In Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority -Colossians 2:10
As I was getting dressed this morning I heard a song by Tenth Avenue that made me think back to a month ago during my cheerleader mini-camp. Mini-camp is a fun filled weekend when us cheerleaders participate in various fun activities designed to help us bond as a team. The weekend usually consists of fun team building activities, personal safety workshops, dancing, public speaking, and more. I laughed so much I gave myself a stomach cramp. One particular activity that was challenging to me this year and hadn’t been in previous years was the public speaking exercise. It wasn’t so much the public speaking portion, but the questions our speaking coach posed to me. We have this dynamic speaking coach who flies in just for this portion of our mini-camp, his name is Ron. Ron does a great job of digging deep to help us become more aware of ourselves and each other. The only rule that he had this year was not to cry. Cry? Pah – leeze, that is easy for me. It was my turn to speak, I gave my speech and I was done, my teammates gave me good feedback and I’m ready to go sit back down. Not so fast. He made a comment and told me that he wanted me to come out of my shell and not just be a pretty face, but let people know who I am and what I brought to the team. “So Erica, what do you think you bring do this team?” was his question. His question resonated something inside of me because from that point on, I couldn’t think about anything else. Who am I? What do I bring to the team? I mean, I know who I am, but why can’t I express this? As I stood in front of all of my team mates, tears came to my eyes, and it was a wrap. I felt helpless, embarrassed and frustrated because I honestly couldn’t answer his question. I saw one of my team members raise her hand in an attempt to help me, but he insisted on making me do this myself.
two cute nerds
OK - now she really is a nerd, but a really cute one
love all around
my little sister from Japan
How many times are you stuck in a moment where you don’t understand your worth? Are there times when you ask yourself, “what am I good at” or say “I’m not good enough”. Have you ever made a mistake and continuously let that mistake define you as a person? At the end of the public speaking portion so many of my teammates came up to me and gave me big hugs and told me that they loved me and I mean so much to them. I still couldn’t think of who I was and what I brought to the team. As I thought about this, I realized that Ron challenged me. He challenged me to be more of a leader, not to be afraid of telling people my accomplishments, and to let my true light shine. I came to the conclusion that modesty can be somewhat of a flaw to some extent. I hate when people brag so I almost never tell good things about myself. I even hate it when my mom tells my family the things that I have done. This past mini-camp has shown me that you have to be confident in your accomplishments and the trials that you have overcome, not just for yourself but others. An example, when I was reading the book Cupcake Brown I was really encouraged to go back to school to get my PhD. Learning about all of her shortcomings and how she thrived through them all made me push myself to want more. After about 3 weeks, I can finally answer Ron’s questions. Who am I? I am a child of God and I bring His love, kindness, and understanding to my team. Don’t you know who you are?
love my captain for so many reasons one reason is she knows who she is and she makes no apologies for it
If you are having difficulty finding your worth and who you are these steps might help.
1. Know that you are a child of God. Period.
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God -John 1:12
2. Whatever you have done in the past, let it stay in your past, you have been set free from it. Your past does not define who you are today.
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace -Ephesians 1:7
3. Find one good thing about yourself and embrace it. Be confident in who you are.
4. Think about one test or trial that you have overcome and share it with someone. You can encourage others too.
My Best friend just got engaged and I couldn’t be happier for her. It’s so funny how these things work and especially when we aren’t paying attention or planning for them. I remember when she first met her fiancé, she told me that he looked like a vampire. Then she asked me to go with her to her second meeting with him because he was in town. We went to the city and had dinner with him and his friends. It turned out that he was the male version of her, but not as mean. He was smart, dark, open-minded, and had the most genuine heart a person could have. I thought he was great, but didn’t think he would make the cut because my friend is such a little heart breaker. I tease her about that all the time. It’s been about four years and now they are engaged.
Bestie and her Fiancé'
I relate being engaged to being a Christian for the first time. Before you are engaged, you learn about this mysterious man. Your friends and loved ones want to hook you up with him, but you are still trying to figure things out. You hear from your family and friends why this new guy is the perfect man for you and you trust their opinion. You then start to think that maybe this guys deserves a shot, but you are in other relationships that you have to let go of first. You aren’t ready to stop partying and going out. You do a little research on him by googling him. Then finally you agree to go on a group date to meet him. You meet him and find him interesting. You agree to go on a second date, and then a third. Before you know it, you are going on dates with him every Sunday. You get to know him and you are spending time with his family and friends. It’s now been a year and he asks for your hand in marriage. Your heart is fluttering, but you have no doubt in your mind that he is the one for you. Finally you say yes. Now what?
Partaking in the celebrations
cool dudes aka our cool friends
When you accept Christ as your Lord and Savior and say yes that you want him in your life forever, just like a new marriage, it takes work. I’ve researched a couple of steps on how to keep your relationship with Christ new and fiery and also how to nurture it to help it grow. Like a new marriage, becoming a new Christian is synonymous with what you would do as a new couple:
1. Never stop learning about each other – Don’t ever stop learning about God. Even if you get to the point of reading the entire Bible through. Study the bible and learn how to be loving, forgiving, strong, and more like Him. Biblegateway (http://www.biblegateway.com/) is an excellent resource for devotions, reading plans, verses of the day, and more.
2. Communication – Talk to God and pray without ceasing. Prayer does not have to be formal, it is a personal conversation between you and God.
3. Tell your friends about Him – Friends and family are your support and should hold you accountable. Now that you are Christian, there should be no question about if you are or not. People should know by the way you carry yourself and act.
4. Hang out with other married couples – I’m not saying cut off your friends who aren’t Christian, but also find other Christian friends. You will find encouragement and the problems that you may face, your new Christian friends may have already encountered them and have great advice for you.
Being a Christian means so much more than going to church and saying that you are a Christian. Being a Christian means more than wearing a cross and being baptized. It’s a way of life. It means believing the Bible and relating it to everyday life. It means believing that Jesus is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for our sins. It means knowing the difference between right and wrong and choosing “right”. It means letting Jesus be the example of how life should be led.
You better watch your back because I'm watching Ari's
Oh, and it was her bday so I guessed she deserved Lucy
To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.”
The answer is Houston Rodeo Carnival. I visited Houston with family last month and one of the fun things we did was go to the Rodeo Carnival. With my first Rodeo Carnival came a lot of firsts. My first fried Oreo, first fried Twinkie, first gigantic turkey leg, first BBQ pork baked potato, and first foot long corn dog to name a few. Although there was more to the carnival than just food, eating was what I did with most of my time there.
And this is where the fun began. Eating fried Oreos and Twinkies opened the floodgates of deep fried, sugar filled and topped foods.
So good!
And then there was the “petting zoo”. Of course I didn’t participate! I’m sorry, do you know me?
Why a kangaroo was in the Houston Rodeo Carnival is beyond me.
This natural cutie is my cousin. She was prepared with her cowboy boots. What was I thinking?!? A missed cowboy boot opportunity for me
Too grown for rides, or maybe just too scared.
I love giving and receiving bear hugs. I need them in my life to survive. A bit dramatic…probably.
Had to end my trip with a burger and fries from Whataburger. I will probably catch heat for this but, I don’t get the hype. It wasn’t that great to me. Some people swear by this. The only thing that I loved were the ketchup packets.
I think the Houston Rodeo Carnival should be included in my yearly events. There are concerts that go on at the carnival for cheap prices, this year was Lady Antebellum. I heard that Beyonce used to go and perform every year. I wanna be there next year with my cowboy boots on and ready for whatever.
Do you remember Emma from “Survey of a Christianista: Emma“? Well she is married now!! I got to experience my first Beach Wedding and it was everything that I expected, but more. It was perfect weather, at a perfect location, and Emma was stunning.
so cute how her brother was helping her get dressed
Emma let her Brother help her get dressed but wouldn’t let me put more than a brush of eyeshadow on her face. This was the cutest thing ever.
location was Destin, FL
The perfect time to visit Destin, FL. Just after Spring Break and before Easter. The weather was perfect.
sisters!
You know us sisters had to be there styling and profiling like always!!
I want to wake up and go to sleep to this every day
It was such a beautiful experience. I’m so happy I got to relax and witness love here.
Warm days at the farmers market, bright flowers, and dresses! My cousin is getting married in Florida this month, so I’ve been doing some heavy dress shopping. It’s so hard to stay focused on one dress when there are so many to choose from. So why pick one?
“I fly with the stars in the skies,
I am no longer trying to survive,
I believe that life is a prize,
But to live doesn’t mean you’re alive.
Don’t worry bout me, and who I fire
I get what I desire, it’s my empire
And yes I call the shots, I am the umpire
I sprinkle holy water, upon the vampire (vampire)
In this very moment I’m king,
In this very moment I slay, Goliath with a sling,
This very moment I bring
Put it on everything, that I will retire with the ring,
And I will retire with the crown, Yes!
No I’m not lucky I’m blessed, Yes!
Clap for the heavyweight champ, Me!
But I couldn’t do it all alone, We!”
blessed beyond measure
“…..I wish that I could have this moment for life, for life, for life
Cuz in this moment I just feel so alive, alive, alive…….”
The time, the day, the hour, the minute, the second has arrived and I have followed through with my plan. I’ve joined the CrossFit Clan( I promise I didn’t mean for that to rhyme). This intense cardio, muscle builder, circuit, cross training is made for the strong, and that is so NOT me he-he. Am I insane for joining this conditioning methodology that is used by fire departments, law enforcement agencies, and military units use? I’ve been to two classes already and I must say, I can’t wait for the next class. I must be crazy or just buckle under peer pressure. I joined because I’m always looking for challenges, especially challenges where there is competition and teams are involved. Everyone who has ever done CrossFit has fell in love with it. My number one motivator for CrossFit is my brother Frank. He is addicted and I think he should start teaching CrossFit. I’ve seen his transformation and it is amazing, I’m so proud of him. So what’s next? New workout clothes.
Our first marathon- yup all 26.2 miles
I have a good selection of workout clothes from dancing, but we normally practice in sports bras so shirts are a major necessity at this point. I’ve been doing some shopping and my favorite place to shop for gym gear is Lululemon. The problem with Lululemon is that they rarely have sales. Not only do I need shirts, I need new shoes too. I mean I don’t need shoes, but I really want some new shoes. I will be taking a trip to Nike Outlet soon.
Sooo, I’ve been away for a while on a bit of a journey. My hubby and I were on CBS “The Early Show” competing to win a honeymoon against 3 other couples. In the end we didn’t win, but it was a HUGE win for our relationship. We got a free trip to New York which felt like a honeymoon. We were picked up in limos from the moment we stepped out of our house until be returned home. We went to Broadway shows, dinners, and more. I will post pictures and details soon. Thank you to everyone who voted or help us get votes.
Yay, it’s 4th of July
Lets rewind to 4th of July weekend last year. It started off as a great day, I just made the team again, and I get to return home for our huge family 4th of July celebration. The problem = I hate flying. The solution = NyQuil gel pill. I fly so much that I pretty much have my trips down to a ‘T’ including when I take the NyQuil gel pill. I put together my summer travel outfit which was black leggings, black Fiel flip flops, over sized Mickey Mouse Tee, and my favorite checkered scarf. Now that I’m at the airport, I stop to get a small Caribbean Passion Jamba Juice which should tie me over for the next 6 hours.
NyQuil gel caps, my enemy
Help me out NyQuil
I’m finally on the plane and before takeoff, I grab my sunglasses and magazine out of my over sized bag and gently hit the flight attendant button above my head. The magazine will keep my attention until my NyQuil kicks in and my sunglasses are for me to sleep in. The flight attendant hurries over to me an in an exhausted tone she asks me what I needed. The flight was already late and people were surely going to miss their connections, but I needed a bottle of water to take my “medication” with. She left and returned in about 1 minute with a small bottle of water. I had the hookup, so I was flying free(which lasted for about 3 years) and one of the rules were to be almost invisible. This meaning, do not bug the flight attendant, do not ask for a window seat, do not be late, clean up your mess when you leave and more. All of these rules I broke, however not on purpose. Now that I have my bottle of water and two NyQuil gel pills in hand, I’m ready. I’m not the best at taking pills, so I slowly take the first one, success!! The second one I swallow, success…..Wait!! The second pill didn’t go all the way down, as a matter of fact, it’s coming back up. The pill slowly starts to come back up and then it stops. It’s stuck, it’s not moving!!!!! Is this really happening? OK, calm down and try to swallow. Oh no, I made it worse. Now my breathing is shut off.
It's Universal, meaning in EVERY language
The Universal Choking Sign
I’m in panic mode as I turn to the neighbor on my right and do the “universal choking” sign. My neighbor is not getting it. I look down to make sure I have my two hands wrapped around my throat and I turn to my other neighbor. My neighbor looks confused and then it registers as she screams, “she’s choking!!” Two flight attendants run to my seat and as I’m spitting the water that I swallowed after the second pill everywhere, one flight attendant ask me to get up out of my seat. At this point, my shirt is drenched with water and so is my seat. I can’t get my seat belt off fast enough, and I still can’t breathe. In my mind I was thinking, “I’m really gonna die from this NyQuil pill”. I follow the flight attendants from my seat through the aisles as I slob uncontrollably. I can see the passenger seated along the aisles cringe as I walk past them. I finally make it to the jet way bridge and I can see and hear ambulance on its way. Why hasn’t anyone given me the Heimlich maneuver? I’m waiting for the Heimlich, I’m dying here. Somebody, anybody? Nothing. Instead, they seat me in a wheelchair. At this point, I began to cough and they get excited because coughing means that I’m finally breathing. I try to talk and get choked again and then I cough again. So it’s been around 3 minutes of me disparately trying to breath and slowly my gel pill starts to dissolve. I’m slowly beginning to breathe without coughing. My throat is soar and if the plane was a little late before, it’s extremely late now. The flight attendants ask if I want to cancel the paramedics and I say yes. I really need to make this flight because as a standby passenger, you only have a few chances. After about what I felt was 3 hours, I returned to the plane embarrassed with stains of slob and water on my scarf and shirt. My eyes were read and tears were dried on my face as I tried not to make eye contact with any of the other passengers. When I got to my seat the same puddle of water was waiting for me. I wanted to hurry to sit because I’m sure everyone was mad at me, but I didn’t want any more of my body wet. I wiped the seat down and sat and I was ready to go. The flight attendant came to me and loudly asked me to write my name on a piece of paper as the reason why the plane was late. I wrote my name legibly as I could through my shaky hands. Obviously it wasn’t clear enough because she bolted out, “Is that Erica Westbrook with an E at the end?” Argh, she was trying to ruin me. So to end the story, we made it to JFK, I ran to my next connection and barely made it home. The first NyQuil pill I took never kicked in and it was the longest flight of my life. True story.
The more and more I write, the more nervous I get when I finish a post. The moment I hit the publish button, there goes another piece of my life out there to who knows who. My calming method is to think of it as me encouraging someone along the way. Well, here goes more of my life, a few things about me that you may or may not know. The only rule is, you can’t judge!
Second dog I've ever loved
1. I love to run. I’ve ran a marathon and a couple of half marathons. I want to run at least 3 races a year.
2.I have a soft spot in my heart for elderly. I love learning about the lives and stories of elderly men and women when they were young. I was close to my Grandfather and my favorite was hearing his stories and his laugh.
3. I’m afraid of furry things with the exception of puppies and some kittens(depends on how old they are). Oh yeah, I’m not afraid of very well behaved dogs.
4. I’m a tomboy. I love wrestling, playing sports, racing, and getting dirty.
She lets me dress her up
5. I had freckles when I was little. They were replaced with pimples!
6. I am currently an NFL cheerleader. I have the best seat of the game.
7. Favorite cartoon to date is Dexter’s Laboratory. Dexter’s La-bore-ra-tory, what you know about that?
LOVE him!
8. I sleep walk. I haven’t done it in some years but my family have told me many many stories.
9. I’ve had dreams of me as a cartoon.
10. I got my degree in Computer Science. Geeksquad stand up!!
Before you write me off for good and unsubscribe to my blog, just hear me out for a quick minute. I promise I had the same reaction when I heard this message last month. So yes, I realize that it’s February and I am now finally finishing my New Year’s Resolutions. I’m going to show you the before and after list. The before list is what I did before I heard the message about NOT putting God first.
Put God first – spend time with God more
Family and Friend – call them more and spend time with them
Finances- save money
Health- eat healthier and work out 3x a week
The problem here isn’t that I put God first. The problem is I only put Him first and didn’t include Him in everything else. In order to have God the center of my life, He needs to be included in and throughout all of my goals and resolutions. I prayed over my list and took some time to really focus on how important it is to put God in everything. So many times I’ve created resolutions which turned into distant memories by February of that same year. This year will be different. I want to do God’s will throughout all my resolutions and goals and at the same time remember that nothing is impossible for Him. Once I figured out how specifically I would put God into every resolution and not just the first one, I came up with a new list.
Spiritual:
Morning time with God. Spend my first moment awake thanking God, praying, and reading about Him.
Join a weekly growth group at church. I need to stay more involved because I can find many other distractions to keep me too busy for Bible study.
When the Giants won the World Series - exploring
Mental:
Read 1 CLEAN book a week. I admit, I am a sucker for dramatic novels. I’m not saying I won’t read action packed or mystery books anymore, but my new rule is, I won’t read any book that I wouldn’t refer to my pastor. I’m just not going to target certain authors where I know there will be drama, sex, and drugs. Instead, my plan is to read inspirational books that plant positive seeds. Later, reflecting on the books and talking about them with my family and friends, and my readers of course
Explore the area that I live in. There is so much culture, history, nature, city, and great weather where I live. I need to do some exploratory learning and living.
My little sister and I at our dad's 70's themed party
Relational:
Spend time with a friend/s once a week just listening, laughing, and enjoying life with each other. Proverbs 17:22 -A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
Talk to ALL of my family more. I have two sisters, but I only talk to one of them. The one I talk to, I talk to multiple times a day. I gave up on the youngest one. I took it very personal that she doesn’t seem to care whether or not we speak. She doesn’t call me back when I call her or she just doesn’t think to call me. It’s been a month and I haven’t talked to her. That is so ungodly and I am ashamed of myself for trying to teach her a lesson. She isn’t mean spirited, just a little nonchalant. She tells me “she tries”, but that hasn’t been good enough for me. I’m going to reach out as God has always reached out to me. When I ignored His calls and didn’t return His text, He has never stopped calling me, thankfully.
Volunteer once a month. This doesn’t need explanation and is my duty as a Christian and humanitarian.
Stay more connected to my readers. Post daily. Tweet even on weekends. Readers, you can hold me accountable.
My favorite nachos and all time happy hour snack
Financial
Cook more and eat out once per month. I usually cook around 3 or 4 times per week so this won’t be too bad. However, I go to lunch a lot with coworkers and friends, and I will cut back on that. Not only does it cost money that I could be saving, but it’s hard to know what is in your food and what it has been cooked with and in. When I eat out, and because I’m skinny, I feel like it’s OK to just eat and eat even when I’m not hungry. I’m going to control this. Phil 3:19 – Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.
Save money for online store. I will be launching an online accessory and pretty bible things in May 2011. I refuse to take out loans and will be using my own money for this launch. Being a faithful thither and a good steward with my finances, have allowed me to save up enough money to start my online store. However, I want to keep saving for further growth.
Spend no more than $500 at a time. No splurging. I have a habit of splurging when I know I have enough money saved.
hello world, meet my boo...Mr. Pinkberry
Physical:
Eat 5 fruits and veggies daily. Genesis 1:29 – And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. I clearly don’t do this. But Will!!
Remove salt from my diet and add herbs and fresh veggies. This may mean making 3 out of 4 saltless meals per week. There have been more than a few people in my family with hearth issues and diabetes. I want to beat this and lead a healthier life style.
Crossfit and yoga 3 x a week. When I think it’s too tough, I will keep the scripture in mind. Isaiah 26:3 – Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusts in thee. As I’m doing burpees, I will keep my mind on God!
Run 3miles 2x a week
Salsa social dancing at least 3x a month. I used to go dancing 2x a week and that didn’t include my salsa team’s practices(4 nights a week). Something that I love but have become too lazy to do. When I get there, I love it. I just hate getting ready.
Love my body the way it is. I don’t want to obsess about the way I look, but with the way I feel.
Me and E, loving life and loving God
As you can see, when I focused on putting God not just first, but throughout, my second list became more detailed with specifs on how to reach my goals. The first list was just something I(emphasis on me, myself, and I) wanted with no clear milestones or end goals or God. What are your resolutions? If you’re smarter than me, you probably have already started them in January. Good luck to you.
So my plans to relax and do nothing, besides a few road trips here and there, during my off seasons have not prevailed. I keep taking trips, going to events, and I have 3 trips already planned for the next 6 months. Am I complaining?? Not at all. I feel so blessed to have so many friends that I can’t help but hang out with any chance I get. This past weekend, my salsa friends and I went snowboarding. Soooo fun!! The weather was perfect in the even 50′s with no wind. My salsa directors had a vacation home that we all stayed in. It was a spacious yet cozy tri-level home filled with us salseros. We snowboarded, tubed, road on sleds, sang karaoke, laughed, played games (lots of poker), and on our last night cooked. It was one of my director’s birthday and my good friend from France birthday as well. We cooked, we meaning them, a large meal and had tres leches cake for desert. I’m so happy I had Monday to recover.
one of my directors, my little french frie, and me
A few months ago my good friend, doctor friend I might add (ahem all the single men out there…..who probably don’t read this anyway…sooo….) came to visit me!! We had so much fun! I tried to show her the best places within a 5 hours radius, my ploy to get her to move here. There are plenty babies for her to deliver here.
Dr. Diva and I
One of the days she visited, we decided to take a trip up and down the coast. We enjoyed the drive, took in the amazing views and fresh air. We even had the chance to stop at market and learned how to pick out the perfect avocado!
She's talented when it comes to picking fruit
We picked up a few veggies and spicy pistachios and headed to the aquarium. But first we needed to grab some grub. We went to a seafood place which was recommended by one of my friends. I am a very picky eater, but this place was gross and I will never go back again. Our waiter was cool (always bring out the positive hehe).
Post lunch attitude
Even though the food was nasty, we had the perfect seat on the ocean where we could see as far as the ocean stretched. Later on we went to the aquarium and spent an hour running through it. We were late, as usual so we had to hurry before it closed
I wish I had this for lunch
So back on the road headed home and headed to a good nap. I swear, I must have wore Dr. Diva out because she was sleep a lot! I have a pretty busy lifestyle, I should have wrote her a prescription for a 10 hour energy shot.We went to one of my favorite restaurants that night. I love Benihana because of the food of course, but also for the entertainment. I’m always happy to see the chicken made out of the eggs and the onion volcano. I’ve seen it about 50 times, but I still get excited.
Um yes, I would like to have..........
I miss my little Dr. Diva, we had so much fun and laughter. The entire trip was filled with laughter, exploration, driving, cupcakes, mani/pedi, massages (the best one of my life), butterflies (3 butterflies), oceans, lakes, salsa dancing, gossip girl, dance class, screaming, running, avocados, love, movies in the park, and most importantly friendship! I miss you girl
It’s Tuesday and what is suppose to be day 6 of my Master Cleanse may be day 4. Ugh!!! This is too much.
I decided to do a Master Cleanse to jump start my New Year. I wanted to do the cleanse for several reasons. 1) To clear the toxins and mucus from my body 2) Help me focus and clear my head to make space for new ideas 3) To prove to myself that I’m not addicted to food. So far, I have failed and proved to myself what I was scared to admit. I’m addicted to food and especially cookies.
I thought I was doing fine and came up with a way to do the fast yet trick my addiction to cookies. My body was craving a cookie so bad on day 3, The cookie sitting in front of my desk was not calling my name, it was singing it and very loudly. I had only one option. Eat the cookie. The problem is, if I ate the cookie, my fast would be over. My solution, chew the cookie, then spit it out. Surely if I didn’t swallow the cookie it wouldn’t count. My friends told me that this was cheating and a borderline eating disorder. OK, they are being a bit dramatic, so I wanted to know what you think. If I chewed the cookie and spit it out, does that constitute as cheating? There was no cookie in my system. Since the day of the cookie incident, it has gone downhill. I ate on Sunday and Monday. I will start over AGAIN today.
Dear God, please grant me the strength and power to accomplish this goal.
I remember going to church when I was younger and seeing Sparkle as a little girl. I always thought the name’Sparkle’ was the perfect for Sparkle as she always had a little twinkle in her eye. She always kept a smile on her face and that has not changed. I’m so proud of Sparkle for being a young Christian example in college. I can remember when I was in college and I don’t remember my light shining as bright as Sparkle’s. Keep up the the good work Sparkle.
Sparkle
Age: 21
Occupation: Leasing assistant
Hobbies: Singing, dancing, shopping, and talking on the phone
What does being a Christian mean to you?: Being a Christian to me is someone who strives to be like “Christ” I know we will never be perfect but we should strive to be the best we can be as a”Christian” as Christ has. Also I believe if you are a Christian you should not be compared to everyone else that’s what makes “Us” different. We should strive to be different. We live in the world but we do not have to be of the world.
What are 2 challenges you face as a Christian woman?: As a Christian woman I faced problems with relationships mainly. Many people expect me to have done so much since I am 21. But I have to take a stand. I know I have people that look up to me I can not do what ever one else is doing. I often get judged a lot as being a Christian woman because people feel like I am too good to do anything. That is def not the case. I do have my phone but at the same time I have respect for myself and I am not going to do or put any or everything in my spirit. I believe people can judge me all they want to but I do know that they do not have a Heaven or hell to put me in so I am not worried.I will continue to pray for them because they need it.
My bestie just had a baby girl and can you believe in the picture she was 71/2 months? She doesn’t even look preggo. She is beautiful!! With the way I eat and love to make excuses to eat, I know I will be quite the opposite when my time comes.
I know my life is far far from perfect, but God has a way of surprising us and making moments of our life feel perfect beyond our circumstances. It was a few Sunday’s ago when my preacher emphasized the point of God knowing the desires of our hearts. If we pray to God and try do His will, He will grant you the desires of your heart. The secret desires that you try to suppress in order to do God’s will will be noticed by Him. Thank you God for all of your many blessings.
Psalm 37:4 – Delight yourself also in the LORD: and he shall give you the desires of your heart.
Thanksgiving is tomorrow and I still don’t know what I’m wearing! I need something that is cute because I will see my friends who I haven’t seen in a while and I want to impress, hehe. I have to fit into something festive for the holiday. Something comfy in case we play games after dinner because I have to win. And last but not least, something that covers my stomach because it will be inflated by the end of the day. Oh, and I can’t forget a nice big bag to fill with snacks for when we go to the movies. I heard that Unstoppable is a great movie. This is what I’m thinking of wearing:
Chunky Striped Long Dress from Forever 21
Tim Hamilton Combat Boots
Big red flower just to show I'm festive
Luana 'Bubble' Convertible Flap Hobo big enough for Movie snacks
Happy Thanksgiving!
love,
the christianista
Psalm 107:1 – Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!
When I think of Tiffany, I think Diva in every sense of the word. From day 1, I can remember Tiffany as the girl with the cute hair cut. She was silly, smart, fly, and poised. The one thing I always loved about Tiffany was that no matter how involved she was in school, how well dressed she was, she always put the same energy in praising God. We were in gospel choir in college which were some of the best times of my life.
Age: 29
Occupation: PhD Student
Hobbies: Photography currently, it changes every year
What does being a Christian mean to you?: Being a Christian means that I am saved by the grace of God and my life is to His glory. What are 2 challenges you face as a Christian woman?: One major challenge I face is within myself and it deals with faith. I know that God will always supply and that He hears my prayers but I am always trying to take care of things myself after I pray about them. It becomes exhausting and I believe people around me see this as a lack of faith. I am suppose to be a “strong black woman” and I believe that conflicts with my walk as a Christian.
Challenge 2 is giving to God and others when I am currently a student and we are living off one income. I just need to find other ways to help others and spread the word of Christ. It doesn’t always have to be financial gifts.
Today was the day that I said my farewells to London. I will miss you London for your amazing architecture, clean streets, candid yet friendly people, and the accents!!! I would love to live in London someday and now since I have a friend who is earning her Masters degree in London, I can visit sooner than I thought I would love to share London with some of my other friends and loved ones. The Last day we took pictures, walked around, and ate all that we could before boarding the plane.
Sunday was the day to do what we came to London to do. Represent for our team, it’s GAME DAY YALL!!! How awesome is it to perform at an NFL game internationally? Pretty amazing!! Our day went like this…
Woke up at around 6 AM, and headed to Wembley. We had a 3 hour practice at the stadium and a few appearances. We had THE most scrumptious lunch, and got dressed for the game. The game was a success and we walked away with a big “W”. The game was quieter than normal and I think it’s because the people who attended where just there for the football experience and not necessarily supporting our team. The stadium was filled with fans sporting all different NFL teams with paraphernalia that showed. One thing for sure, they were all rooting for the cheerleaders:-)
By Saturday, I had jet lag, Internet separation anxiety, and 3 hours of sleep, it was great! All of the girls had different appearances to go to that day. We were broken up into groups to accommodate the many appearance requests. However, I lucked out on Saturday and only had one appearance leaving the rest of the day for shopping and the NFL gala later that night at the Tower of London. I also got to see one of my friends who just moved to London for Graduate School which was the highlight of my day!
Up early at about 3:30 am to get ready for Daybreak. Daybreak is like London’s version of Good Morning America. We spent about 5 hours on set which went by super fast. We even had the paparazzi swarm in on us on our way out!!
After our TV appearance we had a 3 hour practice!
Practice at LA Fitness London
We had a short break and then another practice at Wembley Stadium – yikes!! It was so cold but oh so worth it.
My line at Wembley Stadium for field practice
Wembley in red just for us, how sweet!
I was so sleepy on the way back, but why sleep? I can sleep when I get back to the US!!!
When preparing for my trip to London, I was looking for two things. The first was a coat which I finally found after 4 days of non stop searching in 4 different cities. I wasn’t that satisfied, but was in dire need of a coat that went past my butt. The second thing was a cute hat, with a Fedora being my top pick. I still didn’t find one.
Once in London, I searched for Fedora’s, but they are so hard to find that I sadly returned without one. I recently ran across a website that answered all of my prayers. 1001 Fedora hat.com is THE best place to find Fedora hats and much more.
This hat would have gone great with black ankle length dress and brown belt.
Paper Braid Fedora
I love Keira Knightley and especially how she rocks her Fedora in the Fall.
I had an amazing opportunity to go to London all expenses paid for a week! This was my first time in London and it was truly a blessing. The city of London is beautiful and clean and made me think of one of my favorite movies, “Love Actually”. I got to travel with 32 of my beautiful teammates.
Day 1 we traveled on Virgin Atlantic and had a tour of the city and a team dinner.
I love the nude heel, love love love it!! However, every time I want a product that is nude, it’s not on me. Nude tights, nude heels, nude bra, even “invisible” solid deodorant shows up on me. It’ s because I’m black isn’t it (throwing out the race card he-he)?! I’m joking, but seriously, nude colors do not work for African American women. As far at the deodorant thing, I’ve got that figured out. However, I was still struggling with the nude heel. Not wanting to settle for just another dark brown pump, I gave up.
I gave up until I saw Melody Thornton in nude heels at the 6th Annual Hollywood Style Awards below who is the exact same shade of graham cracker as I am.
Melody Thornton at the 6th Annual Hollywood Style Awards
From that point on, it was my mission to find the perfect nude for my complexion. See below to match your complexion.
If you’d like a 2 piece pants suit by designer Norma Kamali that would usually run you a couple of thousand of dollars for just $35, you better go before church. If you haven’t noticed, Walmart is making big changes and going through a major uplift. I’ve noticed more trendier items and better quality lately. Like the new fall two piece Prince of Wales check blazer and trousers. Designer Kamali has carefully tailored this suit and I’ll be heading to Walmart shortly to get mine. If you get one, please share your pics and I will share mine.
Fall is creeping in, Halloween decorations are coming out, leaves are falling, and September only has two more days left! What happened to my summer? Long gone are concerts in the park? Long gone are humid warm walks around the lake? Long gone are trips to the beach? Long gone are white tees and flip flops? Long gone are trips to 7-eleven for a Slurpee and blasting Ciara on the stereo while riding with the sunroof open. It seems like I was just getting bikini ready, now it’s time to put away my swimsuits, zip up my jacket, and put my shorts away. Wait! I heard that I could keep my shorts out a little longer. This fall, shorts are here to stay.
This weekend in particular, I am headed to do a little fall shopping. Initially to get ready for my London trip in October, and secondly to take advantage of all the summer items going on sell. Gilroy outlets here I come, first stop Liz Claiborne New York Outlets! Since shorts are still around to feed my fall fashion appetite, I’m pretty sure I will get them on sale. Especially because Liz Claiborne is a having a humongous sale. They are having a sell on their entire inventory with 40%-70% off. That is insane.
My plan is to return on Saturday with at least 3 pairs of shorts and black aviator sunglasses. Wish me luck! Good night summer, good morning Liz Claiborne
It’s normal for me to stay up all night cleaning, working, or practicing a dance. Last night was one of those nights I was up reading a book my sister suggested and that’s when the spider chased me!
I was lounging on my couch and reached for a piece of paper I saw sticking out under my couch. As soon as I pulled the paper from under the couch, out came a huge spider. The spider was crawling fast but slow toward me just like the little girl crawled out the TV from the movie The Ring. Usually I’m not afraid of spiders, but this spider was a warm blooded mammal. Also, I’ve never seen any insects in my house before. After what felt like 30 minutes, I grabbed one of my boots and dropped it on the spider and ran screaming. “The battle is halfway over”, I thought to myself. Now, I have to scoop the spider up and throw it away. Another 30 minutes passed. “Fear is not of God, fear is of the devil” I keep telling myself. I finally gain the courage to scoop the spider up into a dustpan. On my way to the trash the spider rolls out of the dust pan to the floor. However, when it fell to the floor it made a loud thud. What in the world? It almost sounded too heavy to be an insect, as a matter of fact when it fell it bounced. Could that be a……a……oh my goodness! It was a marble!! For 1 1/2 hours, I was afraid of a marble?!? I have to do better.
In a previous post I wrote about fear and worry. God didn’t give us a spirit of fear, he gave us a power, love, and a sound mind (Timothy 1:7). Now if only I can recall this scripture in moments like this.
