Things that make you go hmmmmm...

Top 5 things that make you go hmmmm...

#1. $1000.00 dollar bathing suite. You say WHAT!?!?!?


Herve Leger’s taking the body conscious trend to a whole new level-–self conscious!

While Spanx swimwear sucks in your gut, this $1,005 Hervé Léger “sunsuit” shows it off–and the kicker is that it can’t get wet, proving to be the most high maintenance swimsuit ever. With an out-of-reach zipper in back, you’ll never be able to get yourself in (or out) alone and the “non-adjustable” halter is even less accommodating.

Feeling claustrophobic yet? We haven’t even mentioned the cut out-design it’s sure to breed some funky Teletubbie tan lines. At this point, we suggest you cut your losses, grab a cheap Old Navy bikini, and save that thousand dollars for a vacation instead.

And we thought hoof boots were bad.

#2. Hoof Boots.



#3. "Twisted" Furniture
This twisted design really adds a lively and playful element to essential furnishings. Talk about taking a turn for the the better—or bolder!


#4. EyeEnvy.
Press-on animal print eyeshadows: are these a daring disaster or edgy-cool?


#5. Alas, one lone plug looking for its socket counterpart. Jewelry creator Casey Perez crafted a thought-provoking pair of rings to symbolize interconnected relationships. Would these make an awesome (albeit dangerous) Valentine's Day gift or what?

Weekend fun and first times

This weekend so far has been amazing. Yesterday (Saturday) we went to a re-wedding in Buena Vista Colorado at one of the Young Life camps. I call it a re-wedding because our friends, Brian and Maria were married in December in California. There were many of us that were not able to attend, so they planned a "Re-Stating of the Vows" for us. Maria was able to walk down the isle in her beautiful dress for the second time--AND she is having another celebration later in Oklahoma with her husbands side of the family. Cool eh? I love it!

It took 2 hours to drive there.

We hung around and chatted with a bunch of people.

We sat and watched the ceremony.

Then we had lunch and hung around some more.

Then my friend Clint and I went for a lovely walk in the forest.

We walked over a bed of dear poo.

It was gross.

The trees were lovely.

It was invigorating! ;-)

Then we went to dinner at this restaurant where you only had 2 choices of food. Steak or Prim Rib. I chose the leaner of the 2 and it was delish!

Then we set sail and started the 2 hour drive home.

There were 3 cars in our caravan.

We stopped 3 times to use the potty and to dance.

Ya, you heard me.......WE DANCED! ;-) LOL

We got out of the cars, blared the music and danced many a jig.

We had great fun

So much laughter

And were exhausted.

The End.
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Oh wait, don't leave yet, I have one more thing to tell you about. ;-)

I tried a new thing this morning.

Gluten Free Pancakes with fresh Strawberries and Blueberries.

They were delicious!

If you are someone trying to stay away from Gluten and Wheat, you have got to try these. They are super simple.

Here's the mix that I used.


Then add 1 egg


Then add 1/4 cup Almond Milk


Then add 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil ( I am sure you could substitute it with a healthier oil if you have any.)


It doesn't call for this but I added some protein powder to the mix.


And they came out like this.


They were so worth it. Nice and fluffy and the texture was great. It actually seemed like I was eating bread which was very satisfying. I do want to try and make my own in the future though. That will cut down on the sodium. I noticed that they put way more salt in these pre-packaged items than is necessary. But, if you are not worried about sodium, you have got to try it at least once.

Bon Appetite

Threading/Waxing?....Randomness

Friday Randomeness.

OK, so I am not a person who normally plucks my eyebrows or gets facial hair removed by waxing, but there is a technique out there called Threading and here is a video about it. I have heard that it is great and works wonders. ;-)

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I think this word is very strange--Pontificating. Pontifi---WHAT!?! Sounds like a bad word.

Oh, excuse me I am Pontificating here!!!!

Defenition- to speak in a pompous or dogmatic manner: Did he pontificate about the responsibilities of a good citizen?

or better yet..

The word pontificate is also commonly used to describe a supercilious or patronizing expression of speech. Other terms that effectively describe one who tends to pontificate are pompous, haughty, ostentatious, and condescending. This approach to speech making or lecturing is often meant to demean those that have a different opinion, or in essence is used to make them feel inferior for not agreeing with the “enlightened” perspective of the person speaking.
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Tonight I am going to a Chili Cook-Off with some fabulous friends.


You know where there beans there is magical fruit....

Oh, you know what I mean...

Or do you?

I'm sure I don't have to spell it out for you. ;-)
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Cruciferous vegetables and Super Foods

Well, happy Thursday everyone.

Yesterday, I made a couple of eating mistakes. I ate chocolate--2X! You might think--Why is that bad?? Well, for me I need to stay away from sugar and carbs. Well, it was both sugar and carb-full!!

So, what to do today? Start over of course! ;-) I know I can't beat myself up over it. If I fall, I just need to get back up and start again. Isn't that the way life is?

We fall

We get back up

We fall

We get back up

Gotta get some mental and emotional exercise! Oh, and need to get the physical stuff too. ;-) Haven't been to the gym in a long time and have only been out walking a couple of times in the past 2 weeks. Ugh! Routine is needed in my life. Eating right has been my main focus as of late, so now I just need to have double vision instead of tunnel vision which includes eating right and exercise. Sigh... Life...

Any way, a friend sent me this article that I felt was intriguing.

A unique way that a few specific vegetables can actually stimulate the burning of abdominal fat...(Article by Mike Geary, Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist)

I bet you didn't know that there is a specific class of vegetables that contain very specific phytonutrients that actually help to fight against stubborn belly fat.

Let me explain what these unique vegetables are and why they help to burn stomach fat...

Chemicals that force your body to hold onto belly fat. Something you may have never heard about is that certain chemicals in our food supply and our environment, such as pesticides, herbicides, and certain petrochemicals from air and water pollution, household cleaners, cosmetics, etc can react with your body and make your body store excess abdominal fat.

These chemicals are known as xenoestrogens.

Xenoestrogens are chemicals that you are exposed to (and are hard to avoid in the modern world) that have an estrogenic effect in your body. Excess exposure to these can cause hormone balance disruptions for both men and women. So these can wreak havoc in the body for both guys and gals.

These estrogenic chemicals that we are exposed to on a daily basis can stimulate your body to store belly fat, along with many other problems (including cancer risks in the long term).

So here's where this specific class of vegetables comes in handy...

One of those cool tricks that I teach my clients that hire me for nutritional counseling is the use of cruciferous vegetables to help fight against stomach fat.

Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, kale, cabbage, etc. contain very specific and unique phytonutrients such as indole-3-carbinol (I3C) that help to fight against these estrogenic compounds...
And by fighting against these belly fat stimulating estrogenic chemicals, this is just 1 more step in helping you to win the battle against abdominal fat!

So there you go... just another excuse to do what mom always told you and eat more broccoli!
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Because I like to know what I am consuming and how it is helpful to me, I have researched the Green Food that I am adding to my smoothies lately. This stuff is really great and I would HIGHLY recommend it to those of you who are wanting more nutrients in your daily diet. I can't even taste it in my smoothies when I add fruit and a little yogurt. I haven't tried it by itself though. I know people do it so at some point I am going to try it.

Anyway, the above article has had me thinking about what all is in my Super Food mix. The brand that I use is called "Garden of Life". It utilizes only certified organic and chemical free whole food concentrates, and is the only product of its kind that provides the nutritional equivalent of 5-10 servings of fresh vegetables a day without the use of synthetic or isolated vitamins and minerals.

It is high in nutrition and low in calories, providing you with a whole food source of enzymes, antioxidants, beta carotenes, omega 3,6 & 9 essential fatty acids, and over 100 vitamins, minerals and trace elements.

Amazingly, here is what is packed into 1 scoop of this smelly but nitricious stuff.

Green Super Foods:
Kamut Grass*, Wheat Grass*, Barley Grass*, Oat Grass*, Alfalfa Grass*, Spirulina, Chlorella, Dunaliella, Kelp and Dulse. Green Super Foods are a rich source of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, amino acids, chlorophyll and antioxidants. (Gluten and Phytate free)

Vegetables:
Carrot Juice*, Beet Juice*, Tomato Juice*, Sweet Potato*, Brocolli*, Kale*, Cabbage*, Cauliflower, Brussels Sprouts, Parsley*, Spinach*, Asparagus*, Celery*, Cucumber, Green Pepper*, Garlic, Ginger* and Onion. Vegetables are nature's richest sources of phytochemicals including lycopene, sulforophane, allicin and bioflavonoids.

Grains and Seeds:
Flax Seeds*, Sesame Seeds*, Sunflower Seeds*, Pumpkin Seeds*, Chia Seeds* Garbanzo Beans*, Red Lentils*, Soy Beans*, Kidney Beans*, Azuki Beans*, Oats*, Barley*, Rye*, Millet*, Brown Rice*, Maize* and Buckwheat* (Gluten and Phytate Free). Easily digestible grains, seeds and legumes provide vitamins such as B complex and vitamin E, Isoflavones, Fiber and essential fatty acids including Omega 3 and 6.

Acerola Cherry:
Nature's richest source of vitamin C. Vitamin C is crucial as a premier antioxidant and is important for the health of the immune system.
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So, there you have it folks. Mind boggling nutrition. ;-)

On another note, I have been feeling very creative as of late. I have several Baby Showers coming up and 1 Wedding coming up. 2 of these events are occurring this week and next and I have been thinking about what I am going to do for card.

I decided to make my own and have been having fun doing it. I will try and post pictures of them after I gave them to their recipients.

Well, that's all for now. Hope everyone has a great day.

Tootles! ;-)

Wednesday De-Lights.

Your probably wondering why I labeled this post the "Wednesday De-Lights"? Well, here's why.

I have prayed that God would change my attitude or do a "re-work" in my heart

I believe he's doing it. ;-)

I feel happy for no reason

It's sunny outside

I get to go grocery shopping tonight

I love to shop

I am getting a massage today

Nough said....... ;-)

This weekend I finally decided to transition into the Gluten Free life style. I am not 100% there, but it is my hope to fully transition at least 90% of the time. The other 10% I will allow some freedom, especially if I am at someones house where they are serving something with gluten or I am on vacation and I am having a hard time finding Gluten Free menu items. I am not one of those people who are laid out in bed when I eat something glutenous, but it sure does affect me in a not so pleasant way, so I think these new changes will be good for me.

Also, I have decided to go some what dairy free. I am still eating cheese (minimally) and some yogurt in my smoothies or for a snack. For milk I am moving away from dairy and going the Almond route. ;-) Soy is not good for me because of my thyroid issues, so it's Almond milk for me.



Almond milk is loaded with unsaturated fat, which means almond milk is beneficial in reducing the risk of heart diseases. Moreover, almond milk does not contain cholesterol and saturated fats. The protein content in almond milk helps the growth and repair functions of the body. Besides proteins, almond milk also contains omega fatty acids.

Almond milk also furnishes the body with high levels of manganese, selenium and vitamin E. Manganese plays an important role in activating enzymes in the body. Manganese along with phosphorous also plays a role in keeping bones and teeth healthy. Vitamin E, an antioxidant protects the cell membranes by destroying the free radicals that cause damage to them. Selenium on the other hand is good for the functioning of the immune system, for reproduction and for metabolism of the thyroid gland.

The magnesium obtained from almond helps break down the food consumed into energy. It also assists the functioning of the parathyroid glands, which are responsible for production of hormones known for good bone health. The potassium present helps maintain normal blood pressure. Almond milk is also a good source of flavanoids. This is because, almond milk is prepared by crushing the almonds with the skin. The skin is rich in flavanoids, which is good for cardiovascular health, thereby providing protection against various heart disease.

Coconut Sugar-Which is really Coconut crystals

They look like this. I think it actually tastes similar to sucanat sugar.

•Coconut Sugar is rated as a GI 35. By comparison, most commercial Honeys are GI 55 and Cane Sugars are GI 68.
•Coconut Sugar has a nutritional content far richer than all other commercially available sweeteners.
•Coconut Sugar is especially high in Potassium, Magnesium, Zinc and Iron and is a natural source of the vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6 and C.
•Coconut Sugar is a 100% Organic, unprocessed, unfiltered, and unbleached natural sweetener. And contains no preservatives.

Instead of regular flour, I will not be using Coconut flour. I will possibly mix it with some of the other Gluten Free flours when making bread.


Coconut flour is unlike any other consisting of 14% coconut oil and 58% dietary fiber! The remaining 28% consists of water, protein, and carbohydrate. If you haven't tried coconut flour yet, here are some more excellent reasons to start:

Coconut Flour is ideal for baking. It has fewer digestible (net) carbs than other flours, and it even has fewer digestible carbs than some vegetables!

Coconut Flour is gluten-free and hypoallergenic. With as much protein as wheat flour, coconut flour has none of the specific protein in wheat called "gluten". This is an advantage for a growing percentage of the population who have allergies to gluten or a wheat sensitivity.

Coconut Flour consists of the highest percentage of dietary fiber( 58%) found in any flour. Wheat bran has only 27% fiber.

Coconut Flour can help you reach a healthy weight. Ideal for those who follow a low-carb eating plan, coconut flour works well as part of a weight loss program because it has high fiber, and foods with high fiber can help promote a feeling of fullness.

Whoever said "you can't have your cake and eat it too" was definitely in the dark about the benefits of coconut flour!

Daughters--Hello Courage! Part 2

If you have not read Part 1 of Daughters--Hello Courage! You can click here to read before moving on to Part 2.
Created to be Creative: Daughters--HELLO COURAGE! Part 1:

In Part one of this 2 part series, we talked about what Courage is and the process that brought us to who we are today. We talked about some of the wounds in our lives that have broken us down to bring Fear into our lives and causes us to not be courageous.

I want you to know that God has been sent to heal, restore and to release something--that something is YOU, and he will wrap our hearts in a garment of praise. He has assured us that we will never be abandoned. He will come to us with a face of Jesus which is Love. ;-)

Have you ever seen the painting where Jesus is knocking on a door? I have always loved this painting.


Jesus asks our permission for healing. He gave us the key to our hearts to lock the door from the inside. It is our job to give him permission to let him in because He has chosen to give us that choice. His Spirit is gentle and he knocks, asking us to let Him in so he can shine his light on our fear and heal us. He wants us to offer all of our brokenness to Him.

He promised us that joy will come. We need to BELIEVE that what He said is true--JOY WILL COME!

Remember, there is nothing that makes God tremble. There is nothing within our hearts that he has not seen or healed in someone else. He is not shocked to find out what we are going through. He has heard our fears before and He knew that we would be going through trials and tribulations so that is why God had his Son die on the cross for us. We not only get the benefits of Christ's death, but we get the benefits of His life. Christ is YOUR life and breath. We are the branch and He is the vine. Apart from Christ we can do nothing.

To some, the image of a pale body glimmering on a dark night whispers of defeat. What good is a God who does not control his Son's suffering? But another sound can be heard: the shout of a God crying out to human beings, "I LOVE YOU." Love was compressed for all history in that lonely figure on the cross, who said that he could call down angels at any moment on a rescue mission, but chose not to - because of us. At Calvary, God accepted his own unbreakable terms of justice." ~Phillip Yancey

We are in the palm of His hand--there is nothing and there is no one that can take us out of it. Be strong and courageous. There is no room that you walk in that God has not preceded you. We are becoming courageous women because we are growing and knowing in Him.

Psalms 18:19 said, "He rescued me because he delighted in me". He is always saying "Come Closer". You affect His heart and you can change His mind. That is how much he Loves us. Amazing right? ;-)

Oswald Chambers said "The only person that can satisfy the aching abyss of the human heart is Jesus Christ". God's love is deep, wide, long and high. God wants something in response from us. He yearns for us to love Him back and life can get in the way of His love for us because we get distracted--that is why He is jealous for us. Our love for Him is the one thing that we possess that God cannot claim without us offering it to Him. He doesn't force us to love him, but He created us to commune with Him in an intimate way. God wants us to choose to love Him freely, even when that choice involves pain, because we are committed to him, not to our own good feelings and rewards. He wants us to cleave to Him, as Job did, even when we have every reason to deny Him hotly.

Phillip Yancey stated, "I have learned that faith means trusting in advance what will only make sense in reverse."

We ladies, yes, you and I--We take God's breath away!! Oh how glorious is that? Oh, and guess what? WE AFFECT HIS HEART!!! Can you only imagine?? WE AFFECT GOD'S HEART and yes, you heard it right, we have the ability to TAKE HIS BREATH AWAY!! Ha ha! I love it. He loves us so much that we have the ability to affect Him in this way? As they say in the Princess Bride, "INCONCEIVABLE"!!

Really, truly it is amazing. He loves us so much that:

1. He died on the cross so we may live
2. He has forgiven us of our sins when we ask
3. He yearns for us to love Him back like He loves us
4. He wants to heal us from our fears and hurts of the past and present
5. He gives us life through His love and healing breath
6. He never takes His life off of you
7. He is SMITTEN by you! ;-)
8. He is generous and extravagant
9. He gives us the courage to press into Him
10.He gives us the courage to get back up
11.He gives us the courage to be loved.

His love is like a kiss and an earthquake!

It's Saturday!

I am so glad that it's Saturday.

I really, really needed at least one full day where I didn't have any obligations to go anywhere today.

I did Laundry

Dusted the downstairs

Watered the plants

Wiped down the tile by the fire place

Did more laundry

Cooked up some turkey sausage and Eggs, cheese and sausage for lunch

I made coffee

Cleaned the bathroom


I am sure you really wanted to know about my chore list right?

Goind to vaccuum the downstairs soon

Am on my 2nd cup of and might have a 3rd

Watched "Where the Wild Things Are"


Weird Move...

OK, more coffee and then off to do more laundry

Did I mention that I've been watching a lot of Seinfeld?

Yup

Don't have much of a life

Except for doing laundry

And watching Seinfeld....

I made my own hummus

Last night I finally made my own hummus. I am tired of buying hummus at the store when I have no control over the stuff they put in it, and the amount of salt that they add. Besides, it's good to be all natural and do it myself. ;-)

I ended up mashing the chickpeas before blending hoping that it would create a smoother consistency. I also split the batch up into 2 portions so I would not overwork the blender. By adding your liquid first and then the chickpeas helps the blender work the mixture to a smooth consistency. (I blended on the "Liquefy" setting)

So I started with this


The recipe called for 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice. I juiced 2 lemons which was a little more than 1/4Th.


I mashed up 3 cans of chickpeas. The recipe called for 2 cans but I ended up adding more liquid than I liked, so make sure you have some extra on hand in case you want to make it thicker.


Reserve at least 1 can of juice after draining the peas. The juice will be used during the process of blending to keep the mixture moist and moving. It also adds great flavor to your hummus.



Add about 2-3 tablespoons of EVOO. I honestly didn't measure I just drizzled some in there every once in a while.


By adding Sasami Tahini paste to your hummus, it is what binds it all together and gives it great flavor. Recipe called for 1/4 cup which I ended up using a bit extra since I added a 3rd can of the peas.


Garlic. The "Element of life" ;-) The recipe called for 2-3 cloves but I ehemmm....used 5 cloves. Let's just say my hummus was extra "spicy" from the garlic. I won't be using that much next time. LOL. Anyway, before I started the second phase of blending, I added the whole cloves to the liquid in the blender and liquefied it. Then added the chickpeas.


I put everything in a bowl and stirred it all together. Then I added Paprika


And dried Parsley


It came out super smooth and tasted Divine. I didn't even have to add any salt which I was happy about. Next time, I will measure everything exactly so that I can do a better job at calorie counting. I want to be able to measure out exactly what I need each day and know how many calories I am consuming.
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On another note, I had blood work done for my lipids and thyroid. My thyroid is now at a "normal" stage with me taking medicine every morning. Yipppeee!

My lipids however where not too great. My good Cholesterol (HDL) was great. My bad Cholesterol (LDL) was way above normal so guess what I get to do? Lay low on Carbs and Sugars. I am actually already doing this because I am allergic to Wheat and possibly Gluten. As of yesterday I went off Wheat entirely and am working my way out of eating Sugar.

So, along with adding Green Food to my smoothies every morning and cutting out Wheat/glutenous products and sugar, I am on the road to recovery.

Here's to a new me. ;-)

Daughters--HELLO COURAGE! Part 1

This weekend I had the opportunity to attend a woman’s conference at New Life Church called "Daughters--Hello Courage". Staci Eldredge was the speaker and she was quite fabulous. ;-) If you have never heard of her, she is the co-author of "Captivating" (a Christian book for women) and she co-authors books with her husband John Eldredge as well.

This will be a 2 Part post since there is a lot of ground to cover.

The topic was on "Courage". Staci talked about all of the elements that can give or take away courage from us as women. It was amazing to me how in depth this particular topic was and how much it stirred things up inside of me. I know I was not the only one moved by this because many of us were utilizing the tissue box quite often. ;-)

What is the meaning of courage?
Wikipedia states that Courage is the ability to confront fear, pain, risk/danger, uncertainty, or intimidation. "Physical courage" is courage in the face of physical pain, hardship, death, or threat of death, while "moral courage" is the ability to act rightly in the face of popular opposition, shame, scandal, or discouragement.

Dictionary.com states that Courage is: 1. the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery. 2. To have the courage of one's convictions, to act in accordance with one's beliefs, especially in spite of criticism.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary states that Courage is a mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.

Interesting isn't it? There are so many facets of courage. Most of the time I just think I either have it or I don't. I do not venture into the realm of why do I not have courage or how is it that I gained it?

For those of us who are women,it goes back to our identities in Christ. There are deeper issues that are going on here. Bare with me for a bit as I try and process all that I learned this weekend.

Staci talked about the heart of God and where we stand with Him. The core desire of a woman is to be romanced. The desire of romance is buried in the heart of God. God designed this yearning to be romanced so that we could be closer to him. We also need to be needed, essential, irreplaceable.

There is something fierce in the heart of a woman! Your Faith and Courage will shine out and that is what people will see. I know for sure that I want a beauty that draws people to the heart of God. Living with Courage means living with Faith.

Deuteronomy 31:8 says "The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

What would it be like to live with Courage like Esther? It's not about doing but being.
G.K. Chesterton quoted, “Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of readiness to die.” Esther had great Courage. She had this inner strength inside of her that helped her to lean on God knowing that when she stood up for her people, she may parish in the midst of it--yet she stood up for what she believed in. It's an awakened heart with confidence. ;-)

Yet, the Lord never said that once we became His children, we would live without pain and suffering. Actually, the Bible guarantee's there will be suffering. There are different types of suffering. There is suffering that comes from our own foolishness in which if we learn from it, it can make us wise. There is the suffering that comes from a fallen world and also suffering that comes from other peoples foolish behaviors. There is suffering from God that is put onto us for our own good, and then there is suffering that comes from being His children.

...and yet, the Lord comforts us. We may not always see His healing physically, but always we will see the healing of our hearts. When we face suffering throughout our lives, it is hard to trust in God for our comfort, healing and safety.

Something deep inside each one of us prevents us from living courageous--FEAR! When we fear, we hide. 1 Peter 3 talks about not giving way to fear. When we allow fear to creep in, especially when we are not looking up for Christ's help, then we hide from ourselves and from other people. We, placing ourselves in this hunkered down position, are not allowing healing into our lives by facing what is in front of us.

Sometimes fear and uncertainty creep in even as far back as our early childhood. Specifically for us girls our hearts yearn to be filled with love and affection. The questions,"Do you delight in me?, "Am I captivating?","Do you love me?" are the biggest things that formed us into who we are today. If they were not answered in a healthy way, then our confidence in ourselves may have faltered. We desire to be loved, to be beautiful. God created us to have confidence. God designed the Father/Daughter relationship to be one of the deepest relationships out there. If our earthly fathers failed at giving us what God intended then it may have created some very deep wounds within us.

These wounds, they come with messages. They come with such pain that we tend to believe them to be true. For instance, the father wounds may say "I don't love you, you are not worth it to me". The message that may have come with that is the belief that you are not worthy to be loved, to be cared for. That you were rejected and are unlovable.

So, what did we do with these wounds that crippled us? Well, we made vows to ourselves. One thing we may have told ourselves is "I will never allow anyone near me" or "I will never be loveable", or "I will never be liked". These type of vows carry us through our lives and hinder us from the healing God wants so badly for us. Remember, courage is not the absence of fear. It compels us to face what is hard and push through.

In the movie "The Princess Diaries", Mia made this quote about Courage. "Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear. The brave may not live forever, but the cautious do not live at all. From now on you'll be traveling the road between who you think you are and who you can be. The key is to allow yourself to make the journey."

I don't know about you but I want all of the healing available to me through Christ Jesus.

Part 2 of “Daughters—Hello Courage! Is coming soon so stay tuned...

I have joined the land of the Green Drinkers..

I made a decision...

I've wanted to do this for a long time...

Been contemplating how I am going to do it...

And then I decided...

I am going to be a Green Drinker! ;-) Yes, that's right folks, I have entered the land of the Green Slurpies...



I bought this stuff


Which comes out in a powder that looks like this


Which has all of this goodness and more inside it


I mix all kinds of fruit with it to try and hide the taste of all of this Yummy-Good For My Body--Not so tasty substance.

You might think I'm crazy

But gosh darnet

I don't care because..

I am walkin' down the healthy road.

See ya.

A love letter.

My Precious Daughter (A love letter from God to His Daughters)

My precious daughter,
I will never leave you,
I will never forsake you,
I will be faithful until the end,
You are more than just "my daughter"
You are my princess,
My beloved, my delight,
I rejoice in you,
You are beautiful,
You shine with light,
You have dove's eyes,
I rejoice in you with singing,
I will quiet you with my love,
Hold you in my arms,
Never let you go,
For you are never alone,
You never have been alone,
I've been with you all along,
Your whole life,

I understand your pain,
My sacrifice wasn't for nothing,
Let me tell you I understand your confusion,
I understand your anger and frustration,
I understand your tears,
And I care,
Very much,
For you,
Everything that is important to you,
Is important to me too,
My love for you will never end,
I will not leave you for another,
I will not abandon you ever,
No matter how far you go,
My love will never end.

I have examined you heart,
I know everything about you,
When you sit down or stand up,
I know your thoughts,
Even when you are far away,
I see you when you travel,
Or when you rest at home,
I see the tears that fall from your eyes,
I see the heartache in your home,
Believe me I know the lies,
I know the temptations,
But I am here,
I know what you are going to say,
Even before you say it.
I go before you and follow,
I place my hand of blessing on your head,
Such knowledge is beyond comprehension,
It is too wonderful for you to understand,
You can never escape from my Spirit,
You can never get away from my presence!
If you go up to heaven, I am there;
If you go down to the grave, I am there.
If you ride the wings of the morning,
If you dwell by the farthest oceans,
Even there my hand will guide you,
And my strength will support you.

You could ask the darkness to hide you,
And the light around you to become night,
But even in darkness you cannot hide from me,
To me night shine as day,
Darkness and light are the same to me,
I made all the delicate, inner parts of your body,
I made your heart,
I know what makes you hurt,
I know what makes you cry,
I know what makes you tick,
I know what breaks your heart the most,
And I know how to comfort you,
I know how to make you smile,
I know how to love you,
I know how to be a daddy who loves,
Such a beautiful daughter like you,
You long for acceptance,
When you were already accepted into my family,
You are fearfully and wonderfully made,
I love you more than you know,
I will fill your heart with the love and peace you long for,
I saw you before you were born,
I knit you together in your mother's womb,
Even then I loved you,
And I was proud of you,
And I thought of you as my beautiful daughter, my princess,
Everyday of your life is recorded in my book,
Every moment was laid out,
Every moment that would bring you joy,
Every moment that would bring you pain.

My thoughts about you are precious,
They cannot be numbered,
They outnumber the grains of sand,
And when you wake up in the morning,
I am still with you,
I love you more than you know,
You are beautiful to me,
Even though you feel something is always wrong,
Just look into my eyes,
See how I see you,
A beautiful princess,
With beautiful eyes that shine with my love and my light,
I love you,
And I will say it again,
I love you,
My princess, my beloved,
My precious daughter,

I love you,
I love you,
I love you.

Don't give up,
For I see the brokenness in your families,
In your friendships,
I see the pain in your eyes,
Your beautiful heart,
That used to be so filled with joy,
Is now crushed beneath your burdens,
But you're still beautiful to me,
So beautiful to me,
I will heal you and restore you once again,

My precious daughter,
I will never leave you,
I will never forsake you,
I will be faithful until the end,

Faithful until the end...

Your loving Father and Daddy, Prince of Peace, King of Glory,


-Jesus.

A little about me..

A. Age: 32
B. Bed size: Full
C. Chore you dislike: Bathroom cleaning
D. Dogs: No animals for me but I do have a Beta Fish named Marccelo
E. Essential start to your day: Earl Grey or English Breakfas Tea. Coffee on weekends
F. Favorite color: Brown/Aqua Blue
G. Gold or silver: Silver
H. Height: 5' 7" :)
I. Instruments you play(ed): Clarinet/ Djembe
J. Job title: Income Processor/ Painter
K. Kids: None
L. Live: Colorado Springs, CO
M. Mom’s name: Debbie
N. Nicknames: ReeAnn Dawn :)
O. Overnight hospital stays: 1983 (Adnoids removed) 2003 (Car Accident-Multiple broken bones)
P. Pet peeves: Smacking while chewing ANYTHING and/or talking over people.
Q. Quote from a movie: "These Mashed Potatoes are sooooooo creamy..."
R. Righty or lefty: Righty.
S. Siblings: one sister Rebekah Elizabeth
T. Time you wake up: At the butt crack of dawn
U. Underwear: Yup :)
V. Vegetables you don’t like: Brussel sprouts unless they are cooked with lots of butter
W.What makes you run late: In the mornings if I'm super tired
X. X-rays you’ve had: A lot especially at the dentist!
Y. Yummy food you make: Thai food. My ultimate fave!
Z. Zoo animal favorites: Tigers! ;-)

I love me some ballet...

This Sunday we went to Denver to go see Romeo and Juliet. This ballet was absolutely fabulous and I am in awe of the talent that these people have as they dance out these stories. Sorry if the pictures are hard to see since none of us remembered our camera's, these are all from our phones.

My Mom (Debbie) and I waiting for the ballet to start


My Mom and our friend Rita posing by the Ballet statue. This statue was really cool--it was so life like. You could even see veins in their arms--that is how much detail was put into it.


My roommate Gennae went with us.


Gennae, Me and Rita


This is a weird fixture that was in the theatre. We have one like it, only bigger in our Fine Arts Center in Colorado Springs. It reminds me of Medusa. Yuck!


Gennae, Mom and Rita sitting in the theatre before ballet starts


The story of Romeo and Juliet is one of pain and beauty.



They had true love but because of their families, it was not to be


They met in secret because they could not stand to be apart


They were married in secret before Romeo felt he needed to escape.


And then the Fiar gave Juliet fake poison to make it look like she was dead. She planned to escape to be with her one true love. But Romeo found her before she could wake up and thought she was dead.


So he said his final good buy to Juliet and drank the real poinson.


..And killed himself out of deep anguish.


Juliet woke too late to find her one true love dead.


And at the end of the story, sadly, Juliet kills herself. The END...

After the ballet, we went and had dinner at a restaurant called Pappadeaux.


We all ordered from this side of the Menu. I had the Shrimp Creole, Gennae had the Shrimp Etouffee and my Mom and Rita split the Mixed Seafood Grill. It was absolutely delicious!


We had the opportunity to try Frog Legs for the first time. They were actually pretty good. Here I am with my first leg. HA HA!


My mom with her first ever Frog Leg. ;-)


Gennae with hers. She's had frog before but never like this.


And a picture of my mom AFTER she has eaten her frog legs. LOL! She wanted proof that she ate it all. ;-)


Here is a solute to one of THE MOST beautiful performing arts. ;-)