on a side note is one of the ugliest airports I have ever seen!
While waiting on our flight, this man walks in front of us. I look at him strange, and say to Laura that he looks familiar to find out that it is the band leader for the Jay Leno show, you know the short bald guy. Yep! By the time I put two and two together it was too late for a picture! :) Luckily there were no problems with the flight home or with our luggage! :) And as you can see we made it all back in one piece.
The next post will be pictures, I promise! :) Til then, Adios!
So by this time we were totally and utterly exhausted! We got up early again with the hopes of being on the Early Show again, this time making sure that people were watching :) to find out that they had prerecorded it. Oh it was not a good start. We were tired and we dragged out of bed for something that wasnt even there. So we walked to Times Square and if you know anything about NYC Times Square is not really close to where the Early show is taped. You would think as tired as we were that we would of taken the subway but we decided to walk. You see so much more while walking especially when its more than 15 blocks to your destination.
The aftermath of New Year's was every where in the street. Though the television stations broadcasted and bragged at how quickly the clean up was I must say that it wasnt all quite true. Yes Times Square was cleaned up and the block around Times Square but every where else was covered still in confetti and trash and it was a mess. Workers were working like crazy to clean up Times Square but very few workers were found on other streets cleaning. I guess its all about the perception that they wanted to give to the world.
Times Square the morning after and I mean 9:00 morning on a Saturday was dead. There were few on the streets and nothing was opened . . .except the huge toys r us. This toy store is so huge that they have a Ferris wheel inside the store. So of course we went for a ride. Now I hate and I mean HATE Ferris wheels but I wasnt as scared on this one, I guess since it was inside and it didnt feel like we were that high since I could see the other floors. While there we met up with one of Lauras old college room mates and one of her friends.
Since we had a little time before we had to leave for our flight we went on a hunt with Lauras friends friend to find a NYC fireman for her to get a picture of. I must admit that I was totally bored with the idea of meeting a true NYC firefighter! I mean it is a man in uniform in one of the largest cities in the USA so we went on a hunt to come up short, nobody was at the firehouse. But it was an adventure and a good adventure to end our trip on.
We checked out of the hotel, went for lunch and this awesome hamburger joint. Loaded our stuff onto a hotel shuttle and headed to the airport, which on a side note is one of the ugliest airports I have ever seen!
While waiting on our flight, this man walks in front of us. I look at him strange, and say to Laura that he looks familiar to find out that it is the band leader for the Jay Leno show, you know the short bald guy. Yep! By the time I put two and two together it was too late for a picture! :) Luckily there were no problems with the flight home or with our luggage! :) And as you can see we made it all back in one piece.
The next post will be pictures, I promise! :) Til then, Adios!
Monday, January 10, 2011
NYC Day 4
December 31 Day 4
So this is the last full day that we were there and I must admit we were EXHAUSTED! But we still got up early and took the subway so that we could be on the Early Show! It was so awesome to be there to experience it. I know it sounds small and silly but I really enjoyed it.
Since FAO Schwatz is right next to the Early show we thought we would hang out for a while on 5th avenue until FAO Schwartz opened (all so I could play the large piano). So we went on a hunt for Tiffany's so that we could drink our hot chocolate in front of the store. On the walk we saw every big-wig in fashion you could imagine. If it's expensive the store was there on 5th avenue. It was crazy! Finally found Tiffany's, but they were closed, so we just took a picture in front of the store. It was awesome.
Finally FAO Schwartz, which as you may have noticed I don't know how to spell and am too lazy to look up the spelling. So at 10:00, 2 men dressed in the crazy get up (wait for pics to understand) opened the doors while the entire staff lined the entrance and applauded! Of course I acted like a moron and pretended to be a star, walking the red carpet, blowing kisses and thanking them! LOL Laura and Beth I don't think were proud to be with me at that moment but oh well, it was so fun. I played the big piano and then finally Beth decided to give it a try! She wanted to do a duet but I had already had my turn. 2 guys from the store even put on a show playing the large piano where they danced and played a duet at the same time. Pretty cool!
After FAO Schwartz we walk central park for a while and took some very pretty pictures there. The snow was so beautiful which I am sure that central park is pretty as it is but with it covered in a foot of snow it was stunning. (Pictures to come) Since we didn't get to finish the uptown tour the day before we went ahead and hopped on the bus. And while riding on the top of the double decker bus as we drove through Times Square we got to see Ryan Seacrest do an interview. He was inches away it was so awesome! Mom's mad that I didn't tell him how much she loved him since we were that close but oh well.
We went out that night for a nice Italian dinner since it was New Year's Eve and all. We found this amazing little Italian restraunt and again Iwish I could of brought it back. It was amazing. :) We thought that it would be cool to get a look at times square since it was still early (it was only around 6:00 or 6:30) but we couldnt even get within 3 blocks of it because of how many people there were. It was so crazy! So we bought some sparkling orange drink, we were limited on choices, and headed back to the hotel room. We barely stayed up til Midnight but we made it, toasted and crashed! :)
Until Day 5, Adios!
So this is the last full day that we were there and I must admit we were EXHAUSTED! But we still got up early and took the subway so that we could be on the Early Show! It was so awesome to be there to experience it. I know it sounds small and silly but I really enjoyed it.
Since FAO Schwatz is right next to the Early show we thought we would hang out for a while on 5th avenue until FAO Schwartz opened (all so I could play the large piano). So we went on a hunt for Tiffany's so that we could drink our hot chocolate in front of the store. On the walk we saw every big-wig in fashion you could imagine. If it's expensive the store was there on 5th avenue. It was crazy! Finally found Tiffany's, but they were closed, so we just took a picture in front of the store. It was awesome.
Finally FAO Schwartz, which as you may have noticed I don't know how to spell and am too lazy to look up the spelling. So at 10:00, 2 men dressed in the crazy get up (wait for pics to understand) opened the doors while the entire staff lined the entrance and applauded! Of course I acted like a moron and pretended to be a star, walking the red carpet, blowing kisses and thanking them! LOL Laura and Beth I don't think were proud to be with me at that moment but oh well, it was so fun. I played the big piano and then finally Beth decided to give it a try! She wanted to do a duet but I had already had my turn. 2 guys from the store even put on a show playing the large piano where they danced and played a duet at the same time. Pretty cool!
After FAO Schwartz we walk central park for a while and took some very pretty pictures there. The snow was so beautiful which I am sure that central park is pretty as it is but with it covered in a foot of snow it was stunning. (Pictures to come) Since we didn't get to finish the uptown tour the day before we went ahead and hopped on the bus. And while riding on the top of the double decker bus as we drove through Times Square we got to see Ryan Seacrest do an interview. He was inches away it was so awesome! Mom's mad that I didn't tell him how much she loved him since we were that close but oh well.
We went out that night for a nice Italian dinner since it was New Year's Eve and all. We found this amazing little Italian restraunt and again Iwish I could of brought it back. It was amazing. :) We thought that it would be cool to get a look at times square since it was still early (it was only around 6:00 or 6:30) but we couldnt even get within 3 blocks of it because of how many people there were. It was so crazy! So we bought some sparkling orange drink, we were limited on choices, and headed back to the hotel room. We barely stayed up til Midnight but we made it, toasted and crashed! :)
Until Day 5, Adios!
Sunday, January 9, 2011
NYC Day 3
December 30 Day 3
Again we had bus tour passes and this time decided to do the downtown tour. These tours were so great not only because of how informative they were but we could also get off and back on pretty much any time we wanted.
Our first stop we decided to go to was Macy's! The best part about Macy was not only how huge the store was but the window displays! I don't think I can describe the window displays but I will try. They talked or had music and they moved. Macy's used sceens from popular movies such as miracle on 34th street and so forth. They were so animated and detailed. By the way Macy's is located on 34th street if others didnt catch on to that.
While we were in the neighborhood we went to the empire state building. We hadnt planned on going up since usually the lines are so crazy long but when we were there the lines were only 15 minutes long. So we decided to go ahead and ride, yes ride not climb, up to the 83rd floor. The view was beautiful. You could see New York in all directions. There were no obstructions and you see as far as you could imagine. It was very windy and cold up there but it was worth it. I think the best view was of the Brooklyn bridge and of the statue. I can from any angle and any distance both of those would be an amazing view.
Then we went to China town where I had some of the most amazing (and cheap) Chinese food ever! It was so good I just wanted to bring the little Chinese woman home with us so we could always have food that good. We had heard about the amazing shopping in China town so while we were there we went shopping. All three of us bought new purses and I bought some pashmina scarfs. We didn't go and see little Italy since it is now so small, it is only one block now.
We went to Wall street which is named Wall street since their once was a wall there to keep someone out, I dont remember who though. We got to see the bull on wall street. We saw the United Nations which on the first day we saw it did not have flags flying which meant they werent in session but on the next day the flags were flying which meant they were there. The United Nations is not American territory so when you are there you aren't in America, which I found very interesting.
We saw the Brooklyn bridge and the port. And spent the rest of the day on the tour. Our goal was to do the city lights tours at night but once we got back to our room we were not leaving. So we went and got dinner and went to bed early!
Til day 4! Adios
Again we had bus tour passes and this time decided to do the downtown tour. These tours were so great not only because of how informative they were but we could also get off and back on pretty much any time we wanted.
Our first stop we decided to go to was Macy's! The best part about Macy was not only how huge the store was but the window displays! I don't think I can describe the window displays but I will try. They talked or had music and they moved. Macy's used sceens from popular movies such as miracle on 34th street and so forth. They were so animated and detailed. By the way Macy's is located on 34th street if others didnt catch on to that.
While we were in the neighborhood we went to the empire state building. We hadnt planned on going up since usually the lines are so crazy long but when we were there the lines were only 15 minutes long. So we decided to go ahead and ride, yes ride not climb, up to the 83rd floor. The view was beautiful. You could see New York in all directions. There were no obstructions and you see as far as you could imagine. It was very windy and cold up there but it was worth it. I think the best view was of the Brooklyn bridge and of the statue. I can from any angle and any distance both of those would be an amazing view.
Then we went to China town where I had some of the most amazing (and cheap) Chinese food ever! It was so good I just wanted to bring the little Chinese woman home with us so we could always have food that good. We had heard about the amazing shopping in China town so while we were there we went shopping. All three of us bought new purses and I bought some pashmina scarfs. We didn't go and see little Italy since it is now so small, it is only one block now.
We went to Wall street which is named Wall street since their once was a wall there to keep someone out, I dont remember who though. We got to see the bull on wall street. We saw the United Nations which on the first day we saw it did not have flags flying which meant they werent in session but on the next day the flags were flying which meant they were there. The United Nations is not American territory so when you are there you aren't in America, which I found very interesting.
We saw the Brooklyn bridge and the port. And spent the rest of the day on the tour. Our goal was to do the city lights tours at night but once we got back to our room we were not leaving. So we went and got dinner and went to bed early!
Til day 4! Adios
Friday, January 7, 2011
NYC Day 2
December 29, Day 2
So, day 2 was quite exciting. We woke up early and took the subway to find the statue of liberty. Actually we wondered around, again, confused about where to get our tickets but we finally found our way. Since we bought our tickets so far in advance we were able to get tickets to the crown!
So after going through security we got on the very cold ferry and went to the statue. Lady liberty was so worth the cold though! There are 192 steps to climb to the pedestel (where most get to climb to) but we climbed the 354 steps to climb to the crown. The climb was quite tiring and scary. At some point you get to where the stairs wind and are as wide as my hips. It was freaking scary! :) But once you climb to the crown, there are 25 little windows. These windows allow you a close up look of the tablet and the torch. It is a site to see.
We got back on the ferry and spent a little time at Ellis Island. By that time we were really tired and hungry! So we had our first New York hotdog from and vender and it was GREAT! We had purchased tickets for the double decker bus tours and decided to spend the rest of the afternoon going on a tour of the updown. I learned so much about the city and saw so much from this bus tour. The bus tour is definately worth the money! Did you know that the building codes in NY once only allowed building to be 3 stories high, later extending it to 8 stories and then higher? If you look at older building in the city you can see where floors were added to keep up with building codes. Other interesting facts I learned from that nights tour:
1. There are only 9 gas stations on the island! (I only saw one the whole trip)
2. There are very few grocery stores on the island and they are all expensive. (I only saw 2 the whole trip)
3. Broadway street moves, yes it moves! (and Laura realized what it meant by a show being on broadway)
4. There are a lot of underground parking garages but they are expensive again discouraging people to own cars in NYC. In fact to park in a one of these can cost as much as my rent each month!
5. "Old money" means they inhereted the money while "new money" means they earned it themselves. Some buildings only allow "old money" to live there.
6. The steps that you see that go down into the street to enter a building was originally designed for slaves to enter.
Thats all I can think of right now but very interesting stuff!
Til Day 3 is posted, adios! :)
So, day 2 was quite exciting. We woke up early and took the subway to find the statue of liberty. Actually we wondered around, again, confused about where to get our tickets but we finally found our way. Since we bought our tickets so far in advance we were able to get tickets to the crown!
So after going through security we got on the very cold ferry and went to the statue. Lady liberty was so worth the cold though! There are 192 steps to climb to the pedestel (where most get to climb to) but we climbed the 354 steps to climb to the crown. The climb was quite tiring and scary. At some point you get to where the stairs wind and are as wide as my hips. It was freaking scary! :) But once you climb to the crown, there are 25 little windows. These windows allow you a close up look of the tablet and the torch. It is a site to see.
We got back on the ferry and spent a little time at Ellis Island. By that time we were really tired and hungry! So we had our first New York hotdog from and vender and it was GREAT! We had purchased tickets for the double decker bus tours and decided to spend the rest of the afternoon going on a tour of the updown. I learned so much about the city and saw so much from this bus tour. The bus tour is definately worth the money! Did you know that the building codes in NY once only allowed building to be 3 stories high, later extending it to 8 stories and then higher? If you look at older building in the city you can see where floors were added to keep up with building codes. Other interesting facts I learned from that nights tour:
1. There are only 9 gas stations on the island! (I only saw one the whole trip)
2. There are very few grocery stores on the island and they are all expensive. (I only saw 2 the whole trip)
3. Broadway street moves, yes it moves! (and Laura realized what it meant by a show being on broadway)
4. There are a lot of underground parking garages but they are expensive again discouraging people to own cars in NYC. In fact to park in a one of these can cost as much as my rent each month!
5. "Old money" means they inhereted the money while "new money" means they earned it themselves. Some buildings only allow "old money" to live there.
6. The steps that you see that go down into the street to enter a building was originally designed for slaves to enter.
Thats all I can think of right now but very interesting stuff!
Til Day 3 is posted, adios! :)
Thursday, January 6, 2011
NYC
I AM DEDICATING A WHOLE ENTRY TO PICTURES! SO BE PATIENT! :)
I want to start with that I loved the trip and the ladies that I went with. I most likely will never go back but it was still pretty awesome. I learned so much about the city and about my travel buddies! :) I thought that I would start with what we did while were there.
December 28- DAY 1
Woke up early (4 am to be exact) got things together to meet Beth and Laura at Laura's house at 5 am! Left my phone at the house and then turned around to get it and ended up leaving it in my car (on accident). Great Start . . . I know!
Flight was on time, though for a second there we thought we were going to miss it. We got there an hour early and decided to get breakfast but while eating missed the calls for our flight to board and luckily Laura heard the last boarding call while I was in line for Diet coke and Beth was in another line for . . . water I think. Laura almost had a panic attack!
Got to New York, on time, and went to get my luggage to find out that . . . mine didnt show up. We waited for what seemed like forever. Beth went and asked about it and they assured me that it was coming. Beth and Laura were so positive and I ate lemon heads to keep calm! :) Finally after probably 20 minutes of waiting my luggage shows up . . . with an additional surprise. The back half of my luggage was covered in snow! Yay! But by Gods grace nothing in my luggage was wet!
After that we went to find out how to get to our hotel and the options were not looking good. With the road conditions being horrindously bad and mounds of white stuff that I sooned recognized by the freezing cold temperatures to be snow (LOL) there were very few taxis, busses or other modes of transportation available. So we waited in line for an hour and a half or so for a taxi. Yes taxi drivers are scary but from my trip I realize that its not their fault EVERYONE in New York drives like a maniac!
We get to our hotel, check in and see our room. Our teeny tiny room. It had 2 beds that were between the size of a twin and a queen. Between each bed was about a foot. Between the wall and each bed was maybe 3 inches, between the beds and the dresser and small closet was about a foot! So it was tiny. We moved stuff around to fit our luggage on the dressers and window seal.
After settling in we decided to go see Rockerfeller Center. We had tickets to the rockettes that night and wanted to see the tree and the ice skating rink beforehand. We decided to try out the subway while we were at it. (Just to make things clear, in one day we drove our cars, took a plane, took a taxi, took the subway and walked) The tree was beautiful but I am getting ahead of myself. Lets start with the subway . . . so we had no clue what we were doing so we had the bright idea to ask for help. On the plane ride over the lady sitting next to me told me all kinds of pointers, one of them being that New Yorkers were nice and would help me if we got lost. So we asked a store clerk and she told us to get on and ride to the end . . . we thought that sounded wrong so we tried an officer (after wondering around looking like lost tourists for a while) that helped us and we made it. The subway was NOT clean but it was a good way of getting around.
Rockerfeller center and Radio city was beautiful. The tree was amazing. The only surprise was the rink was much smaller than what was expected. At the time no one was on it but we waited and finally they let people on to skate. We chose not to embarress ourselves in front of the hundreds of on lookers that were watching. But with the angels, the tree, the skating rink, the huge fake snowflakes and the real snow . . . it was a site! Laura got in trouble by a cop, which was hilarious. Tons of people were standing on the benches to get a good picture but when Laura did it an officer came to her and said "Mam, Mam?" and of course Laura responded "Yes?" and he didnt respond so Laura asked "Do you want me to get down?" and he nodded yes! It was so funny but she got the shot!
That area was beautiful with the Christmas lights, decorations, and sounds. We went to the rockettes a little early. Radio City Hall was decorated so beautifully (Martha Stewart did the decorations). The Rockettes show was amazing. Yes everything was beautiful and they danced beautifully but the best part was that they acted out the Christmas story. They read the Christmas story as well, I dont think they mentioned that it was from the Bible and it wasn't word for word from the Bible but it was the Biblical version of the Christmas story! It was beautiful!
That night though, I crashed! They said I was asleep the minute I hit the pillow and was snoring (which I didnt know I did).
In all it was a great first day in NYC! Til day 2 of NYC, adios!
I want to start with that I loved the trip and the ladies that I went with. I most likely will never go back but it was still pretty awesome. I learned so much about the city and about my travel buddies! :) I thought that I would start with what we did while were there.
December 28- DAY 1
Woke up early (4 am to be exact) got things together to meet Beth and Laura at Laura's house at 5 am! Left my phone at the house and then turned around to get it and ended up leaving it in my car (on accident). Great Start . . . I know!
Flight was on time, though for a second there we thought we were going to miss it. We got there an hour early and decided to get breakfast but while eating missed the calls for our flight to board and luckily Laura heard the last boarding call while I was in line for Diet coke and Beth was in another line for . . . water I think. Laura almost had a panic attack!
Got to New York, on time, and went to get my luggage to find out that . . . mine didnt show up. We waited for what seemed like forever. Beth went and asked about it and they assured me that it was coming. Beth and Laura were so positive and I ate lemon heads to keep calm! :) Finally after probably 20 minutes of waiting my luggage shows up . . . with an additional surprise. The back half of my luggage was covered in snow! Yay! But by Gods grace nothing in my luggage was wet!
After that we went to find out how to get to our hotel and the options were not looking good. With the road conditions being horrindously bad and mounds of white stuff that I sooned recognized by the freezing cold temperatures to be snow (LOL) there were very few taxis, busses or other modes of transportation available. So we waited in line for an hour and a half or so for a taxi. Yes taxi drivers are scary but from my trip I realize that its not their fault EVERYONE in New York drives like a maniac!
We get to our hotel, check in and see our room. Our teeny tiny room. It had 2 beds that were between the size of a twin and a queen. Between each bed was about a foot. Between the wall and each bed was maybe 3 inches, between the beds and the dresser and small closet was about a foot! So it was tiny. We moved stuff around to fit our luggage on the dressers and window seal.
After settling in we decided to go see Rockerfeller Center. We had tickets to the rockettes that night and wanted to see the tree and the ice skating rink beforehand. We decided to try out the subway while we were at it. (Just to make things clear, in one day we drove our cars, took a plane, took a taxi, took the subway and walked) The tree was beautiful but I am getting ahead of myself. Lets start with the subway . . . so we had no clue what we were doing so we had the bright idea to ask for help. On the plane ride over the lady sitting next to me told me all kinds of pointers, one of them being that New Yorkers were nice and would help me if we got lost. So we asked a store clerk and she told us to get on and ride to the end . . . we thought that sounded wrong so we tried an officer (after wondering around looking like lost tourists for a while) that helped us and we made it. The subway was NOT clean but it was a good way of getting around.
Rockerfeller center and Radio city was beautiful. The tree was amazing. The only surprise was the rink was much smaller than what was expected. At the time no one was on it but we waited and finally they let people on to skate. We chose not to embarress ourselves in front of the hundreds of on lookers that were watching. But with the angels, the tree, the skating rink, the huge fake snowflakes and the real snow . . . it was a site! Laura got in trouble by a cop, which was hilarious. Tons of people were standing on the benches to get a good picture but when Laura did it an officer came to her and said "Mam, Mam?" and of course Laura responded "Yes?" and he didnt respond so Laura asked "Do you want me to get down?" and he nodded yes! It was so funny but she got the shot!
That area was beautiful with the Christmas lights, decorations, and sounds. We went to the rockettes a little early. Radio City Hall was decorated so beautifully (Martha Stewart did the decorations). The Rockettes show was amazing. Yes everything was beautiful and they danced beautifully but the best part was that they acted out the Christmas story. They read the Christmas story as well, I dont think they mentioned that it was from the Bible and it wasn't word for word from the Bible but it was the Biblical version of the Christmas story! It was beautiful!
That night though, I crashed! They said I was asleep the minute I hit the pillow and was snoring (which I didnt know I did).
In all it was a great first day in NYC! Til day 2 of NYC, adios!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
New Year's Resolution
For those of you seeking a post on my New York expereinces that is to come in the next couple of days or so when I have pictures to attach!
So every year I make New Year's Resolutions. I enjoy taking the time to reflect on the previous year and to think about the new year. Change is going to happen in the new year and thats just how life is. Anyone who knows me knows that I dislike change. It scares me, not knowing what is in the future and what is going to change. But things are going to change, the only question is what in my life is going to change and in what direction. The world is changing and therefore everything around me is going to change. I can either conform to the changes of the world and go with the flow or I can give God control and allow Him to change me. So my New Years resolution for this year is to seek God more and more each day. Allow Him to make the necessary changes to my heart and my life and surrender. Surrendering, in case you didnt know, is not giving up some or part but ALL. So if I surrender and give Him control things are going to change.
Now I don't believe in making a resolution without a plan on how to accomplish that resolution. So my plan is to spend time every morning with Him. Normally I spend time at night but I know that for my life spending time in the morning is best. It starts my day out right and on a good note. I plan to faithfully attend Sunday school and Sunday church services. And last but not least but to serve. Serve others in some way that will bring glory to God and not to myself. I have found that God reveals a lot to me through serving others. Not only is it humbling but it draws me closer to Him.
So with all the change that is going to occur in the new year I hope you have a plan. I encourage, no I challenge you to make New Years resolutions this year and a plan to stick to them.
So every year I make New Year's Resolutions. I enjoy taking the time to reflect on the previous year and to think about the new year. Change is going to happen in the new year and thats just how life is. Anyone who knows me knows that I dislike change. It scares me, not knowing what is in the future and what is going to change. But things are going to change, the only question is what in my life is going to change and in what direction. The world is changing and therefore everything around me is going to change. I can either conform to the changes of the world and go with the flow or I can give God control and allow Him to change me. So my New Years resolution for this year is to seek God more and more each day. Allow Him to make the necessary changes to my heart and my life and surrender. Surrendering, in case you didnt know, is not giving up some or part but ALL. So if I surrender and give Him control things are going to change.
Now I don't believe in making a resolution without a plan on how to accomplish that resolution. So my plan is to spend time every morning with Him. Normally I spend time at night but I know that for my life spending time in the morning is best. It starts my day out right and on a good note. I plan to faithfully attend Sunday school and Sunday church services. And last but not least but to serve. Serve others in some way that will bring glory to God and not to myself. I have found that God reveals a lot to me through serving others. Not only is it humbling but it draws me closer to Him.
So with all the change that is going to occur in the new year I hope you have a plan. I encourage, no I challenge you to make New Years resolutions this year and a plan to stick to them.
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