Inspiring Song

I really love dance music and recently discovered an artist named Lady Gaga. She has several hits playing on the radio right now and I decided to buy her CD. I really really like the songs as they provide wild beats for me to dance crazily to :) But I also found a song called "Paper Gangsta". It's a very empowering song for girls of all ages. The song is about not letting a man control who you are. Be true to yourself and don't sell yourself to anyone because of what they can give you. One of the lyrics is "Won't sign away my life to/ Someone whose got the flavor/ But don't have no follow through". Another good lyric is "Cuz I do not accept any less/ than someone just as real, as fabulous". Though I don't think Lady Gaga intended to, she parallels what God tells us to do in the Bible concerning finding a husband. I know that God wants us to be with someone who loves Him first and doesn't put themselves first. The song pretty much says “don't settle for someone cheap; wait for that special person”. And though the song doesn't say to wait for the special person that GOD has given us, we, as Christians, should do exactly that. 1 Corinthians 13:4 says, "Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant". When we find our husband or wife, they should be "just as real" as we are, especially in their relationship with Christ.

Check the song out at iTunes! Also, as there are a few versions, listen to the clean version :)

Have a blessed day!

The Coolness of M.M

I sit here typing my new blog post watching The Misfits with Marilyn Monroe. This is my 6th Marilyn movie...I think. A couple years ago, I couldn't sleep so I turned on my tv and watched Some Like it Hot. It was so funny! I had never found why people liked Marilyn so much...maybe they just thought she was cute, haha! But she has great comedic timing and feeds well off her cast mates. Tony Curtis and Jack Lemon were hilarious in "Hot" and it is one of my favorite Marilyn movies. My next favorite is How to Marry a Millionaire. I don't think that many people know about this movie, but it is quite good! I highly recommend it!

Now, for some reason, I am just fascinated by Marilyn Monroe. I wondered about the mystery of how she died...though I haven't stuck to one theory yet. She was actually married to a man who has the same name of a man that I know. I was excited to get my M.M calendar for 2009 that has several cool pictures of her. And though you may not be a big Marilyn like me, but I do recommend her movies :) They're fun to watch and even to have your own commentary on them as you do. Let me know which is your favorite! :)

Have a blessed day :)

Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Memorial Day! Thank you to all the soldiers, past and present, who have put their life on the line so that we may have a free country! We love you and pray for your safety!

My grandfather, uncle, and father all served in the military and I know that they helped in achieving something that many people think is free...freedom. I have several friends who are serving right now and my heart swells with pride when I think of them! My prayers continue for you and my heart remembers those whom we have lost.

Have a blessed day!

What's In a Name

I've always been interested in my name. It's not very common and I don't meet many people who share it with me. It has a unique pronunciation and spelling and I've often wondered about the meaning behind my name. So I looked up my name on an online database that gives name origins and found that my name is both Hebrew and Hispanic. The Hebrew meaning is gift from God! I love that! It makes me know that God is always close by and that He treasures and loves me (I would still know that EVEN if Juana wasn't my name :) ). In Spanish, Juana is a variation of John (feminine), Joan, or Jane. Personally, I like the English translation Lady John :), it sounds very regal!

I encourage you to look up your name on a name database...just look up "name meanings" on google. I've looked up my parents', sister's, and other family/friend's names and have found that their names suit them perfectly! :) Look up yours and post their meanings, I'd love to hear them :)

Have a blessed day!

Alex and I at Kema Boardwalk...next to that yellow guy named Spongebob :)

Pieces of my Poem

I was required to write a poem for my Brit Lit class last semester and I was inspired by a dream that I had a few weeks before. These are two stanzas from my poem:

God’s presence is like none other that I have felt,
I can do all things through Him.
In Him my human heart has dwelt.
I feel strength in every limb.
Now, the Devil is afraid,
He knows I am already free,
He knows he has been betrayed.
He grimaces at my rising jubilee.

The angels take me away from the doom,
The Lord is going to speak with the Creature,
Now I am in the light and out of the gloom,
I smile at my glorious Teacher.
He causes the Devil’s demons to cower.
I always knew that He would come.
According to His Word and power,
To Him I must succumb.

My poem was over 1,000 words, but these stanzas capture the theme of it. The Lord is so amazing!

Have a blessed day :)

Movie Recommendation: Stardust

I just watched a movie called Stardust and I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to recommend it to all of you! It had been sitting in my DVR list for about a month and I was really close to deleting it in order to free up space to record more media. My expectations weren't very high; I viewed it as mainly a kid's movie. But boy am I glad that I watched it!

Who's in it: Charlie Cox as Tristan; Claire Danes as Yvaine; Michelle Pfeiffer as Lamia

Here's the premise:
A young man, named Tristan, is born under magical circumstances and the movie follows his journey into manhood. Tristan tries to win the heart of a girl by fetching a fallen star for her. It turns out that the star is actually a woman who fell from the sky. As he takes the "star" named Yvaine to the girl who he wants to marry, he encounters a prince (or two) who wants the "star" for everlasting life. That way he can be king forever. Tristan also encounters a old witch who wants to eat the Yvaine's heart so she can be youthful and pretty. All the while Tristan is trying to get Yvaine to meet his would-be wife, but finds Yvaine is really in love with him. You can imagine all of the adventures and exciting things that come from Tristan's encounters.

Why I liked it:
I usually really enjoy action/adventure movies. I actually enjoyed the movie's run-time, which was about 2 hours. The movies didn't try to hard to please the young kids, but didn't try to be raunchy to appeal to adults, either. It was just a movie that we could all watch to have a good time. It was very funny; I laughed aloud many times. If you look hard for a lesson, you'll find one: "Love someone who accepts you for who you are".

Watch it and let me know how you like it! :)

Look me up on Facebook; I post more there too.

Have a blessed day!

Summer Summer Summa Summa

Woweeee! It’s been a while since I lasted posted. School's kept me so busy, but I'm glad for it :) Plus the studying has paid off; I kept up my high GPA! Lots of things have been going on...God has led me in a new direction that I wasn't planning on going. But I guess that's what happens when you think that you have control over everything. I know that God will lead me to the place I was meant to be with or without my consent ;) I'm excited to see how He wants me to use the gifts that He has given me. So a couple of things to look forward to this summer season:

1. My 20th birthday :) Yay, bye bye teenage years...
2. Look for a new job, one that'll help me build up my journalism and writing experience
3. My sister's birthday
4. Lots of beach days & a wedding (not my own :D but its gonna be fun!)
5. Try new things...let's see what they are... hehe
6. My mom's birthday
7. Being a great friend to my friends and family, near and far...you know who you are! :)

So I'm sure that my list of "looking forward" will grow and grow and I'll be able to check off what I've completed. Thank you Lord for getting me through another year sucessfully...I'd have fallen over without You!

This is kinda like my yearbook sign-off, you know "Stay awesome!" or "Keep in touch!" or "Have a great summer!" But really it’s just the beginning...it’s my summer sign-on!"

Onward my good friends! To summer and to life!

Have a blessed day!

Me, my mom, and Alex at the beach, 2008