Wedding Contest!!

I have got another contest that I am recruiting help for. My sister has entered the Crate and Barrell Wedding Contest. If won, she will get the wedding of her dreams!! This would be awesome for her so I am asking for your help. It is really easy! Go to the link below and click vote. You can login either with Facebook or an email address. If you want to help double time you could vote once with your facebook and once with your email! Thanks in advance for your help! The voting ends April 30th!

http://www.ultimateweddingcontest.com/entry/161238

She Speaks!

Today I was wandering through my blogs that I follow and happened upon some information on a conference in North Carolina. This conference looks like such an AMAZING opportunity. It is the She Speaks conference. This conference is all about encouraging, teaching, and empowering women in their calling from the Lord. There will be Christian authors, bloggers, and speakers at this conference. They are all dedicated to helping other women grow in their writing or presentation skills in order to spread the word of Jesus Christ just as they were called to do.

Of course I am dying to go to this conference now! I know that I am being called to do something and I am pretty sure women are suppose to be the focus. I have not quite figured out what it is but over the last 6 months I have had so many hints. Next week I am going to the Women's Entrepreneur conference that OSU is hosting in the City. I am excited for this because I will be able to meet other women who feel empowered to create their own story and venture, but also because I will gain lots of knowledge hopefully to store away in my "toolbox" for the future.

I am so excited to see what the future has in store for me, but I know right now I have to take it one day at a time. Unfortunately I will most like not attend this conference this year, but it is one I will keep on my radar for the future. I know the timing must be right and I am not sure this summer is the right time. Although, it is really exciting to know that there are events out there such as these to help women along in their journey. Thank you Jesus for beautiful, smart, and Christ-centered women that have the desire to breathe life into rookies like myself!

Sun Stand Still Kind of a Weekend

This weekend I got to see the start of one of my long prayed prayers begin to be answered. I wish I could share, but this one is between me and God. Nevertheless, I got really excited and that high is what has begun my week with so much joy in my heart. Thanks God!

Friday, Zeb went to a men's retreat with some guys from church and I had a sleepover with my little flower girl. Her name is Noel and she is 8. I love the time that we get together because it gives me a good reason to act like a little girl again. We colored and baked and watched a Disney movie. We laughed and walked dogs at the humane society. It was so innocent and so needed.

Sunday was AWESOME!! I have no other way to describe it. The message at church this week was goose bump filled and life changing. I feel so incredibly blessed to have a church that challenges me in my faith, and dares me to live bolder and love better. That fire carried me through the rest of my day. Zeb and I got to spend some much needed time together. Although, he acquired this new thigh juking move and I am not a fan, but I will take it if we can have days like Sunday everyday. The weekend was ended with kids Konnect at church where for the first time in a long time I actually felt like they were getting it.

Well that is my weekend in a few words. There is a new countdown today and that is 1 week until my birthday. Nothing too exciting about turning 24, but I am excited because next week is filled with fun stuff and my birthday kicks it off.

Be blessed.

Be Still

I woke up this morning with one thought in mind. It was a thought that I had felt God had whispered to me all night.

Be still.

I am not really sure why God had told me continuously throughout the night to be still my soul, but I can tell you that this morning it was powerful. For many days now I had felt that I had been going through the motions. I felt I had been trying to hear from the Lord and was getting nothing. Leave it to Him to do it in His time when He knew I would hear it. I rarely have a sleep that I don't remember my dreams during the night. Last night I had no dream just the constant noise of Be Still.

I finally got around to watching last week's sermon that I missed online. Sun Stand Still. This sermon is life changing. Afterwards, I prayed my sun stand still prayer that included more than one need from the Lord. These are needs that have existed for quite some time now and still reside within me this morning, but I feel as if, in a small way, He began to answer. My dreams stood still last night. Only the whispers of God were heard.

Be Still 

"be still and know that I am God"-Psalm 46:10

MMM...Taco Salad

Last night Zeb and I took on the delicious task of eating an entire bowl of Taco Salad between the two of us. Now, you can not understand what this means unless you actually make it yourself and see how much one recipe makes. It is a task we have never accomplished in the past, but I was feeling good last night and we did it! For the future I wouldn't recommend it since Zeb was in pain the rest of the night, but you have to at least try it! It is my mom's recipe and I hope she doesn't mind me sharing it with all of my readers. It is just too good to keep in. It makes more than enough and is a quick and easy meal for a large bunch. Don't let the salad title fool you though, I am not sure how healthy it actually is. I wondered that aloud as we were eating last night and Zeb responded very matter of factly that I probably shouldn't worry about that because if I knew I probably would never make it again and that just can't happen since it is one of his favorites! I laughed. So, thanks to my mom for providing me with a dish that I can easily make and Zeb can easily consume! That is a rare combination.

Taco Salad Recipe

1 lb. Ground beef
1 head of Iceberg lettuce
1 Large tomato
1 onion of your choice
2 cups of fiesta blend cheese
1 packet of Taco Seasoning
8 oz of sour cream
1 bottle of Russian dressing (by wishbone)
1 bag of Doritos (my mom always used nacho cheese, but Zeb like the cool ranch)

Start by cooking the ground beef in a skillet. While that is cooking you can begin cutting up the vegetables. Cut up the entire head of Lettuce, tomato, and onion. Toss it all in the large bowl. Add the cheese next and mix it up. I like to use my (clean) hands, but a spoon works great too! Finish cooking the ground beef and add in the taco seasoning. Once that is complete set it aside. Crush the Doritos in the bag just enough to make bite size pieces. Now pour them in the bowl. Add all the entire tub of sour cream and the entire bottle of Russian Dressing. Mix it up. Finally add the ground beef and mix one last time. Serve immediately!! The recipe is not very good after it has sat for a while so it is best eaten fresh!

Enjoy!

P.S. had I thought about writing this specific blog last night while I was making it I would have taken pictures, but unfortunately I am not forward thinking enough. Until next time...

Thank Goodnes for Sugar and Disney in NYC!

It is Monday morning and almost 11 am. I have officially had multiple conversations about my trip to NYC last week, balanced my check book, seen two students, checked all of my email, and caught up on all the blogs I follow. It is beautiful to be back to my "normal" life. I will tell you that two weeks ago I may have been somewhat cynical about my daily happenings of the "normal" life, but today I am thankful. Today I appreciate my small town "normal" life. Thank you NYC for putting things into perspective.

Last week I took on the task of taking 27 students to NYC for a finance trip. Since I am the Finance advisor, OSU thought it made sense for me to serve as the staff advisor on the trip. While I admittedly was ready to come home just 3 hours after being there, I did enjoy certain aspects of it. I ate lots of cupcakes that were absolutely delicious, visited the M&M store multiple times, and saw Mary Poppins on Broadway. So there you have it, those were the 3 things I loved the most about NYC. Imagine that, they all have to do with sugar and being submerged into a Disney fantasy. Everything else is a blur. I will provide pictures later because you have to see these cupcakes!

One thing I love about anytime that I go outside of Oklahoma is the reading and thinking downtime. This trip was no different. In fact, my week in NYC provided this in surplus. I spent many of my nights or mornings down in the workout room on the treadmill walking at an absurd incline for far longer than I care to. During this time, however, I was blessed with the opportunity to finish the book "Heaven is For Real", start a couple classics, and talk a lot with God. I love these times because when I am back in my "normal" life I don't ever dedicate enough time to this. I also spent way less time on the Internet than I think I have in almost a year. Outside of my facebook updates, the Internet was virtually non existent in my life. Bliss.

I came to a few conclusions as I left the Big Apple on Saturday. I love my small town life and fortunately some people just were not made for the big city. I am extremely blessed with loved ones, a warm place to call home, and good food. I may not have a lot of money, stuff, or a fancy job; but I have the things that matter most and that is my God, my family, my future spouse, and my friends. Nothing can replace those. Finally, everyone should eat their weight in cupcakes from time to time. It just makes life a little sweeter! :)

Weekends are the BEST!

The last 48 hours, that is also known as the weekend, provided me with many different activities and emotions.

I got excited about the future while looking up internships with Zeb.

I was taught and encouraged for my future marriage by two different women over coffee. One older and one younger. Their wisdom left me with much excitement and two new friendships.

I was pushed physically in working out.

I made new friends at a baby shower and shared in the joy of new life.

I read and read and read some more.

I spent lots of time in prayer and was challenged by this:
"Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue, and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone"-Luke 11:42

I was given more opportunities to practice forgiveness and conquered it.

I caught up with my Grandma.

I laughed A LOT!

It was just another weekend full of opportunities and life.

What was your weekend like?