Haiti has my Heart....

Haiti has been on my mind today. Where do I even begin to talk about something that is so close and dear to my heart. I left my heart in Haiti almost two years ago. I adore the Haitian people more than I could ever even begin to explain to someone who has never spent a day in the life of "Haiti."

I signed up for a trip to Haiti a few months after the earthquake hit in 2010. I was determined to flee from my comfort zone and help someone else in need. When I got to Haiti it was like a whole other world. It looks absolutely nothing like America. Although an earthquake hit and devastated the city, I had never seen such a beautiful piece of land. It's a place where you can look one way and see an ocean and the other direction; beautiful mountains. I had instantly given away my heart. After a day or so I found myself in bed and at the doctor's office for the remainder of the trip. I felt I had missed this amazing opportunity to love on these people and was crushed.

 I was determined to go back. This past May I boarded a plane ready to face my fears of illness and disappointment. My goal was to love a child and I can not begin to describe the overwhelming joy it is to love a Haitian child. The struggles of life hit these children hard but they get back up the next morning ready to tackle another day with smiles on their faces. They are more than an inspiration; they are what I strive everyday to be like.

Haiti has my heart and it will forever. I think about the joy I have when I am in the midst of heat and giant spiders and more than anything the arms of a Haitian child and am overwhelmed with happiness. I thank God everyday for the time he gave me in Haiti to learn and grow and find something most people in life will never find. I found my passion. A passion for children who have nothing yet love life. A passion for people who live each day in struggle but continue to overcome. Haiti is beautiful and beyond anything I ever expected. Haiti changed my life and someday when I embrace the role of mom for a young Haitian child I will forever be thankful for Haiti.

Family...

A lot of things have been on my mind lately. This past weekend I was able to spend some much needed time with some distant family who I don't always have the privilege of seeing all the time. We celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas and a few birthdays..and as I sat and talked with all of my beautiful and wonderful cousins, I began to think about this past year.

This past memorial day weekend my family celebrated yet another graduation (and they shall continue). It was a fabulous weekend full of laughter and memories to be shared. But that weekend also brought tragedy and a day our family will always remember..not only from the memory etched in our brains but also from the physical scars. With that accident came several months of recovery and sadness but also thankfulness for our family and safety.

When I sat around the room with my cousins a thought crossed my mind. Life is full of accidents and scars and hard times..but I find that to be comforting. God made us fragile beings..and with each day something could happen that could change the way we live our lives or don't. Because we are fragile and each day brings happiness or heartache, we are given the opportunities to be strong and brave and faithful. I know it sounds cliche but we should  always live our lives in such a way that today could be our very last.

I watched my cousin Kelsey as she showed her scars to our family. This is a girl who has been through so much in the past months since that day. Although she never anticipated her life to change that day..she has faced it head on and in my eyes overcome one of lives many battles. Life leaves scars sometimes..but I find those scars to be the things that make us into the people we were born to be..whether physical or emotional. I am extremely proud of the girl Kelsey is becoming and I am proud to call her family. It is encouraging to me and many others to watch from the front lines a true testimony of faith and perseverance. I pray everyday that Kelsey's scars will be used for good and positive things throughout her entire life..and with my faith in my Jesus..I know that He will make that possible for her. 

Family is a gift from God..and I am beyond thankful for mine. I am thankful for the people that He chose to be my family and I am thankful for the people my cousins are becoming. As I sat with them this past weekend and listened to their stories and excitement for pinterest..I silently thank God for each and every one of them and I will continue to do so.

This Crazy Life..

My life has been full of crazy moments lately and since I haven't blogged in sometime, I feel the need to update.

I spent an entire weekend with some of my most dear friends in Dallas. Breaking Dawn part 1 was the first thing on our list of "To Dos," and we all left bounding with excitement for Part 2. We shopped..literally until we dropped or were completely broke. We tried new restaurants and dressed up like girls love to do. I have to say that my friends are fabulous and laughing with them is one of my favorite things in the world. I can tell you..our weekend getaway was classified as success.
 

Thanksgiving was wonderful and I enjoyed spending time with lots of family. The girls in my family decided to step outside of our comfort zones and tackle Black Friday this year...let me just say there is only one word to describe such an adventurous event.."crazy." I truly believe that when people begin to be so ugly towards other people for a materialistic item then the whole idea of Black Friday is no longer important nor fun. But all in all we got what we went for and spent quality time laughing and joking while waiting in massive lines.

During the last few days, life has thrown some curve balls (like it always seems to do). Sometimes the past sneaks up on you when you least expect it and you learn to face it and move on but at the same time you respect it for giving you the opportunity to learn valuable lessons. As I sit here now, all I can do is smile knowing that my experiences with people and life continue to help me grow as a person and I am thankful for that (and those people). Life doesn't always turn out the way you wish it would but that's just God's way of telling you He has something else in mind. 

So as I continue to embrace the craziness of life, I will smile and enjoy every single minute of it. :)

Sometimes Life's a Bully...

Wow..this has been one of those weeks..life has thrown several curve balls my way lately; so much so that I am desperate for my weekend getaway with my girlfriends this coming weekend. The majority of this week has been heartbreaking and stressful. But as I sit here and think about the many things I have faced in just a few short days I'm reminded of a Bible verse I keep so close to my heart.

In Jeremiah 29:11 God says, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you; plans to give you hope and a future." All I can think about is how amazing God truly is. He knew in the beginning that life would be tough sometimes; but isn't it so awesome that we can run to Him with our problems when we are in desperate need of love and comfort. Sometimes we don't always see the big picture but at the end of the day God has a plan for us. I feel blessed to have someone already know exactly how my life will turn out even when I have weeks like this one; and I am comforted at the thought of knowing that my life will turn out exactly the way it was destined to be.

So here's my thought for today: Life can be such a bully but it all comes back to my basic theory of life. Love is patient. Sometimes life isn't the greatest and those are the times we are called to be patient. God knows exactly how things will turn out and because we love him we are called to be patient with his timing. 

Friendships are a Gift..

Last night I sat around a huge table celerating a very important occasion. As I watched people laughing and enjoying each other's company, I began to think about the idea of friendship. God knew that in this life we would need "friends" and the fact that God is so awesome that he came up with this concept is beyond my comprehention. I thank God everyday for the amazing friends he has put into my life to help guide and support me.

When I think about the years I have lived with the friends that I have been blessed with, I think about people like Lara. She was the last to celebrate her 21st birthday out of the group of friends that I have grown up with and as I watched her enjoying her night, I silently thanked God for her. Lara and I have been through more in the past 21 years then most people go through. From school, to relationships, to losing a friend. She is my rock, my former amazing roomate; one of my dearest friends.

As I have said before, life is about love; and in love comes relationships with people. Those relationships with people; whether I've known them my whole life, just met them, or specifically prayed for them, are the things that get me through the day. The idea of friendship, I believe, is one of the greatest gifts we could ever be given in this life. Isn't God awesome?!

So Happy Birthday Lara..and thank you for the amazing friend that you are. And to all my many other friends..thank you for being my friend. I love and appreciate each one of you. :)

Excitment and curves..

I have drooled over blogs on several occasions..wishing I could have a place to save my thoughts, theories and life experiences. Now look who's blogging for the first time. So here's my thought for my first post:

When I woke up this morning I walked by our bar in the kitchen and on the bar lay a Cosmopolitan magazine. I must confess before going further that I don't actually read this magazine. Somehow I was trying to win a million dollars at one point in my life and ended up accidentally ordering a years subscription of Cosmo (I might add that I didn't realize this until I didn't win a million dollars but started receiving this magazine in the mail along with a bill.) Now they won't stop coming..I no longer pay but continue to get them. Usually I just toss the magazine underneath the decent ones in my magazine rack; but today I stopped as I realized Adele was on the front cover. Who doesn't love Adele?!

As I looked at the cover of the magazine a thought crossed my mind. Thank you Cosmo for finally putting someone like her on the front of your magazine. In a world where skinny is vital to good looks we have a curvy woman on the front of a sexy magazine. And let me add..she looked stunning. As I drove to work I began to think about the years in which I have struggled to accept my not so perfectly skinny frame and felt relieved at the beauty of a curvy woman on the front of a magazine who is talented and respectable.

So here's my thought for the day: God loves me (and everyone else) just the way I am. He created me to have hips... and today I feel beyond blessed for them. My prayer is that Adele's cover shoot will inspire girls all over the world as well.

I think I'll open my Cosmo to read Adele's article this evening because she has inspired me to love my curves. :)   Adele's Cover December Issue