Believe It WILL Come to Pass!

What do you need to believe God for? Is He capable of it? Uhhh... YES!!! Here are some scriptures that you can stand on when believing God. Meditate on these scriptures. Memorize them. Then when the devil tries to deceive you with thoughts of doubt and unbelief you can come back to these scriptures and "believe it WILL come to pass!"

"Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see." Hebrews 11:1 (NLT)

"Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart." Psalms 37:4 (NIV)

"I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him." Mark 11:23 (NIV)

"Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive [them], and ye shall have [them]." Mark 11:24 (KJV)

“7Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." Matthew 7:7-8 (NIV)

"If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." Matthew 21:22 (NIV) I encourage you to read the scripture before this as well (Matthew 21:18-22 or Mark 11:12-25).

When we ask these things we need to Stand Firm in believing them! As my pastor says, "God said it, I believe it, and that settles it!" We want to believe and not doubt, for we don't want to be like a wave of the see blown and tossed by the wind (James 1:6).

Don't know if you can believe it on your own? Grab a friend and follow Matthew 18:19: "Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven." (NIV)

God is on our side! "The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? The LORD is with me; he is my helper. I will look in triumph on my enemies." (NIV) Psalms 118:6-7

~ S*

Stand Firm

Ever had one of those days where you had to stand firm on what you have been believing? For me, today is one of those days. I was just sitting here thinking about how much I want a future husband... I have not felt this way for a few weeks, and I had been enjoying my freedom! :)

I recently decided to 100% (with out any questions or reservation) give my future husband (who, when, where, how...) to God. I have done this many times before, but the last time I was more sincere and willing. I am tired of constantly wanting to have a guy; I want to let God take care of it. I know He can handle it! So why not let him? The peace and freedom I have received from this has been amazing. And I am going to continue to be thankful to God that He is in control of my future (especially, in this instance) I am going to Stand Firm on what I am believing for, and Stand Firm in my faith in God. Satan has no choice but to release me from these unwanted feelings.

If you have been feeling like you can't survive another day with out a boyfriend, husband, etc... here are a couple suggestions for you.

1. Find someone to talk to. I know we don't all have parents that we can talk to about these things, but finding someone who is in a similar situation to yours can be very helpful! I encourage you to seek God, and find someone with whom you can share your heart (and maybe you can be a listener to them as well). A win win for both parties. I recently decided to ask someone if they would be interested in sharing these kinds of feelings with me. Telling them that I wanted to know what they are doing/how God is helping them through their singleness. It has been a major encouragement for me. You don't have to meet in person, you can chat with e-mail, Facebook, IM, or even the amazing Skype. There are lots of ways to communicate that don't have to be person to person. I, for one, am very shy, so I often feel like I communicate better with a letter than I might in person. (but I am working on the boldness thing...)

2. Read the Word. The Bible talks about everything. Study scriptures that pertain to your circumstance. For example: if you are struggling with sickness read through healing scriptures. Grab a highlighter and highlight/underline text in you Bible that pertains to your situation. This will not only keep you interested, but it will make the scriptures easier to find if the situation arises again! I recently started reading the Bible from beginning to end (again). This time though I have four highlighters which I am using to "color code" if you will... Pink is all scripture relating to marriage, love stories, etc... Pencil is for divorce... Yellow is for healing scriptures... Blue is for Fear Not! (I have heard that is written 365 times in the Bible... Let's see if I can find all of them...) Orange is dedicated to extra scriptures that I may be blessed by or find interesting. I sometimes underline with the tip of the marker, or I completely highlight the text depending on how important it is/how well it falls into the color category. If you are like me and can't underline in a straight line, grab a used gift card, or small ruler to help you. I keep all of my highlighters, a pencil (or two), and a little card in a snack-sized zip lock bag, and I keep it with my Bible.

3. Pray. Ask God to give you wisdom on how to handle a certain situation. Give him your cares and burdens. "Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you." (1 Peter 5:7) God will take care of you. He has your best interests in mind. "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matthew 6:34) "4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." (Philippians 4:4-8) "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart." (Psalms 37:4)

That last scripture was one I found recently. I had thought of the "He will give you the desires of your heart." part of that scripture one night when getting ready to fall asleep, but I couldn't remember the first half of that scripture. In the morning I had completely forgotten about it, but guess what Psalm was next in line for me to read that morning? Yep, Psalms 37! That scripture blessed me so much. A desire of my heart is to get married (preferably in the near future), so if I delight myself in the Lord, he will give me that desire! How AWESOME is that?

God is in control; I am just going to do my part to Stand Firm on His Word!

~ S*

Rejoice!!!

"Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again! Rejoice!" Philippians 4:4

How difficult is it to rejoice? I know there have been a few times where I found it very difficult, but recently I've been learning to rejoice, especially in my job! Choosing to rejoice or be joyful, even when things are not going exactly as you would have like them to, is one of the best things you could ever do with your time! Your spirits are immediately lifted, and a lot of times God will change the circumstances around you when you choose to honor and glorify Him!

I personally had been struggling with my job recently... I was getting so bored, and I was finding very little to rejoice about. Then the pastor at my church taught us about rejoicing in our job! This message was taught on Labor Day. :) So I decided to start rejoicing in my job. Whenever I had a day in which I didn't feel very happy/eager to do my job I would change my attitude and choose to rejoice in the fact that I had a job; I focused on the parts of my job that I did enjoy or was happy about. This changed everything! Immediately I began to enjoy my job (even the parts that I had not enjoyed before)! Then after a few weeks I began to receive some of the things I had been asking for (the opportunity to switch positions, encouragement from bosses, co-workers, even customers)! Every day I still have to choose to set my attitude in a rejoicing and positive manner, but when I do the results are more AWESOME than I could even imagine!! God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think! (Ephesians 3:20) Isn't that so amazing!

I encourage you to set your attitude on things which are positive! Rejoice and be Thankful for everything He has given you!! "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

What are some areas in which you find it hard to rejoice? How could you change the situation? Can we be a better example to others by rejoicing in everything? Have you seen a difference in the way people respond to you when you choose to rejoice? What are some things God has done for you since you chose to change your attitude?

I look forward to hearing from you!!

~ S*

Out of the Box...

(In a singsongy way...) "Out of the box... Out of the box..."

Sometimes all someone needs is for you to think outside of the box... What could you do to make a situation better/more appealing for another person... Kinda like "thinking of others ahead of yourself." Sometimes we try to do something for someone, and if we don't do it in an entirety then they don't appreciate it... That can be so frustrating... We tried, but it wasn't good enough.

What if we would have thought "out of the box" in that situation??? Would the outcome have been better? Probably...

Example: I need to clean up after dinner, and I put all of the dishes in the dishwasher, washed the empty pots and pans, and wiped the counters. But I don't put away the leftover food, for I don't know what my mom wants me to do with it... (in this situation I can't ask her, for she is busy...) So though the kitchen is mostly clean, I leave a few things out that I am not sure what to do with. Thinking out of the box I might have thought this way, "It would probably bless mom more (and make her happy) if I just clean everything up. I am smart enough to have some kind of idea as to what to do with most everything."

How could you think out of the box? What situation have you been in where you have thought out of the box? I would love to hear your stories!! :)

~ S*

What to do... What to do...

Have you ever wanted to do something more with your life? Recently I have reconsidered starting a group (kinda like a Bible study but a little less... Shall I say... Boring?). I have thought about it in the past, but nothing ever came of my thoughts. My biggest struggle would be who to invite! I have plenty of ideas for the group itself, but who I would invite has been a struggle... Should it be girls only? If it is, where will we hold the group? Should it be for Christians only? Should there be a specific theme (or idea/message) for the group? Should we include guys... If so do we need a male leader of some sort... All kinds of things need to go into something like this.

I would like to create a fun entertaining environment for the group. As I said above, not "Boring". I have been to Bible studies where I am dreading the day when I need to go to it. I have also been to some that I liked, but there wasn't the kind of fellowship that I desired... I am not an outgoing person, so it will take a bit for me to open up to people. I don't want to have a group where we push someone away because they don't feel included. (I have felt that way before.) I want people to be excited about coming, not dreading it! And I think God would like that too.

Do you have any fun ideas for a group? What kind of things would you like to see at a Bible study, or, what I think I will call, a fellowship group? Games of some kind are a must right!?! And we need something to break the ice... What kind of questions should we ask? Let me know your thoughts!

~ S*

Leap of Faith!!!

So today is a completely "out of your comfort zone" day for me. I will be going to someone else's church all by myself!! (if you knew me you would know that I NEVER go alone to new places... I usually take my sister). Since my sister is not an option this time, I will be braving this adventure all on my own... (And maybe meeting my future husband in the process??? We shall see...)

Do you ever get nervous? What do you do to prevent it? (I was recently told that bananas help...) What Bible verses help you through your "fight or flight" moments???

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7 (Verse 8 is also very good...)

I keep quoting this one to myself. I've been spending quite a bit of my time in prayer the last couple days. Have you ever felt like you just know something is coming? Even if you are not sure if it is good, bad, or indifferent? That pretty much describes me right about now! :)

My dad reminded me that my feet are shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace! Amen to that!! Psalms 91 is pretty encouraging too! (a little too long to type out though...)

All this to say, be encouraged!! We all get nervous for one thing or another. God will never leave us nor forsake us! He will also guide and direct our paths, and deliver us from evil. Sometimes we just need to step out in faith, when we know we are doing the right thing!

~ S*

Priorities

What are your priorities? Do they include doing your best, being kind to others, or checking your Facebook account? Who are the people/things that matter the most in your life? Since you know I like to make lists let's view some of mine:

People:
1. God (aka my Lord and Savior) and my relationship with Him
2. My family (currently meaning my parents and sibling and some close relatives)
3. Close Friends
4. My authorities (Bosses, supervisors, law enforcement, Pastors, teachers, etc...)
5. Acquaintances (could be Facebook friends, neighbors, etc...)

Other priorities:
1. Asking God for wisdom, guidance, and direction.
2. Reading God's Word daily.
3. Studying what God's Word says (can be through my correspondence course)
4. Being obedient and respectful
5. Being a good example to others
6. Becoming a Proverbs 31 Woman for my future spouse
7. Praying for others including my future spouse.
8. Being a good listener to those who need it.

As you can see... I am trying to make God my number one priority in everything. Following what the Bible says in terms of obedience and what is right and wrong are great steps in the right direction. Are you struggling with multiple things on your plate? Are you wondering what to do about certain things going on in your life? Make a list of priorities. What things are most important to you... Your faith, your reputation, your job, doing what God's Word says no matter what... What are your priorities?

~ S*

Gut Feeling

Have you ever had that feeling, or should I say knowing, inside of you telling you to do something? Maybe it is to answer an alter call, pray for someone in the middle of the night, or lay your hands on someone for healing.

I recently had one of these experiences which I like to call "heart squeezes". I felt led to lay hands on someone and pray for their healing. At first I thought maybe I was just imagining things, for after all, I have been reading about healing/the laying on of hands in my Bible correspondence course. But as I thought about it I decided I wouldn't have peace and be able to enjoy the rest of my day if I didn't. (And if it was just my imagination, praying for someone definitely wasn't going to hurt anything!) If you know me, you would know that I do NOT like praying in front of other people. It is just something I don't do. So this was not only uncomfortable because of who I was to pray for, but also because I would have to literally pray aloud for someone! Talk about way out of your comfort zone!!! When I stood up to do it, the prayer came easily, and though I was a little uncomfortable, God sent peace to me. It was pretty amazing. And now I can look back and say that I did it. I listened to God's urging through my spirit. And I am so happy that I did.

Have you had an experience like that? Have you ever been the recipient of something like that? have you had an amazing peace flood over you when doing something difficult? What have been some of your experiences when it comes to that "heart squeeze"? Listening to God is always worth it. Not matter how uncomfortable it may feel at the time, it will most likely be more uncomfortable if you don't follow God's leading. You may end up thinking about it all day, or regretting it for a long time afterward.

~ S*

Lists!!

I am a list person. I do things so much more efficiently if I have made a list of all the things that I need to accomplish.

A couple days ago, while praying and studying in my morning quiet time, I decided to make a list of all the things I could be thinking about/doing in preparation for my future.

As much as I am looking forward to marriage, moving out, etc. I think it will be a MAJOR wake up call. I have taken so many things for granted. My parents have provided lots of things for me up to this point in my life, so what will I truly be getting myself into when I am out "on my own"?

Here are a few things on my list:
1. Make a list of expenses in running my own home (try to get accurate dollar amounts)
2. Make a schedule/list of things/responsibilities I will have when I am in charge of my own home.
3. Make a list of the necessary items "we" (we being my husband and I *sigh*) will need to start out in a new home.
4. a. Create a budget with the above things I have learned.
4. b. What would it be like to add a child to the mix?
5. Grocery list! What will I need to be shopping and clipping coupons for?
6. Wedding list and budget!! :) (I, of course, had to throw something fun into this new reality)

And I could go on, but I think you get the idea. Whoa! MAJOR wake up call. These are things I had not given even the slightest thought to in the past. What in the world am I going to do when I have a husband of my own to take care of? What about KIDS!?! I personally plan on waiting a few years to add them, but you never know... :)

I have always wanted to begin preparing myself for wife-hood... (is that a word?) by doing things NOW. However, I am slowly realizing I am far from being prepared! What are you doing to prepare for your future? Are you one to "cross that bridge when you get to it"? Or are you a list maker/planner like me? What are some other things that I should prepare for that are not on my list? What other things can I be doing to honor my spouse right here right now?

One thing I have done (or should I say do quite often) is pray for my future husband! And I am hoping that he is doing the same thing for me. Am I doing my job at answering those prayers? Am I becoming the woman that I think he would want? Some of the things on my "list" for a future husband could be on his "list" for a future wife! Am I following my own list of desires in a mate and becoming who/what I expect him to be? We shall see soon enough, but I want to be as ready as I can be for that special someone when he comes into my life!

~ S*

Long Time Away...

Okay, I am back for a few days...

These past couple weeks my mind has wondered a bit... Thinking about my future husband, wanting to be held... kissed, that sort of thing. Watching the Hallmark Channel for a few days will do that to you... :)

Anyways. Have you ever watched older people? Have you ever admired them? Have you ever hoped that you wouldn't turn out like them? I have wonderful examples in my grandparents! Both have been married for a very long time!!! And I believe are still happily so. Watching them hold hands, or look into the eyes of each other is so romantic!!! It is like seeing God's perfect plan right in front of you!! A little touch of heaven! Do you have good examples in your family? Do you have some not so good examples that you can learn from? We can watch and learn from not only our parents, but our grandparents! We should take advantage of their knowledge! It is also VERY fun to listen to their stories of how they met! (If you ask them, try asking them at different times to see how their stories differ! :D )

As I said above, God has blessed me with wonderful Grandparents!! I have probably taken them for granted... We should be thankful for all of the blessings we have! Especially our loved ones!

~ S*

Out of Town...

Sorry all, but I am not going to be home for the rest of the week. So I do not know that I will be posting much while I am away.

Thought for the day: Why is it "safer" to go to college, spend all of your money (or go into debt with a student loan), and do a bunch of school work, when you don't know what classes to take, and you don't feel led to go? Is there any logic in that?

I didn't go to college after graduating High School, but I am still happy with the choice I made. I have often told people that I want to be a Stay-At-Home-Mom... The most common response is "What if that doesn't happen? Then what are you going to do? I thought that is what I wanted too, but now look at me..." And so on... Most of the people that have this point of view do not have a relationship with the Lord. I personally believe that if I am ever supposed to go to college God will give me the desire to do so. I have a strong desire to get married. Until then I am content to wait, and see what God has planned for me in my single life! I know He is watching out for me, so I am just trusting Him with my life. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Let me know your thoughts! :)

~ S*

Let's Make It Interesting...

Haven't really come up with much to write about today... But I do have a question for my readers... What do you do to make your daily Bible reading more interesting? What are your favorite translations to read? I am really interested in your opinion, for I believe I am going to get a new translation soon!

I have read the Bible all the way through a few times now, so I am trying to find different ways for it not to be so... I don't know... "I've read it all before, so what more is there to get out of it?" I have read it in chronological order, I have read it in a year, (I have read it in longer than a year), etc...

This time through I have decided to do some highlighting and underlining... Do you ever do that? I have four different colored highlighters, and I am using them for different reasons. Since I am into the romance/marriage thing, I have chosen the pink highlighter for this section of scripture... I will underline with it, or completely highlight the text depending on what it says. I have chosen yellow for healing, blue for "Fear Not"(I've been told that it is said 365 times... We'll see if I can find them all...), and orange for whatever else may interest me.

I would love to read suggestions below!! :) Happy reading!!!

~ S*

I'm Forgiven!!!!

Yes, you can tell I have been reading! I have finished book number two in the "Firstborn" series by Karen Kingsbury. As you can tell by the title a main subject of the book was forgiveness.

Have you ever had guilt about something, and you couldn't get past the thought of it until you apologized or made things right? I have had a few instances of this in my life. A couple times it was years afterward that I confessed my sin to someone and apologized. It can really be damaging to your quiet time with God if you have an unresolved issue in mind. The best idea is to face the issue, apologize if necessary, and come to peace with it. Believe me, it may be uncomfortable at the time, but it is WAY worth it in the end!

And if there happens to be something in your life where you can't physically go to someone and apologize, God has forgiven you. All He wants you to do is lay your sin at his feet, accept His forgiveness, and never look back. The amazing thing about God is that He truly forgives and FORGETS! Oh, how I wish I was able to forget certain things that have happened after I have forgiven the situation. The Bible says in Philippians 4:6-7 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." I don't know about you, but I want to prayerfully give my burdens (whether they are unforgiveness, lies, cheating, stealing, lustful thoughts, disobedience, etc...) completely to God. He sent His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins! His one and only Son! That is how much God loves us! Jesus's blood has wiped us clean! We don't have to live with our "dirty laundry" anymore. He has FORGIVEN us! And He has permanently forgotten it!

How AWESOME is that!?! Are there things in your life holding you back? Let God have them. '"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."' (John 8:11 NIV)

~ S*

"In my own little corner...

...in my own little chair, I can be whatever I want to be..."

This morning I had the house all to myself, so I did what I love to do. Stayed in bed until 12:30! :) I was awake though, around nine. After reading my Bible, praying, and doing some of my RHEMA Bible Correspondence course, I did something really fun... Daydream...

I wrote a story with my imagination. In a small town in Indiana, there was an eight year old girl who befriended the new boy, who just moved into town during the middle of the school year. They were soon best friends, and continued to be best friends through their senior year of high school. The girl (we'll call her Lindsay) fell in love with the boy (Jason) while they were in 8th grade. However, she never told Jason, for fear that it would ruin their friendship. Jason loves football, and he played starting quarter back throughout high school. He got a full scholarship to Ohio State to play football. On graduation day, after spending the last few days of school with Lindsay, he decided he was falling in love with her. As the summer progressed, he and Lindsay were trying to enjoy, what was possibly their last, summer together. Upon the last week of his summer at home, Jason finally told Lindsey that he had fallen for her...

*sigh* There's more, but you get the idea. ;) Do any of you spend time imagining how you will meet Prince Charming? I have thought of many different ways I could meet my future spouse! :D Have you ever sat there imagining a fictional love story? I would love to hear about them! I have often made up stories that involve a trial where, through prayer and love, God brings the characters out of it! Many cool possibilities when imagining your own story. (And you don't need to remember a book!) :D

~ S*

Four Days in a Row!!!

I can hardly believe I have done this (made a new post) four days in a row! I don't usually do that. (As you probably already know) Today has been a bit busy for me, so not much guys stuff on my mind. It will probably work its way in about 10 o'clock... :) *sigh*

Little story for you all... Just so you know I am 21... I have never had a boyfriend, been on a date, kissed a guy, and to be completely honest I don't even know a guy that I would marry... (At least I don't think I do...) But... This does not mean that I have never been asked out by a guy before...

A co-worker of mine wanted to introduce me to her son (who, if I remember correctly, is a year older than me). The idea intrigued me, so I kinda made the mistake of saying I might be interested. So a few weeks later, I was training a new associate, and my supervisor was at the register behind me...

*Bunny trail... I am a blusher. I tend to blush a lot. It doesn't take much to make me blush. And I can usually tell when I am blushing. My entire cheeks turn red (from the apple all the way down to my jaw line.) I can usually feel them grow hot. Sometimes when I am really uncomfortable/embarrassed I can feel the blush all the way through the tips of my ears... *

Not so good: Okay, so my co-worker told me earlier that day that her son might show up (so at least I had a little heads up.) She then informed me (for the first time) that he was adopted, and he wasn't originally from America... (more on that another day) And he didn't have the same beliefs that I do (different denomination entirely). So... Later while I am training someone and my supervisor is right behind me, she walks up with him. (For the sake of this blog I will call him Steve.) Right in front of my supervisor and training buddy!!! Steve introduced himself, and I shook his hand. (I'm trying to be polite, and OH MAN I don't think I have been so uncomfortable ever!!! Talk about blushing!) His mom then left us. So, he then asks me if we could "hang out" sometime. PANIC!!! I was freaking out in my mind, my heart was going a thousand miles a minute... What was I going to do??? I wasn't interested at all... Then I remembered something that my family and I had talked about, but hadn't officially decided to do (I got the idea at the purity conference I mentioned yesterday.)... I said, "Well, you would have to ask my dad about that first." Steve kinda chuckled and obviously thought I was joking. (keep in mind my supervisor and trainee are standing right there watching all of this unfold...) I said, "No, really, I am serious, I can give you his number if you want." Talk about surprise, I think he was trying to keep from panicking himself. So then he said okay what is it (while holding his cell phone out ready to put the number in his phone book.)? I gave it to him, we said a tiny bit more, and then he left. (Whew! Talk about relief)

After he left my supervisor and trainee both talked to me about it for the next hour. They said we were wearing the same color and style shirts, etc... Then my supervisor asked me if I really thought he would call. I told her I had no idea; she, however, said he would. On my next break I called my house and told my parents what happened (just in case he would call)...

He never did call... I befriended him on Myspace at one point and pretty much told him I wasn't interested in anything but a friendship. And he never tried to pursue that.

Good things: Well, now I have business cards with my dad's sir name and phone number. I carry them with me everywhere. I NEVER want to get caught in that panic again. My dad and I have now discussed things a little more; we have an idea what we would do if there was a guy (I was actually interested in) going to call him. I survived the experience, and I must admit, it did feel good to know that a guy could possibly be interested in me. I learned later that he thought I was beautiful! (How sweet is that!!) Also, my supervisor (along with lots of other people I work with) watch me. That day my supervisor learned a few things about me. Such as, I have a good relationship with my dad, I listen to my dad, I value his opinion, etc... I think my supervisor is interested in knowing how my story will end. "Are Susan's standards too high, is it possible to have a first kiss wedding, etc..." I can use this experience as part of my example to people I work with (and maybe even others like you).

What I should have done: I could have probably prevented the situation if I would have taken the time to get to know about him through his mom before ever encouraging her to hook us up. I totally just got all googoo "maybe I will finally meet my Prince Charming" and lost all common sense. If I would have learned that he didn't really even follow his parent's churches/religion, and other aspects about him, I could have informed his mom that I didn't want to be unequally yoked with my husband. And I was (and still am not) interested in wasting my time on a relationship that I know won't go anywhere.

Have you ever had an experience like this? How did you handle it? Do you like the idea of having a business card in your pocket? Do you have any ideas or suggestions of things I could/should have done? What else could I take from this experience?

~ S*

Put God Fist.... (Even when I am married)

Hmmm... I was in bed this morning thinking and praying, and I had a thought as to what I could make my post about today... But now that I am sitting here at the computer I can't remember what it was I was going to tell you...

(Ten minutes later...) Well, I am still trying to remember what it was I was going to talk about, but I will start by saying that I was praying for my husband this morning. I was thinking about what I hoped he would be doing right now. I like to pray blessings over him, which can include favor with co-workers, bosses, professors, fellow pupils, etc... Things that I hope he would be praying over me!

(Pause for another minute... Almost remember...) OH!!! I got it!! I was laying there praying and imagining if I was married, and a thought occurred to me. If I was married right at that very moment, I would have woken up beside my husband (maybe cuddled up to him or something... *sigh*) Anyways, I always do my Bible reading, Bible Correspondence Course, and praying while still in bed in the mornings. If I was married, how would that change the way I spend time with God? It would dramatically change it! I would most likely wake up to a kiss from my husband, talking to him, asking him how he slept, etc... Whereas, I wake up now thanking God for the day, praying, reading my Bible, etc... (and daydreaming about my future husband...) When this occurred to me, I kinda felt like I would be betraying God if I were married. After all, I would thoroughly enjoy a wake up kiss from my husband, so how could I put God first in this area of my married life? I would no longer have the quiet alone time that I have every morning.

A little bunny trail for you, I have often had, what I call, conversations with God. Where I pray and ask God something, and He flat out gives me an answer. I have spent hours talking to God. The first time I experienced this I spent an entire afternoon talking to Him. (That is a story for another day.) Whenever I enjoy a peaceful conversation with my Lord and Savior, I am always alone, it is quiet, no one is around to interrupt or distract... All this to say, I most likely won't have that morning quiet time once I am married. So, my next question would be, how am I going to put God first while I am married? (Probably a good thing to figure out before I actually do get married...)

Here are some things I have been thinking about... How will I put God first in my marriage... Well, I have always imagined my husband and I reading our Bibles together when we got up in the morning. Most likely he (and maybe I to start with) will have a job that begins sometime in the morning (say a 9-5 job). If this is the case and I too am working, I would (and usually do even now) pray in my car. Like I said I do this even today, and it is a great time to spend with God. We really shouldn't be doing anything else while driving anyways... :) If (or when) I have kids, I would like to stay home and take care of them. In this instance, when my husband goes off to work, I would like to spend some quiet time with the Lord before my kids wake up, or maybe while they are napping. Also, while my kids are growing up, I will want to teach them about the Bible, prayer, God, Etc... These are all ways in which I would still get a quiet time with God and honor Him, but still be able to enjoy my husband and family. :)

In conclusion, I would like to point out that honoring your husband, serving him, and making him happy is in a special way serving and honoring God. The Bible tells us to submit to our husbands (1 Peter 3:1, Colossians 3:18, Ephesians 5:22). Do so as unto the Lord. So in following or submitting to our husbands we are obeying God and His instructions for us!

I want to come up with more ways to honor God and spend time with him while my husband is there. If you have any suggestions, please leave a comment below! I would be very excited to hear your thoughts and ideas!

~ S*

Hmmm...

I was invited to visit a church that a friend goes to on Sundays. I've been told that a lot of good Christian (college) guys attend... What do you think? :) I think it could be an interesting idea. I could visit a couple times. It definitely wouldn't hurt me. Being the shy person that I am, I may recruit my sister to join me in the effort. :) We shall see... When I go, I will be sure to let you know how it turns out...

Anyways... I have not been distracted too much by my thoughts today. (It has been a pretty busy day though...) I did see a cute guy or two at Greaters this afternoon, but they were probably younger than me by a few years. For some reason I feel like "the guy" should be close to me in age unless he is older... Just something I would prefer I guess...

Story for the day. My friend invited my sister and I to go to a purity conference that was going to be held over a weekend at her church. My mom loved the idea, so we were kinda told we had to go. I actually ended up enjoying the conference. Once again, I had my sister by my side. :) We were told lots of inspirational stories by other girls in our little "group". One of the stories shared was a girl who was wearing a heart shaped necklace, and the heart had a key hole in the middle. She said that her dad had a key that fit the heart, and it was a symbol of her dad holding the key to her heart until she meets her husband. When she does, her dad would give the key to her husband. So romantic right!?! I love the concept of my dad holding the key to my heart. Anyways... That is a tiny story for today.

Let me know what you think, or if you have something in particular you would like me to talk about! :)

~ S*

Blogging Idea... A Change in Plans...

Since there is only one subject that really consumes my mind constantly, I have decided to try a new idea/plan for my blog. Instead of talking about what goes on in my everyday (boring) life, I would like to share my thoughts, struggles, and victories that I face as an everyday young woman, who is trying to follow God's plan for her life. The first few posts will be a little bit of background on my feelings about guys, marriage, my future, thoughts, college, work, God's plan for me, etc... My everyday struggles will be expressed about these subjects. All in all, I am trying to be an encouragement to other girls who may be struggling with the same thoughts and feelings I have. I would love to get your feedback as well, so feel free to leave comments, suggestions, or your own struggles.

So let's begin... At church, Bible study groups, or church camps you always hear testimonies about how God significantly changed someone's life. How He turned it completely around from the way it was before that person got saved. I have always felt a little confused about my own testimony. What is my testimony? I didn't have that dramatic life changing experience like lots of other people have. I grew up in a home where my parents were saved, and they taught me about God since day one. We pray together, worship God together, share all of our struggles with each other. I have never really struggled with my relationship with God. I know that I am born again, that my name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life, that Jesus died on the cross for me, and He rose again so I could live forever in heaven with him. That is my testimony... Not that exciting really. But I am glad that I have not had the struggles that others have experienced. I am so thankful for my family. I have parent's that love me, hug and kiss me, tell me "I love you", listen when I have something important I need to discuss or share. They are always there for me, and I am so thankful for that. I have an amazing sister who I never truly fight with. We can have our disagreements, but we have never actually been in a big argument. We support each other, and can talk to each other about anything and everything. Pretty Awesome* now that I really think about it.

Okay, now that you know a little about my background let me explain a couple more things. First, I have been interested in marriage, cute boys, hugs, kisses, the whole nine yards since I was ten or younger... Now that I am 21 my desire for the latter has only grown more and more with each passing day; however, my standards, and methods in which I plan to find my husband have changed dramatically as I have grown and learned more about God and His plan for marriage and singleness. Secondly, in the last few years, I have thought that my testimony may be how I handle my singleness, and eventually my marriage story! But this does not mean that I do not have the everyday struggles of an average 21 year old young woman. Through this blog I would like to share my thoughts and struggles about certain subjects that are dear to my heart. I am praying that God will use this blog as a blessing for not only myself, but for others as well.

Throughout the weeks, I will share some more of my background on certain subjects that I may have already told some of my readers. However, I pray that my own struggles and discoveries can help you, my readers, as you grow in your relationship with the Lord and mature into a young woman of God. (A Proverbs 31 Woman) My goal with this blog is to be a blessing to others by sharing my stories, so maybe you can learn from my mistakes and avoid certain things that I have learned the hard way. Or if I have discovered something that works very well, I would love to share it with you.

I am not the most eloquent speaker/writer, but I pray that this blog will be God inspiring for everyone. Thank you for joining me on this adventure; I look forward to hearing from you!

~ S*

* Awesome is a word with special meaning for me. Awesome for me is something only God can be. It is a word I only use when talking about how amazing my Savior is or what He has done for me. Awesome aka God amazing!

I Am Blessed!!!

Just wanted to make a quick post to say how happy I am, and how Amazing my God is!! I have been witnessing a lot of crappy stuff at work recently, and I am just so pleased to announce that my life is not like that! God has definitely put me in the right place!

New Book!

Just started the fist book in the second set of the series I have been reading!! So far it has been great like the other ones! Did I mention the character's last name is Matthews!?! :D *sigh* Anyways...

I got called into work today, so my weekend off turned out to be a long lost dream. And tomorrow I will be opening for another long day! I am starting to get bogged down a little bit, for everyone else is on vacation for the next few months... Kinda stinks that I'm not...

My back is still recovering from swimming last week. :( It is getting better, but would probably heal quicker when I get some days off.

And I do NOT need to be spending money at Kohl's... It has been Associate Shop this weekend, and I keep walking out with stuff... :P Then my bill comes and I do not know what I bought! :) Oh well!! I did find some nice stuff!

Swimming

So I actually went swimming on Thursday!!! I know shocking. And I had a good time, and no sunburn!!!

We played a game which we like to call Mimic. It is a game my sister, an old friend, and I made up one day while we were bored. It was originally played with a basket ball. But we switched a few rules and used a diving board instead! It was great! I officially tried a front flip and dive for the first time ever! All in all it was a great time, and I hope to do it again sometime soon!!




I am learning to laugh at myself... :P''''

Finished!

Book number FIVE in the Redemption Series is now finished. So I have officially read an entire ADULT series, but I am very happy to say that I am not finished with the characters from that series. Karen K. wrote two additional series that just take place where the Redemption series left off. So I will be starting the Firstborn series as soon as the books come in from the library! I am very excited. I was introduced to a (few) new characters at the end of the last book. One of them named Dayne MATTHEWS. So I have now fallen in love with yet another fictional character! My mom has informed me that Dayne will be who the next four books are mainly about!! I am pretty excited!!

Well, that's all for now! Cousin's graduation this weekend. Along with my best friend's!!! Congratulations to both of you!! :)

Hmmmmm!!!

Reading is the only thing really on my agenda today!! I am on Book number FIVE!! I finished number four in two days (Saturday and Sunday). I am getting introduced to new characters in this book, so I am very excited. One of the guys isn't married, so maybe I can claim him!?! We shall see... :D

New Favorite Quote!

"Are you the manager?"

"No."

"Well, you should be! Let me have one of those feedback cards. Could you write your name on here for me!"

From Bad to AMAZING!!! :)

Yesterday I slept in. Good. Then I went to dress for work, and my dress pants needed mending (something that couldn't happen in just a few minutes.) Not good. So I wore jeans and used one of my denim days. Not bad. Mom had me take dad's car. Good. But she wanted me to fill it up with gas on my way to work. Not fun. When I got to work (where gas is usually the cheapest) it was more expensive (by like 3 cents), so I got it anyways. Annoying. As I was pulling into the gas station I realized that I left my lunch on the kitchen counter at home. BAD. The weather was gloomy and rainy. Bad.

During the early half of my shift the power flashed in the store. Not good. It all settled back after making a phone call, so no real harm done. On my lunch hour I went out to my car (while it was showering), and tried to go to Taco Bell. Okay. But when I got the light a policeman was directing traffic for the electric was out. Bad. Then when I finally got into the Taco Bell there was a sign on the drive through that said sorry power is out. BAD!!!! Thus I had to drive back to work empty handed with half of my lunch break used up. Not good. I ended up paying $1.40 for a little beef stew thing from a vending machine. Okay. It tasted good. Good. And I drank a pop that had been in my locker for a few weeks, so it was room temperature. Not the best. But I was no longer hungry when I went back to work. Semi Good.

After my lunch I went to register and for the rest of my shift talked and teased some co-workers! GOOD. We all had a good time! Then, I saw an employee that was originally hired with me that no longer works there! BETTER! He didn't really talk to me, but it was nice to just say Hi. Still good. THEN, an employee that who still works there, but I have not seen since December (for I open and he closes), came in to return something. (so he was being a customer) It was about 8:15pm after he made his return, and I along with another associate chatted with him for about 40 minutes!!! GREAT!! I had not talked to him in forever, so it was really great to see him! There were hardly any customers in the store, so we weren't disobeying store policy or anything. It was just really great!! Plus when the announcement that the store was closing came on the overhead the customers were gone by 9!!! SHOCKER!! So we got out of there at 9:15! My night definitely ended on a high! :D

I am praying tomorrow morning is also amazing! :)

Dinner!!

Guess what!?! I fixed dinner tonight! Doesn't it look delicious!?!


So there it is. Chive and Onion cream cheese with chicken all stuffed inside a crescent roll pocket! YUMMY!! Let me know if you want the recipe!! :)

Today is a Fairytale...

Well, not really, but I do have like the BEST DAD IN THE ENTIRE WORLD!!! :) Happy Birthday Daddy!!!

I wrapped up his presents this afternoon, and I am hoping that he will not be able to guess what they are... But he is usually the master at guessing. (He even guessed a bar of soap once!)

Today I am catching up on everything that I don't do when I work! :) I did two hours of Bible reading, praying, and correspondence this morning! Then I made a to do list of about 20 things I should accomplish today. (One of them being creating this blog post!!)

Now on to more fun stuff like cleaning my room! I got a call yesterday telling me not to come in to work on Friday. They overstaffed us on Monday so I guess Friday will have to pay the consequences... I do get to open again tomorrow though for a 6.25 hour shift! Prayer is appreciated!!

Well, I guess that is all... I got two credits yesterday too. I had to clock out at exactly twelve to get home so my sister could have a ride to school. Two cars with four people isn't very fun. But hopefully that will change by the end of the week!!

300 PAGES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yesterday I wasn't feeling well, so I curled up on the futon with one of my body pillows (Did I tell you I sleep with a total of 6 pillows now!?! And two of them are body pillows!) to read the second book in the amazing book series I just discovered. From two pm to midnight I read (with a few breaks in between for a couple hours of TV, eating, etc...). But mostly reading!

Tears, laughter, yelling at the pages, praying for the characters not to die... Wow. I guess you can call me a book worm now! :D At least until I am finished reading this series. I am hoping Daddy remembers to pick up the third at the library on his way home from work tonight! For as soon as I am finished writing this blog, I will be back at it to finish the rest of the story!

Did I mention I have two new crushes that don't even exist!!! :) Oh the joy of reading books!

It is Finished!

For those of you who read my last blog post, I am not a reader. I do not read books. The last "book" I read was one of the Hardy Boy Mysteries. Yeah, I am not a reader.

HOWEVER, I finished my book in THREE days! And I have started the next one in the series!!! It was GREAT!!! I REALLY LIKED it! So for all of you readers (and non-readers) out there, you should read this series!!! :D

Today I will be majorly reading the next book. All of the books (I've been told) are like one big story/movie. The author didn't even want to finish the series!

Did I mention that I am healed by the stripes of Jesus? NO weapon formed against me shall prosper. I am redeemed from the curse of the law. I am submitted unto God; I have resisted the devil, and he MUST flee from me! No sore throat for me. And no visits from Tom. :P""

Jehovah Rapha!

Hard to Believe!

Make sure you are sitting down for this one! I am reading a book! FOR FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know right, you just passed out onto the floor, but it is true. You read it correctly. I am reading a book! It is 367 pages long with a font size of 10! My mom introduced me to it. It is the first in like a 13 book series. We shall see if I get past book one, but I will say that the first two chapters were pretty exciting!! Not at all what I was expecting!

I guess that is pretty much all the news for now. We now only have two working cars at the moment. We shall see what is up with that later on. The car "died" at a cemetery. Weird I know. Church in a couple hours!!!

Book: Redemption Written by Karen Kingsbury with Gary Smalley. Series: Redemption Series

Today... Again...

I had to get up this morning at 7am to help ummmmm... Let me think about this... *looks at hands as if counting on fingers* Maybe 25 customers for my shift!!!!!!!!!!!!! I work four hours (7:45-11:45) and that is all (if even that many) the customers I helped. In the first two hours I think the total was 2, but I saw 5. The day doesn't go very fast when that happens.

So mostly I talked to the jewelry lady, and walked around in a circle (really I did) by the front door. Doesn't that just make you so jealous!?!?! :D NOT!!!!

Got my schedule for next week and I am working my two least favorite days and that is it. Oh well, maybe it will pick up one of these days. I am not ready to get back into the Christmas swing of things though.

Today and yesterday I worked on web sites for multiple hours. They are looking pretty good at this point. I think I should just go into the web site business instead of a department-store.

So this was my exciting life today. *I didn't even see any cute guys today.* (Sigh)

So how is that I'm blessed thing working out for all of you?

Church tonight!!

Soon we will be leaving to get ready to practice for Praise and Worship.

God is so amazing, and He has blessed me in more ways than I can imagine. I won the $50 credit bonus from the month of March! And I know that could only be God's doing!

A thought for you: When someone asks you how you are doing today reply, "I'm blessed how about you?" It is so fun to watch people's reactions! I have made some people's day saying this. And most of the people you say this to will be a little nicer/happier while they are talking to you. I have had a couple people say, "Wow, I really like that!" Or they pause before replying trying to figure out what to answer. Normally people just reply what ever you say like "I'm good how about you?" "Good." Etc... It almost "trips" up their mouth when you say I'm blessed. If they reply they usually make their reply a little more exciting than the normal good or fine. Like: I am doing extremely well, I am wonderful, or same here! :D Try it for a week and see what happens for you! And please let me how it turns out!!

Have a blessed week!!

PS NASCAR race tonight!!!! Not quite sure who I will be cheering for this time... We shall see..........

Bed!

Yes, I am going to bed now... Good night world! :) zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Yes it was worth it!!! :)

So yesterday was the annual family get together for Good Friday! And as I mentioned in my last post I was able to go, for my nice manager changed my schedule!! :D So...

"Beep Beep... Beep Beep... Beep Beep..." My watch alarm went off at 7AM, I had to quickly get ready for work in a short 15 minutes(this includes dressing, makeup, instant breakfast, packing lunch, shoes, lock the door, and start the car!). After working for a couple hours I had my first break, and they fed us salad and mac n cheese! So I had a better "brunch" than I normally would have had. I did not get a credit yesterday, but all in all it was a very pleasant day. Mom and Vic came around 9:30 shopped for my cousin's B-day present, and left it with me. I was to buy it when they came back to pick me up. They took my car home, and we drove collectively to my Aunt's house!

Upon arriving at my Aunt's house I did the following:
1. Ate Lunch!! (slice of ham, cheesy potatoes *two helpings*, orange pop *decaf*, green beans, and cucumber slices) I sat with all my cousins, and one of my cousin's girlfriend's was there, so all in all there were ten of us sitting at this table made for at the very most 6! Now that we are older and all the "little" cousins have grown up it isn't as easy to fit us all around that table! :) But I wouldn't change it for anything! After eating we colored/drew on a huge piece of paper that is always in the middle of the table. Usually we sign our name and make a doodle pertaining to the season. And we visited a little.

2. Game 1: Scavenger hunt. We had to search for the following items (and for those of you who don't know my Aunt lives on a HUGE property, so woods, hay fields, giant yard, etc...) I will try to quote the list: Maple leaf, Oak leaf, yellow flower, blue flower, bone, tooth, antler, mushroom, pencil (she planted the pencils in a hay bale), plastic egg with a smiley face (she planted these too and we were not allowed to open the eggs 'til we were finished with the scavenger hunt), white rock, FEATHER (I added this one, but every other year it has been on the list and I could never find one. This time I found 2 and it wasn't on the list!), flint... I think that was it... While searching we stumbled upon a piece of paper that had a clue on it (I'll tell you what it said later), We finally decided that it had to go with another game that we would be playing later... We found almost everything on the list but the eggs... I figured that they were very important, so when everyone else was about to give up looking I and Z went off to find them. We ran towards what they call the T field, and found them laying on the edge of the woods! We grabbed three (one for me, Z, and Vic) and took them back to the porch and sent the rest of them to get their own...

3. Game 2: Inside the egg we found a clue/note that said, "SS find me on the bus seat." So a group of us (Me, Vic, P, Al, Ab, and Z) were together and headed toward my Aunt's school bus. After opening the door there was a note on the step that read, "Oops, did I say the seat? Maybe the US POSTal service can help." We started to walk down the long driveway to the mail box. And P took the clue with us. Meanwhile S and M were just reading the clue from their eggs. We were half way down the driveway when they reached the bus and were searching everywhere inside for the clue! :) I yelled back at them that we had it. P and I walked all the way to the Mail box and grabbed the clue. S and M caught up with us and we read it, "I am always Orange, but sometimes I am Orange And Yellow. The raccoon like me when I am yellow." We finally saw K and C who had disappeared during the scavenger hunt, so as we were waiting on them to catch up with us P, V, and Al started to pet the horses. P was holding the clue when one of the horses sneezed all over him. Grossed out P went inside to change his shirt. The clue was splattered with little greenish dots. *YUCK* But we headed to the barn to find a Orange machine that held corn during parts of the year... S and Z came running out of the barn with the next clue, "We were too naughty to be in the barn with our "Rolled" up friends." And that was to lead us to the clue that we had already found. So, instead of walking all the way to where that clue was we went to where it was going to lead us. We remembered it saying, "If it was Thanksgiving time I would have a body". This led us to the back of the barn where my Aunt stores a wooden turkey head that she places on a round bale at Thanksgiving time! The clue we found there said, "Stop(with a pic of a stop sign) (and it had two street names)". It led to an intersection down the road from my Aunt's house. So we sent S and Z down to get it on the 4 wheeler! They drove back up with it, and it led us to a yellow wagon at the back of the barn where we found a bag of Silly String (SS)! So then we all headed to the front yard to have a Silly String fight!!! Everyone participated (cousin wise) and it was a lot of fun!

4. Then I went inside and colored a few hard boiled eggs. Mine had the initials "RW" on one side and "AM" on the other! ;) After this I was summoned outside by my cousin K. Where he and Vic talked me into riding the 4 Wheeler around the yard! It was fun I have to say! I liked it a LOT better than the dirt bike! After that I chatted with K for a little while, and then more people started to congregate in the driveway, so we gathered the ones that weren't there and played Poison! (A game with a basket ball) All in all I played 4 rounds, but only 2 with everyone. I didn't win ever, but got second once. Ab won 2, K won 1 or 2. I don't remember who won the last round. We then decided to play kickball. It didn't last very long. (just long enough make me sore today! :) )

5. The kickball game ended then we decided to go for our annual egg throwing at the target "game". We each got a dozen eggs and tried to splat them at a target that my Aunt made years ago. Which led to an egg toss that I came in third for the second round. I was the cause for K and my loss on the first time, for I was still wearing my purity ring. Thus it broke when it hit it... :( Oh well!

6. After that we had our egg hunt. We could each find 5 plastic without a name and 2 with our name. All in all I got $1.25 in quarters, a 50 cent piece, and a golden dollar! Fun rewards!! :) All the cousins participated! Another praiseworthy thing!

7. Following the egg hunt we all went inside. Then a few of us participated in the peep game. (You know, those marshmallows covered in sugar! :D ) My Aunt had coded the backs of the peep bunnies with letters and symbols. We had to unscramble words that the letters made! It was fun! Then we had to leave, so after getting a hug from EVERY cousin minus one (WOAH!!! That NEVER happens! It was amazing!), we went home!!

So that was my AMAZING day yesterday!!!! So cool right!!!??? Everyone enjoy their Resurrection Sunday! And remember the real reason we are celebrating! I was thinking about it on the way home from work today. You know, God is AWESOME! He sent His Son to die so that I might go to live with Him forever! WOW! God is so AWESOME!! Have a great weekend!!

Crying at Work... I don't recommend it...

Well, yesterday I had a little incident with a co-worker. She was talking to someone she had earlier told me she "hated". So when "Jacob" and I had a line I called out to her and told her we needed help. She kinda turned around and then turned back to talk. So a little more authoritatively (or with attitude I guess you could say) I said that we had lines. So she stopped talking to them and helped finally. After the most of the customers were gone I leaned over to her register and started to say that I was sorry for coming across so bossy, and that I didn't mean it that way. However, before I could even explain she snapped, "NEVER DO THAT TO ME AGAIN!" I was boarder-lining tears at this point, and she was finishing up with a customer. So I didn't say anything to her. Then a little while later after all the customers were gone I tried to apologize even more and explain that I was trying to help her get away from the woman she didn't want to talk to in the first place. She still didn't really choose to accept my apology, and this all happened with about 20 minutes left in my shift. So it was the last thing that happened that day. Still trying not to cry I started collecting recovery. Then the guy I mentioned on Saturday that I think is cute (for the sake of this blog I will call him Jacob) came up to me with a little puppy toy. It instantly brought a smile to my face! For a couple reasons...

One reason was... Earlier that day at the beginning of my shift a little boy and his mom walked up to my register to check out. The little boy (Aprox. 5 years old) instantly started talking to me. He was telling me all about this little puppy toy that he was holding in his hand. He went on to explain to me that he couldn't have it right now, but he would be receiving it for his birthday. His mom said he couldn't have it, so I told him I would put it behind the counter. He handed it to me. And started telling me that he had named it George. He went on to tell me more about George. As I was finishing with his mom she looked at me and was like, "He can't have it right now. I have to be strong..." He was so cute, and he never complained or anything. As they were getting ready to walk away he told me to make sure I took good care of George. And if George got sick that I had to bring him back to health until his mom could come and get him. Awwww... I almost wanted to buy it for him... So when "Jacob" brought "George" up to me, it brought a smile to my face, and I told "Jacob" the story. He thought it was cute too.

So that was yesterday. Today went well. And GUESS WHAT!?!?!?!?!?!?!

I GOT MY SCHEDULE CHANGED FOR FRIDAY!!!!! I will be working 7:45am-12noon instead of my 8hour mid day shift!!! Praise God. I am so thankful!! :D I asked _____ today (My new manager) and she let me change it! I am so happy!

So that was today and yesterday about me!!

Surprise!!!! and Punching!

Today was a surprise retirement party for Bruce N. He is a family friend that we have known since we went to Christian Family Fellowship. He is a blind man who plays the guitar for us when we lead praise and worship. Yesterday at church the surprise was almost blown, but I think the Bruce himself covered the error!! When he walked in today my family acted like they would any other time that they would come over to visit. Then after a small conversation my dad put his fingers up like 1...2...3... And everyone went, "SURPRISE!!" It was great. He had no idea! And he (for the first time that I can ever remember) was speechless!!! :)

This morning I decided that it would be easier to wash my bed and completely start over in order to make it look nice. It needed washed anyways. I haven't washed it in months. So after washing the sheets and getting Vic's help to make my bed, I started to tuck the sheet into the bottom of the bed. (for those of you who have never seen my room I have a loft bed, so it is VERY difficult to wash and make.) As I was pulling the sheet through one of the slats under the bed the sheet slipped out of my hand and my fist smashed into my nose. It hurt very badly. That was at 1:15pm this afternoon, and at 7:00 I could still feel it. At this moment it is not bothering me! Praise God! But I finally around 6:30 put an ice bag on it. I have even taken Tylenol, but it still hurt. All through the party I was feeling this pain in my nose/right eye. I am very thankful that it didn't turn black and blue. Do NOT punch yourself in the face! It is very painful.

So that was the events for today. Now Vic and I are going to watch the first half of Castle that will follow up tomorrow evening. By the way amazing movie suggestion: "The Magic of Ordinary Days!" It is a Hallmark movie! LOVE IT!!! Maybe be a new favorite! And Robert Wagner isn't even in it!! :D

Working on a Saturday... :P"""

Got up at seven this morning!!! Shocker I know, but I had to be at work at eight! I don't usually work on Saturdays, but every so often they schedule me. I only ever work the 8-12 shift, and it seems that they usually don't really need me. But what can you do.

My attitude was good going in, so I had a good day. I got one credit! And got to work a tiny bit with a guy I think is cute! ;) So all in all a good day. I went shopping for about 45 minutes after I got off, and when I went up to check out "Liz" gave me a 30% discount (instead of the 20% that I had!)! She was very nice! And in the past few days of working with her, I have enjoyed her company! God is good!

And have you ever realized how noticeable a purity ring can be!?! I have always been surprised at how many customers comment about it. And a couple days ago a couple girls (about my age maybe a little older), asked me about it. I told them yes I was a Christian, and that I was still waiting on MR. Right! They said that they appreciated that, and gave me a card with a link to a friend of theirs web site. I'll post the link, but I personally have not had the chance to check it out yet... JesusLifeTogether.com It was pretty neat. So remember you are an example where ever you are, and in whatever you are doing...

Surprise party tomorrow!!! I'll talk more about that later! :)

3 Credits!!

Hello!  

I got three credits today at work!  All in about 30 minutes!  :D  That was pretty exciting for me. :)  And on a side note, there is a Chipotle that is almost in the Kohl's parking lot.  Today NBC 4 was at Chipotle doing casting for a new TV show that will be airing later in the year.  I don't remember the name of the show, but it had something to do with creating a restaurant that isn't already out.  (Or maybe like a fast food place, I am not sure...)  So when I pulled into work today our (Kohl's) parking lot on the Morse Rd. side of the building was packed, for the Chipotle customers were using it.  And there was a huge bus with the logo for the show on it.  So if you were in Chipotle on Morse Rd. today you could have been on TV!!  How cool is that...  Because of my credit I got a buy one get one coupon for Chipotle.  I have already told someone at work that I would give it to them, for nobody in my family likes to eat there.  Vic said I should sell the coupon.  I probably could to some people at work... :)  

Anyways... Tomorrow morning I will have to get up around 7AM, for I have to be at work at 8AM.  So that will be my fourth day in a row at work.  I am not the happiest person in the world when it comes to working on Saturdays, but God has provided joy for me the past few days.  I am currently asking God for favor when it comes to my schedule next week.  I was scheduled to work on Good Friday, (which isn't good) for that will mean that I will miss the annual family Easter get together at my Aunt's house.  And that is like my FAVORITE time of the year.  I am praying that I will be able to talk to my manager, and that she will agree to let me have the day off even though I was scheduled to do it.  I know it will be all God's doing if this works out.  We shall see.  I was also scheduled that Saturday morning afterward.  I am praying that she will let me have it off too...  So any agreeing prayers would be much appreciated!!

Lord, please give me wisdom.  Your word says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." (James 1:5)  So I am asking You for wisdom not only for Good Friday, but in all my upcoming days.  In looking for my future husband and everything else I am thinking about at this time.  I place my life and plans in Your hands.  Thank you for taking care of and guiding and directing my paths.  I love You! :)

Everyone have a great weekend!

Today!

I had a great day at work today. Even though I didn't get a credit. I worked a 8 1/4 hour shift today!! Not used to that! :) I have another pretty long day ahead of me tomorrow! This week will have a nice check following!

Story from today:

Earlier this week I worked with a girl(for the sake of this story I will call her Liz); I like her, but sometimes she can get annoying... I had a pretty bad day on Sunday when I worked with her last, so when I saw that I would be working with her again today I prayed that it wouldn't effect me negatively.

I was at a front register today (closest to and facing the door). The girl I mentioned above was at the register behind me. A guy (I would say in his Low 20s) came in. He was what I would call the tall dark and handsome type, and he was wearing a Mount Carmel scrub-like outfit. Yes, I thought he was cute... When I went on break I passed him again while he was shopping for a wallet in the mens' department. So I was thinking to myself... "He is cute, and if he is wearing a Mt. Carmel outfit... Maybe he is studying to be a doctor... That would be a nice paycheck... (etc...)" After I got back from break I was helping a customer, and when I turned around I saw that he was being helped by Liz. I fixed the carts while she was helping him, and watched him leave. As I was walking back to my register, Liz mouthed "OH MY GOSH". :) Even though I knew what she was talking about I said, "What?"
Liz replied, "Did you see him? He was so cute!?! He came up to me and was like 'Hi' and I was like 'hi' ." She said this while acting weak kneed, blushing, and bashful. Then for the next 15 minutes she went on about how wonderful he was. :D I would just glance at her later and she would tell me to shut up! :) It was funny. I never told her what I really thought about him. And she still doesn't know that I saw him come in, and when he was in the mens' department!

And that was today! Tonight will be Survivor Heroes vs. Villains! And I will be resting my legs and feet while in preparation for tomorrow!!