The Moment Has Arrived...

It's 11:22...just a mere 38 mintues until I'm officially 21! Oh...my...goodness! I guess now you can call me an official adult :) Time to celebrate my birthday and parrrrtttaaay! And by party I mean watch movies, eat cake, and act like a kid. Eeeeek! I love my birthday :) Thank you Lord for giving me 20 blessed years and God willing many more :) Many blessings!

New Beauty Products :)

My Mary Kay consultant stopped by yesterday to drop off some products tht I ordered. So far, I'm loving them :) These are the products I got:

1. "Vintage Gold" eyeshadow...I'm loving the old Hollywood shine that it gives my lids
2. "Midnight Star" eyeshadow...I lined my upper and lower lids with this color and it added color without being too overbearing
3. "Beach Bronze" lip glos...So pretty! It provides a shiny tint that doesn't look too "pouty".
4. "Amethyst" eyeliner...Purple eyeliner adds more pop than my normal dark brown one does.

I'm excited to play with the colors and create new styles for myself...I'll never learn unless I try :) Blessings!

The Shampoo Wars

I love beauty products...lip gloss, eye shadow, body wash, you name it! Recently, we got a sample of Garnier Fructis shampoo/conditioner in the mail. We've all seen those Garnier Fructis commercials with the very attractive group of young people running around pulling and messing with each other's also very attractive, smooth, shiny hair. So of course, I used the sample. I always use a lot of conditioner when I wash my hair so that it is easy to comb out afterwards. The Garnier sample only came with a little bit of conditioner so I was forced to comb tangles out of my hair after I finished washing it. I have been using Dove shampoo/conditioner for years now and I really like how my hair turns out everytime I wash it. It's smooth and easy to comb out and is hardly ever frizzy. The other day when my mom and I went shopping she bought big bottles of the Fructis and I tried it. Because I had an abundance of both the shampoo and conditioner this time, I was able to see if it really made a difference in my hair. Here are the results (on a scale form 1-10) as compared to the Dove brand.

Dove
Shininess - 6
De-Tangling - 9
Clean Feeling - 9
Smoothness - 7
Scent - 9

Fructis
Shininess - 9
De-Tangling - 7
Clean Feeling - 8
Smoothness - 9
Scent - 8

Though the Fructis scored higher, I'm still partial to Dove since I've been using it for so long. But I'm going to keep using Fructis so I can tell if I really do like the results better. I'll keep everyone updated on how the "Shampoo Wars" are faring! Blessings!

.....And Away We Go

In short...I'm a traveler. I like to travel. I'm a dreamer. Flying, driving, taking the train...anywhere I go I like to experience new things. The experience is so much fun for me, especially if I'm traveling with my family :) We've been all over the U.S and I hope to travel to a new country sometime. Recently, I've taken to cutting out pictures from the Travel and Leisure magazines that we get in the mail. If I see a picture of something amazing or someplace I'd like to visit, I'll cut it out and put it up on my little whiteboard in my room. Here's a small list of the pictures that I have up now:

1. Two pics of tropical, islandy beaches...they're so serene and beautiful
2. A pic of an English estate complete with winding rows of green hedges, walkways, and fountains...perfect for having an afternoon stroll and tea
3. A pic of the sun setting behind an Egyptian pyramid...amazing gold colors
4. A pic of fruit and wine being served on a yacht...the waters look so calm
5. A pic of a view from a yacht...you can’t see anything but the water, sky, and railing from the boat
6. Three pics of amazing outfits (White dress, glittery pink dress, pink suit)...hey, who said you couldn't wear amazing clothes while you travel? ;)

I hope that if you desire it, you are able to travel to your heart's content! Share your travel dreams with me! Blessings!

Two of my favorite beach pictures that I've taken

The Neighbors

With the recent move of my nice neighbors (and the arrival of new ones), I began thinking about all of the neighbors that I've had over the years. They've come from so many walks of life and different backgrounds. It's been fun to see how we interact with each other and if good fences really do make for good neighbors. I thought I'd share a little bit about each memorable neighbor that my family and I have had.

1) The Family With A Million Dogs - This is the family that lived in the house next door when we first moved into the neighborhood. They had two scruffy looking dogs that I was absolutely scared of...and I'm not even scared of dogs! They were mean and barked a lot and hated me. But every few months, the female dog had a litter of puppies, so there was always an abundance of dogs around (and underneath my window...barking...). The family had a thing for naming the puppies after Disney characters.

2) The Chihuahua Party Family - This family had a chihuahua that always escaped from the yard and caused trouble on our street (i.e. cars swerving, kids screaming, me trying to put him back in his yard). The dog eventually died as a result of his escapes after being hit by a car. The family always had parties until after midnight and swam a lot in the nice pool. They eventually moved.

3) The Fun Military Family - The new family that moved next door was a military family. The dad is in the Marines. They have 3 young boys and were a lot of fun to be around. They had a lot of summer parties too and it was fun to have little kids next door. They often asked Alex and I to watch their little Terrier, Bonnie, while they went on vacation. She's so cute! They recently moved to VA, so I hope to catch up with them when I move.

4) The Friend Neighbors - These neighbors live two houses down from me and I met them after their dog got out from the yard and I returned him to his family. The family was really nice and the mom and dad had 2 little kids around the ages of 2 and 6. I got to know them really well and became good friends of the family. A few years later, the mom had another baby boy. I ended up tutoring, babysitting, housesitting, petsitting, and more for the family. I love them a lot!

And I think that good fences do make good neighbors because we all need our privacy and "home space". I believe in establishing good relationships with neighbors because they are, afterall, those closest to us when we factor out friends and family. They might not be our closests friends or hang-out buddies, and we might not even like them that much, but when we look back on our neighborhoods, I think that neighbors are the aspect we remember most.

Blessings!

And So the Countdown Begins...

The countdown to my 21st birthday (9 days)

AND

The countdown until my move to VA (About 2 months)

Can you say, "Eeeeeeeek!!!!"? I'm super excited and super nervous as I'll be entering a new chapter in my life. Everything seems to be lining up so that I'm being pushed into adulthood much more than I was before. As scared as I am, I very glad that God is opening up new doors in my life and I can't wait to see where He leads me :) Blessings!

The A-Team

Last week, my friends, Alex and I went to see The A-Team. I had been building up the hype for this movie for about a week after a trip to Del Taco sent me into a tizzy over the movie's character, Face, played by Bradley Cooper. I'll admit that I have quite the schoolgirl crush on Bradley Cooper and reeeeeaaaallllly like Liam Neeson. Plus, I love action movies with explosions and helicopters and secret plans! I find it so awesome!

The movie follows four guys who are involved in a special government group that tackles tough military-like cases. "Hannibal" is the leader, played by Liam Neeson, "Face" is the crazy pretty boy, played by Bradley Cooper, "Murdock" is the insane (really insane) flying pro, played by Sharlto Copely, and "B.A." is the tough guy, played by Quinten "Rampage" Jackson. Here's the short version of the plot...the group is framed for the murder of their captain and they are sent to jail. They escape and go on a mission to find and stop whoever framed them. There's lots of action and I enjoyed the movie a lot! Funny dialogue, boomy explosions, and buffy buff (haha!) guys fill the screen. It's definitely a fun popcorn, summer movie. It's worth a watch on the big screen!

My Baby Sister Graduated from Highschool!!!

Ok...she would probably get mad if she knew I called her "baby" sister, but it's true! I love her so much and it is wonderful seeing her grow into a lovely young lady! Alex was homeschooled from 6th grade to her senior year in highschool, so she experienced most of her school career at home. I always knew the day would come when she would graduate from highschool, but it came so quickly! We drove down to San Bernardino to attend the graduation for the other seniors in her program. The weather was almost sweltering, but we endured it. The ceremony began with the seniors walking into the theater to Pomp and Circumstance and taking their seats in front of the stage. A guest speaker spoke...I don't remember his name...but he is a pro football player who has a passion for helping kids succeed academically and beyond. Then, the four valedictorians took the stage and gave speeches. Finally, it was time for each senior to walk across the stage to receive their diplomas. When Alex's turn came, we sat in anticipation for the teacher to read her list of goals and future plans, and then we broke into wild screaming and applause. (I even made a fog horn noise just as I promised Alex I would :)) As the ceremony ended, I ran down to Alex to hug and congratulate her (and so she would get lost amidst the other parents and kids). We began taking pictures and giving her presents. We headed to dinner (Hometown Buffet) and laughed over plates and plates (and plates and plates) of food. It was a wonderful time and a great way to celebrate Alex's great achievement! I love you Alex!

Blessings to Alex and to all of the other 2010 graduates!

Family Photo

Alex, Daddy, and Me

Alex, Mommy, and Me

The Graduate!

The Husband Check-List

"Single ladies, when looking for a husband, make sure you look for a leader and not a loser"

My pastor gave this great piece of advice during his sermon on Sunday. The sermon was on a "new and improved" marriage. During the sermon, he stopped and gave a checklist of sorts to measure potential boyfriends/husbands. The list really hit home and stuck with me because I've dealt with several, for lack of a better word, losers. These guys played with my heart, strung me along, and I fell for them. I'm really emotional and love love, so it's hard for me not to fall hard and fast. So I'm glad that I can use this checklist to quickly weed out guys who aren't really in it for the long haul. Here's the list:

1. Would he die for you?...Put himself at risk to save you?
2. Does he serve or want be served?
3. How does he treat people?...his mother, sisters, friends?
5. Does he expect to sleep with you before a commitment (marriage) has been made?
6. Is he asking for all of you without giving all of himself (who does he put first)?

I also think that the checklist works both ways...men should look for the same characteristics in their wives.

I know that God will bring me together with the man that He has chosen for me even before I was born :) He might not be perfect by the standards of the world, but he'll be perfect for me because he longs to please God. And he will defintiely pass the husband checklist! I pray the same for all who read this! Blessings!

Learning to Say No

I have described myself before as a people-pleaser. I hate to let people down and usually do whatever they ask me to. I think it makes me dependable, trustworthy, and reliable. But I've learned that it hurts me more than it works to my benefit. Sometimes, I can't even say "no" when someone asks me to do something for them. For example, I do a lot of secretarial work for one of my friends even though I am not employed by her...I don't mind helping, yet I began feeling resentful every time she needed me. And I wondered why. I found that it was because I couldn't say "no". Even amidst finals, the death of my family dog, and work, she continued to ask me to help her...and as stressed as I was, I never said no. I couldn't sleep at night due to late-nighters for schoolwork that I hadn't completed since I spent the days working on her projects. When my friends asked if I wanted to go somewhere with them, I felt suuuuuuper guilty for having to tell them that I has schoolwork. That's when it clicked. "Why do I feel guilty for having to say "no"?" If I said yes, it wouldn't benefit me. Everything seemed so backward. I felt that I would displease God if I put myself first instead of thinking for others, yet, I realized again that I had it backwards. Putting others first didn't mean that I had to be a doormat. I know now to trust my heart and God to know when to say yes and when to say no.

I've been practicing it a lot lately and have been less stressed since I have more time to complete what I need before committing my time to others. And I hope this post doesn't sound selfish, I really don't mean it to be...the overall message I am trying to send is that we must please God through all of our actions, no matter what. There is nothing wrong with saying "no" sometimes. Blessings!

Fun Times in the Nursery

If you don't already know, I work in my church's nursery with infants. My sister began working there a while before I did and one Sunday the staff was short-handed. So, I stayed and helped and found that I really liked helping out. I heart babies :) I began volunteering full-time a few weeks later and loved it! Instead of sleeping in before church on Sundays, I get up a couple hours earlier and head over to the church. I love seeing my "regulars" (the babies that come almost every week) and meeting new infants. It's fun to play with them and feed them, as well as being able to allow parents to attend the service without worrying if their baby will cry. Yes, I often change poopy diapers and have babies spit up on my nice church clothes, but I don't mind. Working in the nursery is preparing me for motherhood when the times comes :) I've even met some good friends in the other volunteers. One of the babies in particular usually cries and cries when her parents hand her over to the nursery workers, but she has taken a liking to me and never cries when I hold her. It's such a good feeling :) I fell in love with the names of the babies that come in and will keep them in mind when I name my own children. I definitely recommend looking into volunteering in a position at your church or community. It is really reawarding. Blessings! :)

A Story of My Personal Battle. And Victory.

I feel like I'm ready to share a story about a period in my life. It's a period that didn't affect me for very long, but the struggle was definitely hard. This period is the time in which I struggled with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Before I became obsessive compulsive I had heard only little about the issue. Magazine articles told of girls who washed their hand hundreds of times during the day to rid themselves of germs...popular tv shows highlighted the compulsions of detectives...but it never seemed real. Then, when I was about 14, I remember sitting on the couch with the remote when a commercial came on and I started a game of how many times I could touch the buttons on the remote before the show came back on. And it became sort of a frequent game that I played. But then it grew into something worse. I couldn't walk up the stairs without having to turn back around to walk up them again because the first time didn't "feel right". When I rolled my hair at night, I would lay out each bobby pin and let my hand hover over each pin before I could choose the "right one" to put in my hair. Going to sleep at night became such a tiring ordeal as I couldn't allow myself to get into bed without having to shut the light switch off "correctly" or stepping into bed the "right way". Even the simplest task such as taking the pillows off of my bed became a 20 minute chore because I was having to re-do my actions. It was simple, daily actions that became rituals. I was constantly worried that if I didn't perform them, something bad would happen. Even times when I tried to ignore the pull of the rituals, fear and worry would overcome me and the rituals would occur even more frequently. I remember staying up for 2 hours after I was supposed to be in bed because my foot felt "funny" after it touched the floor as I was climbing into bed. I was crying as I performed the ritual of climbing in and out of bed until it felt just "right" and I could go to sleep.

My sister noticed my weird behavior and told my mom and dad. My mom asked me about it and I told her that I thought I had OCD. I really didn't want to make it a big deal so I told her not to worry. Yet, after that, I realized that I couldn't let OCD overtake my life. "What am I doing?" I asked myself. My mom and I prayed together to ask God to relieve me of this disorder. And guess what? He did! It seemed as if it was an immediate transformation, though the overall transition probably took about a few weeks. I wasn't worried about touching the light switches or making sure that things "felt right". I felt free. I no longer had OCD.

Just recently, I began watching a show called the OCD Project that featured and helped those who have the disorder. It brought up memories about my struggle with it. The doctor on the show said that OCD is many times triggered by anxiety and worry. During the time that I suffered from OCD, my mom was working about an hour away from our home and I always worried that something would happen to her while being so far away. She worked in a high-rise office building and after 9/11, I was so afraid of something like that occurring near where she worked. I had no way of dealing with the anxiety so it manifested itself as OCD. I thought that by performing the rituals, I could control my situations and keep my loved ones safe. But it controlled my life in another, horrible way. I was a prisoner in my own mind.

I know now that God controls my life. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, "For God has not given us a spirit of timidity (fear), but of power and love and discipline". And 1 Peter 5:6-7 says, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you". OCD is not in control of my life...God is :) So I may have had a messy battle with the disorder, but I am definitely a victor! Blessings!