My Dos & Don'ts {By Cecilia Whitson}

1st I must welcome myself back!!!!......I'm pretty sure I have not blogged since before Christmas!!! :( I've been so busy and had so much going on I just honestly have not had the time. Also I went for a period without a computer because mine crashed and burned!!! :/ As of today I am considering myself back on track and enjoying life again. I just recently moved to a much bigger and nicer place that I must say I am very proud of and am currently in the process of getting a new job. A good one at that. So between moving and a new job I am a very, very happy girl!!! :) And yes I am officially back and ready to blog!!!!!

Ok So My Dos & Don'ts........ A few things I've gathered and learned over the last few months/weeks!

Do... Always take the opportunity to live alone at some point in your life. So my new place is pretty big and has 2 bedrooms and people come in instantly asking.."You live here alone?". Ha YES!! I had my fair share of roommates and never again plan to have another until/if I get married. :) Living alone is probably one of my favorite parts of my life. There is just something about doing my own thing and never having to worry about anyone else. Its kinda nice! :) Sounds a bit selfish but this is the only point in my life it may be ok to be selfish because well its just me! Just the way I like it! :)

Don't.... Get frustrated when your friends are constantly complaining about their breakups or men in their life. I use to be the one always complaining but somewhere in the last 6 months of my life I learned to not let guys get to me. And somehow learned to shut them out completely and be untouchable. Ha WEIRD bc I use to want a relationship a lot but now I flee after a week! :/ good and bad ha....BUT due to the fact that I spent who knows how many times being the one complain I too had to learn to put with it because my friends always put up with me. 

Do.... Spend over $100 on atleast 1 pair of nice jeans! (Girls Only) Ok so I may be the worst person to say this but I strongly believe putting on a great pair of jeans can totally change your day!!!! I myself am I Jean fanatic and can honestly has I have far to many pairs of jeans but I honestly feel like my jeans make my day better when ur wearing the right pair!!! :P

Don't... waste your time on people who aren't kind to you. I myself am bad at this because im a natural born peace maker. I tend to waste to much time trying to make things civil while the other end of the friendship could care less. But in the long run karma always comes into play, and if you just take the high road, you'll be fine. :) So don't waste your time on people who dont treat you the way you deserve to be treated. <3


Do... Take road trips alone. Once a month I drive to Northwest Arkansas by myself just to get away and shop of course. People always question why I go alone but there is something I personally enjoy about taking a 45min drive just to think and get away for the day. Then of course do what I do best and shop a little. Which I will admit I am selfish at because I enjoy going alone because I only have to spend time looking at what I wanna look at! :/ ha awful I know.

Dont... ever let someone have more power over you than you grant them. I read a quote today that I actually got that from and DANG it was good so in ending ill share it with you!!!! Thanks again for reading and welcome back to my world of blogging!!! :) <3 <3

I FIGHT LIKE A GIRL....

I FIGHT LIKE A GIRL WHO REFUSES TO BE A VICTIM. I FIGHT LIKE A GIRL WHO IS TIRED OF BEING IGNORED, HUMORED, BEATEN OR RAPED. I FIGHT LIKE A GIRL WHO IS TIRED OF NOT BEING TAKEN SERIOUSLY. I FIGHT LIKE A GIRL THATS BEEN PUSHED TO FAR. I FIGHT LIKE A GIRL THAT OFFERS AND DEMANDS RESPECT. I FIGHT LIKE A GIRL THATS HAD A LIFE TIME OF ANGER, STRENGTH AND PRIDE BUILT UP IN HER GIRL BODY. I FIGHT LIKE A GIRL THAT DOESN'T BELIEVE IN FEAR OR SUBMISSION. I FIGHT LIKE A GIRL THAT KNOWS YOU ONLY HAVE AS MUCH POWER AS I GRANT YOU. I FIGHT LIKE A GIRL WHO WILL NEVER LET YOU TAKE MORE THAN I OFFER. I FIGHT LIKE A GIRL THAT FIGHTS BACK. SO NEXT TIME YOU THINK YOU CAN TAKE CARE OF YOUR INSECURITIES BY VICTIMIZING A GIRL... THINK AGAIN THAT GIRL COULD BE ME AND I FIGHT LIKE A GIRL....

Pre-Christmas 2010

Oh My YAY its almost Christmas!!!!!! Ha, yes I just said that!!!! :) So it has finally gotten cold outside and my christmas tree is FINALLY up as you can see :) So Its finally starting to look and feel like Christmas!!!....Now if only we could get some snow!!! ;) Granted for me there would be no "hey Chilis sorry I cant make it to work today im snowed in"....because I seriously live like 1.5 mins away and they would probably tell me to start walking! ha-ha. So I've seen a few other blogs on what everyone wants from christmas so I figured I'd make one too........ I have had one Christmas party so far and I walked away with a purse made out of a REAL football!......

I Love It!!!!! :) I probably wont ever carry it as a purse but I still love it! I have another Christmas party this Thursday and its a German Christmas Party so it should be a lot of fun! And then next Wednesday I have a x-mas party at work and we're going pot luck style! YUM!!!! Which means this little girl gets to cook which that alone makes me very very happy!

Speaking of cooking I have the next 2 days off work because tonight someone from work texted me and really needed money and he has kids and its christmas time so I gave in and let him have it. And tomorrow im just off because I took off! I think I've realized a plus to being single and having no kids......it seems as if everyone under the sun is needing to work really bad right now and im just not. Perks of being alone at christmas time. Which I might add this is a FIRST for me! I have never ever spent a Christmas alone! Its sad and good at the same time. Im actually looking forward to it! A very big part of me is turning into little Miss Independent and Im really starting to think I would be very happy this way because im loving it now. But back to cooking since im off work I started up a pot of northern beans in the slow cooker and a loaf of bread in the bread maker this afternoon. Im super excited to see how the bread will turn out. Ive made beans tons of times along with cornbread and fried potatoes...mmhhmmm!! But the bread is a first so i'll let you know! :)

Side note.......Im moving into a bigger apartment in March ok not even an apartment but a townhouse!!!!! Im sooooo stinkin excited, its two floors, 2 bedroom, 2 bath, FULL KITCHEN (HEAVEN), a fireplace and only a $250 deposit for an animal next to the $500 dollar deposit where Im at!!! When I was telling my dad about it he said "why do you need anything bigger....Are you getting married?" ha-ha I of course just laughed and said no and thats why im getting something nicer and bigger. I want something thats more long term and really nice. Dont get me wrong my apt now is all brand new and very nice but I realized I make plenty of money that I can upgrade to a place thats more home felt and has room from company!! :) So please in 3 months come see me and stay the weekend! :)

Ok my Christmas list/ Birthday list......No im not being selfish I have since I was a little girl combined the two because my birthday is so close to xmas its easier to just give my one list! :) So my mac has finally kicked the bucket! I have had more problems in the last month than I ever have, my screen currently appears as that of a xray screen but im really good and reading it for some reason. So all I asked for this year was Apple.com gift cards to go toward this new mac im going to have to invest in. :( Not so exciting but it will be worth it once I get it. :) But I cant ask for only one thing so ill add "Just Dance 2" for the Wii, New Boots, Anything cookware, and how about a puppy! Thats it! :) Surely thats not asking for to much right?........Anyways nothing profound in this blog just a few random thoughts. Hope everyone has an AMAZING week!!!! <3

*12* Days Till Christmas!!
*18* Days Till My 26th Birthday!! :D

Institutionalized

First I want to tell you all how much of a out of shape BABY I am. I have been doing P90X again and Plyometrics is my favorite but its been like 2 months since ive done it and ill just say I've yet to get past 30 mins of the hour of it without quitting and I HURT bad haha! And Im burnt from tanning so im walking around like a old lady this week!!! And I dont want to hear any smart remarks about me being old! :cough: Aaron Matthews :cough:

Anyways on to the blog, So I recently purchased a book called "Organic Leadership; Leading Naturally Right Where You Are" By Neil Cole. The first chapter of the book really took a hold of me and has pushed me to back track on a lot of things in my life. The Chapter is titled "On being Institutionalized; Depending On The Walls That Imprison You" I don't want to ruin the chapter for anyone who may consider picking up this book but I will go into some what of what the chapter is about and how its effecting me personally.

I personally believe that a lot of churchs have become an institution where leaders inside the church are important and well educated people, but OUTSIDE the church they are nothing, with no clout, no power, nothing impressive. It is when you as a leader find your identity and purpose inside the church. You give your life to maintaining the institution which cause you to be a prisoner and you no longer can not imagine life on the outside. That was me. When I stepped out of my role in the church I spent months trying to figure out what I stand for and who I really was. I knew what I was inside the walls of the church but outside I felt as if I was nothing beyond a 25 year old girl who was basically starting her life over from scratch because she gave up what she had for years built her life around thinking it was defining who she was in Christ.

Not to go against or bash anything I have done in the past but when I read this and took a step back to look at the last few years of my life I realized I without a doubt had been on of these prisoners. I spend years focusing on how I could invest different parts of my life to making this institution better. I spend every moment of everyday constantly feeling as if it was my life. I can honestly say I got to the point that no longer was my own personal relationship with Jesus my number one priority in life, it was now the well being of this institution and how I was going to be moved to a higher level of position or authority. This is bad because I wanted to badly to be needed and be of great importance to the Kingdom of God when in the end when I stepped out I felt that all of that was completely gone. When I gave up the title I carried for years all I was just a girl who at one point did carry high important and value and now I carried nothing.

The more I thought about all the time and money I spent investing in my education through this intitution in the end I now realize im not qualified to do anything outside of this institution more than wait tables at a local restaurant. Ha......Crazy to think about! Not that my time there was wasted. I do not think that at all. I value the things I learned and the experiences. But the only thing I have now that I'm gone is a fresh start to do things over and differently. Which is NOT a bad thing. :)

Cole says "Christ did not come to establish an institution. His kingdom and his church are meant to be relational and spontaneous movements, not organizations. It is his followers who created the "church institution" with layers of authority and solidified programs and practices that take on a sacred nature in and of themselves. When we become part of the perpetuation of the institution so that our own identity and security are found there, we have become institutionalized."

He brings to recognition 2 problems with being institutionalized. The first being that when often unknowingly (which I believe I did) place our faith in the institution rather than in the Lord. I found my security, identity and hope through the institution not through Christ. This has been a major struggle for me now that I have stepped back into the secular world because I'm having to relearn how to put all of these things in Christ and not in my position at the church. The Second problem is that we elevate the institution to a level of being God's main instrument on earth. This is when everything under God must be and can only be done through this particular church. Cole says "The worth of people is determined by their value to the institution and its objectives." This is a BIG one in my mind. I never think one should be rejected by a church no matter where they stand and no matter how much they do wrong. That in my opinion is when the church becomes more a organization than a church. Its Gods house and who are we to judge the heart of a person to decide if they should of shouldn't be welcome into something that is run by Him?.....Or is it even being run by Him?.....Or is it run by us and we decide who can stay and who must go?.......That was free from Cecilia! ;)

I say all this to say that I do agree with Cole when he states that some people are called to work within the walls of the organized church. Its not that we must leave but that those who do stay function with freedom and faith and not in bondage. I am now at a place in life where I at times honestly feel like I'm a new christian all over again due to the fact that I placed who I became in a institution. I'm having to go back to the basics of life and learn how to do this thing in the real world because my mind only knew how to function with life inside the walls of a church. I've learned more flaws within myself in the last few months than I have in a long time. This is a good thing though. Im loving the feeling that my life is starting back at the beginning and that my God is a God of 2nd and 3rd and 57th chances! :) Im probably way beyond my 57th change to do this thing right! Life is never promised to be easy and I have never expected it to be. Yes at times I would love for it to be but I'm just glad that God always comes through and is always there to pick me up, dust me off and encourage me to keep going. I do not regret anything I have done in life. I am now simply trying to figure out who I really am and what I really stand for. All I know is for the first time in a long time I am not putting my faith, hope or identity in a church, a person, a job, a title but in God and God alone. Its not always easy but I know that He will use me and guide me in the path best suited for me. I am excited to begin this journey to find my TRUE identity in Christ :) Not only do we ONLY know God through Jesus Christ, but we ONLY know ourselves through Jesus Christ; we ONLY know life and death through Jesus Christ. Apart from Jesus Christ we cannot know the meaning of our life or our death, of God or of ourselves. :)




Psalm 139:13-16
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.



Jeremiah 29:11
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. 


P.S. - 15 Days till Christmas, 21 Days till I'm *26* :) 

Text Messaging!

I hope my new way of getting people to know when I update my blog works. Haha but then again I still wish I could come up with a better way of doing it besides a text message to those of you who I know in fact read my blog but as of now thats all I have until I return to the facebook world..... if I ever do. I say that because I am having a really tough time with texting. I find it so easy, and when I get emotional, even more so.  


First off I want to apologize to anyone / everyone I text to as I know while you may love many of my bright, funny texts, it has also been an easy escape for me to not deal with some tougher issues. I can honestly admit that when things go wrong I basically loose it with the text. I make jokes about how the iphone has a function called a "text bomb" where you can instantly send around 600 text to a persons cell phone all at once......the joke I make is that I could seriously text bomb someone MYSELF if you wanted me to, and that is NO exaggeration. Its awful and it seriously hurts me that I do that to people sometimes, and most the time its people I really care about. :/ 


I can't recall when I picked up this awful addiction but I know its a bad one. I know part of the outrageous texting sometimes gets out of hand due to the fact that I can not STAND when people don't respond because in my head I feel ignored. In my mind I think that if I take the time to apologize or say something that is meaningful to any extent I'd like to know you got it and somewhat appreciate it. Ha also!!! I have a expectation I put on people to respond to everything I say due to the fact that I don't want to feel as if my words are invaluable, meaningless or taken lightly. Maybe insecurity is a bit of my problem? :/ I am what one would refer to as in love with instant gratification. I heard once that we live in a microwave world, we want everything fast and right now. Thats me! I want you to respond to me right away and have constant contact with people I enjoy talking to! WAKE UP Cecilia Your only REAL Constant Contact in life SHOULD be Jesus, But is it really? I am being TOTALLY transparent  and honest right now!


I can honestly say 99% of the time in my mind I'm just trying to make things right with people or to fix whatever is going on, but in reality I always make them way worse. So trust me I have pure intentions but that does not make it okay. A friend recently made the comment of how he liked it better when phones were meant to stay at home. I kinda wish that was the case still today because I'd probably have a few more friends. Sad but true. 


You would never really think of texting as an addiction, but it is.  At least I think it is.  I just did a search online and can see it is a highly debated subject, and a lot of people have a lot of different opinions.  Some even say it’s a mental illness, which I find a little harder to understand.  So let’s backtrack and review standard definitions of both mental illness and addiction.

mental illness:

n.

Any of various conditions characterized by impairment of an individual’s normal cognitive, emotional, or behavioral functioning, and caused by social, psychological, biochemical, genetic, or other factors, such as infection or head trauma. Also called emotional illness, mental disease, mental disorder.

addiction:

1.

a. Compulsive physiological and psychological need for a habit-forming substance: a drug used in the treatment of heroin addiction.

b. An instance of this: a person with multiple chemical addictions.

2.

a. The condition of being habitually or compulsively occupied with or or involved in something.

b. An instance of this: had an addiction for fast cars.

OK.  Really?  Fast cars as a mental illness?  Religion as a mental illness?  You get "chemical brain highs" from a variety of things – just because that happens, does it mean it is an addiction or mental ‘illness’?  Not to mention illness gives off such a negative connotation (do we have a heart illness?).  It sounds weak and soft, when in fact brain issues are quite serious, medical, and biological and should be treated as such.


Back to my point; texting. For me, the differentiating factor of addiction is when it interrupts your daily life and creates negative consequences for you and others.  That is really the significant factor.  


Negative consequences.


I am pretty clear that for me, texting is an addiction.  I use it as a way to communicate negative feelings when I am upset – which generally just makes everything worse.  I am also impulsive and my mind works very, very quickly.  So I might have solved a problem ten minutes ago, but come up with a new solution 10 minutes later.  When I communicate this to others (whose brains maybe aren’t on such warp speed) I am confusing, inconsistent, and perceived ‘crazy.’  After reviewing some recent texts I can see why (but really, it all made sense to me at the time and I had a different tone!). No excuses, though.  The problem I have is that texting is so EASY and so right there.  I think part of it is possibly due to past experiences. I have a great fear that if I don't fix things NOW I may never get the chance to do so again if they decide to just walk out of my life due to whatever circumstances. (Which in reality is out of my control and I should never want anyone in my life who doesn't want me in theirs but thats another story) But once again I have created problems in my life because of it, so I am vowing to stop. The bible clearly states that anything in excess is a sin and I can honestly say that my facebook and texting have become a MAJOR sin in my own personal life. 

I think many of us today when we think of sin we think of sexual immorality, murder, stealing the list goes on and on but sin is so much deeper than that. The bible describes sin as the breaking, or transgression, of Gods law. It is also defined as disobedience or rebellion against God, as well as independence from God.While the basic origin of sin is unclear, we know that it came into the world when the serpent, Satan, tempted Adam and Eve and they disobeyed God. The essence of the problem stemmed from the human desire to be like God. All sin, therefore, has its roots in idolatry—the attempt to put something or someone in the place of the Creator. Most often, that someone is one's own self. While God allows sin, he is not the author of sin. All sins are an offense to God and they separate us from him (Isaiah 59:2). 

Which bring me to the question is all sin the same? Is my excessive texting just as wrong as murder or stealing? The Bible seems to indicate that there are degrees to sin—that some are more detestable to God than others. However, when it comes to the eternal consequences of sin, they are all the same. Every sin, every act of rebellion, leads to condemnation and eternal death (Romans 6:23). All that to say yes texting and murder my be different degrees of sin but they are all displeasing to God and cause separation. 

All in all I have yet to decide how much is to much and where exactly I need to draw the line because I do think completely getting rid of my texting would take away some of the moments in life I often cherish. Example: My dad will randomly tell me I am blessed, or that he Loves me. Or girls that I mentor send me random messages telling me they love me or thanking me for being there for them; things that may be harder for some to say out loud. And things like that always seem to come at the right time, just when I need to hear them. So this is something I am in deep prayer about because I refuse to let something so petty ruin another friendship in my life. There comes a point when you have to decide is this really worth it? And personally for me texting is not worth the issues that have traveled along with it. 

And what about real life communication? texting has to ruin it to some extent!!! Real relationships can not possibly be build through text messaging. To me if you build a relationship with someone through text of the opposite sex is it really any different than online dating? ha-ha im not sure it is. Besides you can not judge a persons true character through texting, there is no emotion and you can't even begin to truly understand how the person is coming across. I mean seriously I know I would personally like to sit face to face and talk to someone ANYDAY over texting but like i said we live in a microwave world where we are all impatient and want to talk to whoever RIGHT NOW!!!!! Anyways i'll stop now before I get going again! Thats my thoughts on texting, hope someone got something from it even if it was only a explanation of why I text so dang much, which is because I can honestly admit I had a serious problem with it!! :) Ok USE to text so dang much!!! :) So be prepared to see a texting change in this girls life from this day forward. 

Thank you all so much for reading and I hope you all have a blessed Tuesday!!! <3

Contentment :)

So im not sure how many people will actually read this now that I cant publicly show all of Facebook that I wrote a new blog entry, but im still going to write. Why cant I post to Facebook?.....Because at 8:30 Monday morning I deleted my facebook! :) And yes im happy about it. Someone sent me a text yesterday and said "But you were addicted to Facebook?"......Haha my response was "Exactly". I was just far to addicted and spent way to much time on it. I spent a good while Sunday night debating on it and thinking of the pros and cons and I decided the best decision was to just get rid of it. Now in the times I want to sit down and creep on people on facebook I take out the bible instead. Working out great for me!!!! :) I don't miss it at all!

Its finally DECEMBER!!!! And this girl is oh so very happy about that fact!!! 1. because I just love the month of December! It just screams holidays, cozy fireplaces, hot chocolate (even though I don't drink it), family, shopping and christmas and my birthday of course! :) Eeek, my birthday?.....thats a topic I don't really want to go into! I'll be 26 and I'm still not completely sure how I feel about that. But its ok because when I even stress to someone about it most peoples responses are that I look 18! So I guess I shouldn't really have anything to complain about as long as I still look young right? :) 

So I read something today in "My Utmost For His Highest" By Oswald Chambers and my goodness it stuck out to me like crazy and I find it to carry a lot of truth in my life at this time. The statement was simply this...."When God's will is in complete control, He removes all pressure." I love that!! Its so simply but I'm finding it to bring a lot of truth in my own life personally. I was thinking about my current state of mind at one point yesterday and trying to figure out what my current mindset of how my life was going at this current time and it just drew a blank. At first I wasnt sure what that meant. After a few moments of trying to figure out why I felt just blah i realized I was in a period of complete contentment! 

Contentment is the most powerful proof to the truth of our Christian profession. As Christians we profess the glorious truth of the sovereignty of God. Our God reigns. He rules over everything, and over us, we confess. As a Christian, I confess: "I am in the hands of my heavenly Father. My life is not a product of chance, but of His will. He has made me as the Creator. And by His providence He continues to care for me and to guide all things. I am in His hand. I belong to the Lord. He is responsible for me. My God is wise and His counsel includes all things that happen. He loves me. He has forgiven my sins in Jesus Christ. He has shown me His amazing grace." That is our confession. The proof that that confession is genuine will be found in a life of contentment. We don’t not need to put your hand over fire to prove to others that you are genuine about what you say as a Christian. But a life of contentment, as you live it before the world and before your friends, is the strongest witness you could ever give of your confession.

 To be content means that one believes God will meet his needs and that God will work all circumstances for his good. A godly person has found what all who are envious and greedy and discontented are looking for and never find. He has found perfect satisfaction. He has found rest in the soul, in God.  Still more. Christian contentment is not repression. It is not when all of our desires and ambitions are firmly repressed within us. Christian contentment is not the ability simply to hold things down. No, Christian contentment is a gracious work in the heart. It is a giving all things over to the hand of God. It is submitting to the hand of the Lord and believing that what He does He does well. Contentment is when the grace of God is rooted in the heart, it is inward. Our contentment is not due to our possessions, to the things that God has given to us in this world. We are content in the world. But what gives us contentment is not the physical, not the material, but it is God.

Thats a first for me! Seriously! I think most of my life I have lived thinking things are either really good or just really bad. Im constantly searching for something to either make me really happy or im just completely down because of whatever circumstances going on in my life. But I honestly believe for the first time in a long time and possibly ever have I found a true point of contentment and I LOVE it!!! That’s not to say that good things aren't happening and there are not things I'd like to be better, its just to say God is in control and I no longer am not and I'm enjoying letting Him drive because I trust He knows my future better than I do. :) Contentment, therefore, is the grace of God to make God's value judgments concerning what is truly rich. True riches is to have a cleared conscience before God. True richness is to have fellowship with the living God through faith in Jesus Christ. True richness is the peace of God in my heart. True richness is the assurance that I am accepted in the beloved Son of God. May we all continue to go after God in such a way that we don’t search for or try to find contentment in life, but that we seek God so strongly that contentment in Him finds us! Have a blessed Wednesday!! <3 J

24 Days Till Christmas

30 Days Till My Birthday! :)

Thanksgiving Thursday! :)

IM BACK!!!!!........Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!!! I Hope each and everyone of you are having an amazing Thanksgiving and may God bless you and your families on this special day! :) My Thanksgiving began at 6:30 this am when my alarm went off!!! BLAH who wakes up at 6:30 in the morning on thanksgiving?.....On an average Thanksgiving day you sleep in just long enough to get to where your going and enjoy a big meal ending with a big nap! But not this girl! This year my family, well my dad, step mom, brother and I decided instead of having a dinner we would go down to the Salvation Army and help serve Thanksgiving Dinner/Lunch to those in need. It was so much fun!!! Its sad to say but so true that those people say thank you and seem to appreciate you more than some of the people I serve in Chili's everyday! The very first man I saw come in today sat down at a table all alone and when his food arrived he instantly bowed his head to pray! I was almost in tears as i looked over to my dad and said "He knows who to thank for this". This convicted me hard core because this man who has nothing takes time to pray for this one meal that may have to last him all day or a few days and I have trouble thanking God for even the bigger blessings in life. :( So today was def. a refreshing much needed day for me. Even if part of me still missed that huge sit down with your family Turkey Dinner! But this was def. fulfilling spiritual which was needed far more than a physical fulfilling. :)

Deut. 15:7. If there is a poor man among you, one of your brothers, in any of the towns of the land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand to your poor brother; but you shall freely open your hand to him, and generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks.





So Thanksgiving 2010 What 3 Things Am I Thankful For.......

1. First and Foremost I Am thankful for the God I serve. He is my hero, my best friend, my savior, my healer, provider, giver and taker, the most loving faithful man I know. I am here on this earth today all because of his protection over my life 5 and half years ago. I am saved and reborn because of His forgiveness and love for me. I am who I am today because of His life and His word given to me. I am strong and content because of his strength and peace He gives me. I am blessed beyond even my own understanding because He give me more than i deserve. His grace and mercies are what make me new each and everyday, even when I don't deserve them. My life is nothing without Him!!! <3

2. Second, I am thankful for my family and friends. First I have the most AMAZING dad in the WHOLE WORLD!!!!! He is the smartest man I know and gives me far more credit in life than i deserve. He shows more love and encouragement over my life than anyone I know and pushes me constantly and makes me want to do so much better in life!!!! :) I have an amazing step mother who loves me as her own and is one of the strongest women i know. I have the most amazing brothers and sisters one could ask for. Ha ok when we were younger maybe not so much but now that we are older and they all have kids i love them even more! :) They have blessed my life with the most amazing babies ever!!! And my sister has been like a mother to me for the last 6 or 7 years and I love her so much for it. :) I Love you All!!! My Friends get combined in family because i love each and every one of them as if they were my family. I never take relationships lightly (which can be bad at times) but for the most part its good because I have so many people i can count on, have fun with, learn with and to turn to when im in need. God has blessed me with the most fun, outgoing, caring, loving friends a girl could ask for and i wouldn't give a single one of them up! :)

3. And last but not least I thankful for my job. Ha yes call me crazy, but i freakin LOVE LOVE LOVE my job! Most may see the fact that i work as a waitress at a restaurant as a negative place to be at 26 (ok im only 25, but im ALMOST 26 :).....But I have been offered full time positions at 2 different places now and have turned them down because 1. I Make really really good money doing what i do and 2. I dont have to work full time hours. So more money in less hours, plus they let me make my own schedule? and i love it!.....u cant beat that. And im debating on school next Fall so right now in life this is my best bet. :) But anyways I love doing what i do. Serving people doesn't feel like a job AT ALL to me. I always tell me people its like i get paid to be nice to people. :) And i LOVE LOVE talking to people and i will talk to anyone so i love it when i get customers who wanna talk! ;) So thank you Jesus for blessing me with such an AMAZING Job!!!! :)

Ok So thats my top 3 things! I could go on and on because I'm so thankful for so much in my life right now but thats the just of it. I hope each and every one of you and your families have a safe and happy Thanksgiving and dont spend to much money tomorrow!!!! ;) Love you all!!!!



Psalm 107:1- "Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever."

Oh The Love Of Being A Woman!

“When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us.” – Alexander Graham Bell




Happy Happy Happy Wednesday Everyone!!! Can I start by saying that I am so HAPPY its finally starting to roll into fall/Thanksgiving/Cold/Christmas Season!!!!! I love this time of year more than any other season. Its jam packed one after the other with family, friends, lots of happy moments and in some cases lots of cuddling because its so cold out! :) 


I have not blogged in almost 2 weeks I think due to the fact that my mind was else where for about a week and then spent the next week trying to get back on track. But don't worry were finally there. God had to do some butt kickin and opening my eyes to a lot of things but as always He did his thing and now im better than ever! I just recently decided......ok yesterday....... that I was going to get back on my vegan kick and start running again every morning. I have learned through my season of when I was vegan I feel so much better physically/emotionally and mentally! And the running it just plat out is fun and releases a lot of stress which i definitely need right now!!! Im not really that stressed right now I just have 1 thing in my head bugging the heck out of me that I cant seem to shake!!~


I am a naturally problem solver/people pleaser!!! This has its ups and downs to it.....But I guess all thing do don't they? Well for me these characteristic traits I carry about myself have come to be somewhat of a bad thing in my life here lately. If conflict arises which in this life it always does because this world is a mess and were not perfect, especially me! :) I am a flat out hard headed pain in the rear end!!! Seriously! But anyways when conflict arises with ANYONE in my life (i don't care if i've known you 5 minutes or 10 years) then I am going to fix it!!!! I have lived my life with WAY to many broken relationships with my family that I refuse to let people just walk away that mean of any significance to me and that I actually love having in my life! So as most of you know specially those who have ever had any kind of conflict with me which is few but far between, then you know I do not go down without a fight and I DO NOT wait to fight for you! This is good because I like fixing things before they just die and never rekindle. But its bad because sometimes I tend to make them worse before they get better! Ugh, frustrates me but its so hard to just let people walk away. My past has a big part to play in why I am this way. I'll share a bit of my story for you to better understand.....


About 6 years ago I dated a guy who I had been with for almost 3 years and this was not a good thing at all! This was a very unstable and unhealthy relationship and before I was a christian obviously! (id hope a few people would smack me if I did that now) Anyways, for probably a year solid this guy would come and go out of my life.....come a few days and then leave a few days, and what did Cecilia do in this time.....sit and wait for those days when he would be back! Literally I just worked and slept!!! Makes me sick to think about but makes me realize also how strong I am because this little woman is still here today and refuses to let ANY man come and go as he pleases! So basically during this time I never knew waking up each day if I would hear from him or if I would spend the whole day hoping I might then be torn apart that night because I never did. I personally hate being ignored more than ANYTHING haha and many of you may be laughing because you know it drives me nuts! It is one thing I WILL NOT deal with! It think its rude and disrespectful and immature and personally I think if ANY person thinks they can just ignore you and then come talk to you when THEY are ready they need to get their head checked because the world doesn't revolve around  you!! You should never make someone sit and wait on you when you know its hurting them that things are messed up. Now you can stop and take the time to explain what your thinking and feeling and if your like me you will understand that space is needed BUT never is just ignoring and saying you will ttyl considered respectable! :) This is NOT a fun way to live life! No guy is ever ever worth sitting around and waiting on. It does not matter who he is and what you did wrong never ever waste a moment of your time hoping some guy who doesn't even have enough respect to just say its over or explain what's going on even step foot in your life or mind! Its not worth it. And trust me its not easy I still tend to do it but only for a day or two then I throw up the deuces!!! And this is not just for me but many close friends dealing with the same issue!


Ladies please please hear me out on this!!! All i think of when I think of my past or even the future when it comes to guys is that same little quote I heard a very very long time ago comes dancing around in my head....."No Guy Is Worth Your Tears And The One Who Is Won't Make You Cry"!!! Can I please get a few hundred Amens!!!!! Now crying bc he does something sweet or because your so happy is ok, but because he is mean or hurt you over and over is a bunch of waving red flags!!!! 


This can all be hard at times to do because myself and SO many of my close friends are at points where were just sick of having the run around with the wrong guys but because you want so badly to be loved and cherished and taken care of sometimes we tend to settle for the mean ones because 10% of the time they are sweet. Well guess what YOURSELF and ME are way better than that. I found a quote once that I have wrote really big on my kitchen wall and it says "God Knows Best, And He Will Not Be Late"!! So good! We have to remind ourself that in Gods right timing, if we just let Him take control, that He will bring us what we need because no matter what a man can show you about himself only God knows what's really inside his heart! Can I please say that again.....No matter WHAT a guy can show or revile to you about who he is as a person, only God knows what's really inside his heart and knows all the things he will do and become!!! So trust me we want to trust God in this area not the man!!!! So ladies if this guy is not knocking at YOUR door begging for attention from you and sending you sweet messages and just dying to be a part of your life kick him to the curb cause its time to move on!!!!!!! YOU and I are worth Fighting for!!!! ....And thats my soapbox!!!!....we all must "Bow Out Once You Have Given It Your Best" :)


I have a very close friend who wrote me a letter of encouragement because I let a guy who is not even worth my time get the best of me and im gonna share a bit of it with you because i think it not only was written to me but can be for you as well......


"I look at you and I see a woman of God. You are so beautiful. But your beauty is not because of your face or your hair or your perfume or clothes or body. This is not what makes a woman beautiful. No, its your modesty, and your generosity, and joy, and humor. It is your tenderness and your gentle spirit and your sweetness and your child like faith and your respect that makes you beautiful. And it is the gorgeous Jesus living inside you that makes you beautiful.  Beauty lies within you and not on you. Women are a mystery. Rob Bell says this and it is so true. He says that women are mysterious and their mystery is to be reveled only to their husbands. There is something within all of you women that makes men go crazy. It makes us do insane things. We fight for you and die for you. We go to war for you. You are a treasure meant to be sought after. You are a mystery waiting to be revealed. The more skin women show the more the mystery is revealed.........:skipping parts of the letter: ....Only your husband can have your touch or your affections or your heart and that is ONLY after he FIGHTS for you. He must show you how much you are worth before he can have you. You are not a trophy to be won but a QUEEN to be fought for and honored. It is your character and integrity that gives you beauty." ......And thats the good part that I believe should be said to all WOMEN. (And side note this guy is not one i dated just been my best friend for a really long time ha-ha no romantic side to all of that pure friendship and encouragement, which has been the one thing that I read over and over because its so true and right!!!)


Its not easy being single but it is a gift from God and once you find that one person you will never alone get to just be God and you!!! ha that makes me never want to get married!!!! Not really but it does cross my mind! :) 


Ladies Jesus wants us to learn to love Him as a husband for He loves us as His bride. You are His daughters but at the same time you are His wife. We understand this but cannot fully comprehend it. But you must surrender all your desires for a husband and affections to Him. Be willing to never get married or have a family so that you may love Him more. Do not be confused. We must love God more than we love our dreams to get married and find that ONE perfect guy. Love God with all of your heart, affection, thoughts, trust, desires.....Love Him with your time and dreams. Love Him with your beauty. Love Him with your tears. And show others how to love the same.


Happy Wednesday!!!!!!


I have read SO many books on Women & the Love of God......you think i'd be perfect at this whole thing but I'm not haha im just getting better at realizing things faster (thank God) oppose to letting them get to me for long periods of time. :) So heres a few recommendations. :)


1. "When God Writes Your Love Story" - Eric & Leslie Ludy
2. "Lady In Waiting" - Jackie Kendall & Debby Jones
3. "Beautiful Things Happen When A Woman Trust God" - Sheila Walsh
4. "Kissed The Girls And Made Them Cry" -Lisa Bevere
5. "Captivating" -John & Stasi Eldredge
6. "Inside My Heart" -Robin McGraw
7. "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" -Joshua Harris


Ha-Ha sorry I was gonna put just 3 but these are ALL soo good and if you need more let me know! I have a lot!! Yet somehow still am not perfect at this whole thing!!!! :P