Love Out Loud And Mean It

New Year's resolutions, most of us have them, and are very much committed to them until the excitement of it all is over. I have made a resolution this year, which I intend to keep, and it happens to be about a very important thing we were all commanded to do: Love. Love is a beautiful, amazing, hard, thing to execute. It's obviously very easy to love the people we like, the people who like us back, but what about our haters, our enemies? We are to love them too (Mark 12:31). And so, I am giving my all this year to become more Christ-like, but taking baby steps and starting with the area of love.

I received a very interesting book for Christmas this year titled: Love Out Loud by Joyce Meyer, and in this book are short, little devotions for the 365 days of the year that teach us, and help us to love God, love ourselves, and love others.



And to add to that list, I think it would be great if I added Crazy Love by Francis Chan because it talks about the love God has for us and how crazy, and out of this world His love is for us. For anyone whose goal it is to be Christ-like, I think this would be an incredible book; as children immitate their father, so should we immitate our heavenly Father, Christ.



Lastly, I would like to leave you with a song I had known about for some time, but hadn't really paid attention to the lyrics, "Love Out Loud"- Jaci Velázquez

Closing of A Chapter

Tough years, there are many, and at last 2011 is about to end. Every year has its ups and downs,  for some more ups and for others more downs. We can say that we made it, whether it was running across the finish line of this chapter in our lives, dragging ourselves through the pavement, or holding on to someone else for the strength you were lacking. The year may have seem to have gone by incredibly fast, but when I look back now, there was definately a long road we marathoned through to get to 2012. Personally for myself there were a lot of events that played out; graduation, friend's wedding, and car crash included. Many things were learned, many things were let go, and many things added to the person I currently am. 2011 was one of the many chapters in a person's life, and we were all so lucky and blessed to get through another one!

Rock The Heels Or Frump It Up

Who doesn't wanna look fab for the holidays? I think no one. I, for one, like to look good and feel good in holiday celebrations; it's fun to get all dolled up and enhance our beauty. And so I went on a quest for two outfits--Christmas and New Year's Eve. At first, it was very frustrating to find something that complimented my figure and exhibited my style (I honestly was about to call it quits and go home), but everything turned out great after trying on countless outfits. I would say that a simple dress is like a blank canvas, one can do with it whatever one wants, and accessories are definately the way to do it! And so I chose a simple, but classic silhouette in one outfit and a festive, yet sophisticated ensemble in the other. I plan to wear the perfect outfits and accessories, have fun, and look good, because I always say that when you look good, you feel good.

Since I've started talking about my holiday get-up, what about you? Do you wanna be the center of attention or be laid back? Do you think that looking good and being comfortable are capable of being achieved together? Or is it an either or situation, where you either rock the heels or frump it up with mom jeans and an old, raggedy t-shirt?

Recipe For The Zzzzz

I don't know about anyone else out there, but at bed time, I like to unwine with a BANG, if that makes any sense. I lead a pretty stressful life (before you judge, people's tolerance of stress varies) and at the end of my days I find it hard to just close my eyes and go to sleep; there are so many things I'm left to think about. And so that is when I bundled everything I do to get relaxed before bedtime into a routine list.

First, I take a warm, soapy shower to relieve all the tension and grime of the day.
Second, I apply a lucious and aromatic lotion, and let my skin drink it up and be quenched.
Third, I boil a cup of tea (preferrably one with chamomile and lavender) to soothe and relax any anxiety or nerves.
Fourth, I get cuddly under a warm blanket and fluffy pillows, to create a heaven-on-earth effect.
Lastly, I meditate briefly on the day's occurences, talk to the G-O-D above, and recharge the energy for the next day.


Hopefully this routine helps anyone who has been suffering of minor stress or trouble going to sleep. It sure helps me out! It doesn't take long at all and relaxes the body gradually.

Palm Trees, Warm Breeze, and A Heart Attack

Jingle, jingle, jingle! The Christmas bells seem to be getting closer as the days pass by. There are two more weeks until that fateful morning when gifts are exchanged and the fire is burning hot in the fireplace, and I don't know if this year I'm excited about it. I know that my home is not even close to being finished with the shopping and I wish there were palm trees and a warm breeze blowing through this winter instead of cloudy, windy skies. Finals are half way done for me and then I get an entire month off..yay! I've literally been so busy in the last couple of days that it seems that no matter how much I accomplish, it feels like I've done nothing. In between the Christmas practices, studying, and cleaning, my anxiety has blown out of proportion; I feel like I can't breathe, like my heart is going to pop out of my chest. I CANNOT TAKE IT ANYMORE!! It feels like a heart attack everytime.I would relate it all to stress, but I can't help asking myself why I'm so stressed. I'm just ready to call it quits, but not yet, I'll give it 'til the New Year.

More Than These Four Walls

There is such a thing as listening to silence- when you can hear emptiness in the air, you know that you've heard silence. And as I stare into these four walls of my boudoir, I see memories and hear the resounding whispers of unkept promises. The rain outside my window slides effortlessly down the glass until it meets another drop of rain and they go away together, evaporating into thin air, or making a little ice patch. The Christmas lights surrounding my neighborhood glimmer and glow trying to shout the cheer of what is supposed to be a happy holiday. The train in the distance blows its cautionary whistle to announce that it's on its way. Everything is as should be, but when everything is still, then I remember everything that's in these walls. If these walls could talk, what would they say? Would they agree with what I think? or have a mind of their own? Would they judge me? or understand me? Would they put me down? or cheer me up? If these walls could talk, who would they say that I am? They have watched my rising and my sleeping for years, seen the wardrobe mistakes, the tears, the pain. They have seen my smiles, my good hair days, and my accomplishments. They have seen me at my worst and at my best, and they still don't say anything. History is written on my walls, but it's all just a book that's found in my brain. If these walls could talk, I would let them write a biography. These walls haven't complained, not when I yelled out loud because I was so angry, or sobbed like a baby because I was sad. These walls haven't complained, not when I threw a glass of water at it and made a dent, not when I punched it out of anger, not when I slid against it at my lowest times. These walls never complained. I look at these walls and see how loyal they are, they don't tell you  they don't like the color you chose to paint them, they don't reveal your deepest darkest secrets to anyone, and they don't walk away..EVER. In order for these walls to be as strong as they have been, it takes a strong foundation, from the ground up and from the inside out. It takes more than just appearances to be strong, faithful, and courageous; it takes having a firm foundation of who one is, what one believes in, what one wants to become, and what one wishes to leave as a legacy in this world. These walls have taught me a lot in the last few years, if these are just walls, something man-made, then why can't we as humans be even more than these four walls? We are made in the image of God, we should be able to take a stand and be more than just a material object, we should be the spiritual beings we were made to be, but with the self-respect,  patience, loving kindness, character, integrity, and leadership which God called us to have in order to reflect Him and make a difference in the world. These four walls are immobile, but I'm sure that if they could, and if they had the right foundation, they would travel across the world and take a stand. Let's be the voice for those who don't have one, let's be more than these four walls!

19 Days, 14 Hours, 55 Minutes, And 5 Seconds

So turns out that living life pinkaliciously is harder than I thought. Here I am on a Monday morning actually calm for once, and  my thoughts are interrupted by people yelling across the corridor. I guess I haven't realized that December is actually here and that Christmas is sure to come in about 19 days, 14 hours, 55 minutes, and 5 seconds. I'm not really excited about it, afterall, the excitement will die shortly after the gift opening on Christmas morning and then what? What do we have to look forward to after that? The new year? Sure, but then after much celebration, pomp, and circumstance festive days will turn into casual days, and nothing short of  the ordinary will happen. And before I get critiqued, I know what the reason for the season is: Jesus. And He knows that I wish Him a very happy two thousand and something birthday, and that I'm very grateful for His sacrifice and everyday love toward mankind. On that note, my point is that I don't want to the excitement to end. I love to live my life by having something fun to look forward to, without that, it takes too much work from my part to spice up the day or even week.

Before all of that holiday celebration takes place, I've gotta get through finals. This week is my last and then boom! Finals are here! In part, I just can't wait to have a month off of school and relax before a load of different classes come my way. What will I do in that month? I already mentioned to relax, and I am hoping with every gut in my being that I obtain a job..yay. Oh, and I desperately need a car, I hope that happens too! And when the new year comes around, I can't wait to obtain a new lease on life. Why don't I do it now? Because I'm too tired for it, that's simply it. I still try to live life pinkaliciously by wearing pink everything so I'm okay. Math class is next and then justice. Oh how I can't wait to be home drinking hot cocoa and catching up on the latest Housewives episode. But I have to say, I don't miss the snow which surprised me this morning on my drive to school; it looked lovely, but it was freezing.

I don't know if you can tell, but it was definately snowing. It was as if the snowflakes couldn't wait to touch ground...and then...they melted!

Well, to all my college peers, a toast to a fabulous end of the year!