Category: Life

Thankful Thursday (episode 8)

Being thankful is difficult sometimes. I missed sharing my gratitude list last week, as I still have been feeling very low. But God has somehow continued to bring to mind things that I can be thankful for.

I may not “feel” grateful, but I am trying to offer praise to God anyhow…and I believe the feeling will come later. So here is my gratitude list from the past two weeks.

  • Roy received good news that his college application fee will be waived and that he has fewer credits to complete than he thought to get his Bachelor’s degree.
  • God providing for all of my needs.
  • I had a nice conversation with a friend who understands what I’m going through.
  • My Hubby did the dishes for me!
  • We played handbells well for Music Appreciation Day at church.
  • Roy and I were able to relax together in the afternoon.
  • The Hubby and I used a gift card to go to Cracker Barrel for dinner! *yum*
  • A good night’s rest.
  • That I have hands to wash dishes with.
  • I got my hair cut and it turned out great. 🙂
  • I accomplished some chores, even though I didn’t feel like it.
  • Roy and I celebrated five years of marriage. ❤
  • We went to a wine tasting and really enjoyed it.
  • We shared a nice time with our families.
  • Safety and fun traveling to Wissahickon Park.
  • My Hubby vacuumed the house for me.
  • The smell of honeysuckle in our backyard.

I hope that everyone is having a good week. And whatever it is you may be going through…know that God’s got you (I tell myself this often). Also, try to find small things to be grateful for (I’m working on this too). ❤

Photo Credit: Crystal Knauss

About Me (Part 2)

Want to get to know me a little better? Here’s your chance! 😀 This is Part 2 of my “About Me” series. Part 1 (questions 1-25) can be found here. The posts are a series of questions that I found here – and they delve a little deeper into the recesses of, well, me! So take a moment and scan through the questions and my responses…and hopefully you’ll learn something new!

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
I don’t really watch many sports games on TV – but they Hubby likes to sometimes, so I’ll end up watching them because he’s watching them. The sports that he tends to watch are either football or baseball. Now if I went to a live game, that would be different. If I did have such an opportunity, I would probably want to see a hockey game!

27. HAIR COLOR?
Okay, this seems like an easy question, but for me it’s not so much. I think I have brown hair with golden highlights, but my husband says my hair has more of a reddish hue. So I guess I’ll just mix them all together and say that I have brown hair with golden and red highlights.

28. EYE COLOR?
Green 🙂 With flecks of gold in there, too.

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
Sometimes! I go back and forth between contacts and glasses. For a while there I was wearing my glasses all the time, but now I’m back into wearing my contacts during the day and my glasses at night. Either way, I need them, because my eye-sight is horrible!

30. FAVORITE FOOD?
I have no idea! I like many foods, and it really depends on what I have a craving for. But I do like pasta and other Italian foods a lot, especially my Mom’s baked ziti, which she serves with a caesar salad and garlic bread that’s right out of the oven. Mmmmmm!

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
I don’t like scary movies. Okay, well, maybe some of them. I like Thrillers. But they can’t be too disgusting. I DO like happy endings…but not forced happy endings. I like when  there’s some sort of struggle or tension in the plot, but the characters work their way through it and it’s resolved. Also, it can be okay when a movie leaves you thinking about it long after the ending.

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
Déjà Vu, starring Denzel Washington. We watched it over my brother’s house, relaxing in comfy chairs and munching on tasty snacks. It was a good time!

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
I am wearing a marled gray and white t-shirt. I know, pretty boring…but it’s comfortable!

34. SUMMER OR WINTER?
Ugh, I don’t like either! I can’t stand the heat and humidity of summer, and I don’t like how you have to get all bundled up in winter…and I’m not a big fan of snow – but I guess the lesser of two evils would be winter.

35. HUGS OR KISSES?
Both are great, but I’d lean towards liking hugs better. There’s something so soothing about being wrapped up in a great bit hug!

36. FAVORITE DESSERT?
Anything canolli, cheesecake, key lime pie (it must have a good crust…to me that’s the best part), anything with chocolate and peanut butter, or cinnamon, or vanilla…you can tell I like desert, huh? 😉

37. STRENGTH TRAINING OR CARDIO?
Both would be beneficial, but unfortunately I don’t really do either right now. I do walk my dog each day, so that’s a little bit of cardio. But I need to do more.

38. COMPUTER OR TELEVISION?
Hmmmm, I’m not a big television fan – unless it’s NCIS or Big Bang Theory…so I guess I’d have to say computer. I do my work on the computer, I write my blog posts, and I surf around for whatever interests me at the moment!

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
I’m reading a Young Adult book called “Hush, Hush” by Becca Fitzpatrick. It’s book one of a series of engrossing fantasy novels. I’m really enjoying it so far. 🙂

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
A collage of pictures of me and my husband on our wedding day (May 27, 2012). I’ll even show you a pic of it!

mousepad

41. ANY TATTOOS?
No, but I’ve thought about it. Something small and tasteful. I guess we’ll see! 😉

42. FAVORITE SOUND?
The sound of handbells. My husband and I play handbells at our church, and we love it!

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
I’m not really that into either, but if I had to pick it would be the Beatles.

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME IN 2017?
My parents’ house, about an hour away. I know, not very far. But I used to travel – I’ve been to Chile (in South America) and China.

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
I’m good at empathizing with other people.

46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
I was born in New Jersey! Yep, I’m a Jersey girl.

47. WHERE ARE YOU LIVING NOW?
Still living in NJ! My family and friends are here, so it’s difficult to think about moving.

48. WHAT COLOR IS YOUR HOUSE?
It’s ivory and brown. Not very exciting, but it works for now.

49. WHAT COLOR IS YOUR CAR?
It’s a heather blue.

50. ANY PETS?
Yes, we have two pets: a dog named Daisy and a cat named Misty. They make our lives all the more lovely. 🙂

Thanks SO much for reading, and I hope that this was fun and informative! If you have any other questions you’d like to ask me, feel free to leave them in the comments section. Blessings to you. ❤

Gray Areas

There have often been times in my life when I’ve struggled with “gray areas” – areas in which there is some form of confusion, debate, or uncertainty. One of those areas has been with mental illness.

I grew up learning the Christian faith. I went to a Christian grade school, a Christian high school, and a Christian college. I went to church almost every week. And when I was quite young I trusted Jesus to be my Savior from sin. Little did I know how much I would need Him as the years went by.

I’d always been an anxious person, but in my teens it got out of control. Not only was I extremely anxious, I was obsessing about minuscule things. I also struggled with low energy and motivation, and I was often down about the instability of key relationships in my life. Finally, I was diagnosed with anxiety, OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder), and depression.

But that was only the beginning of a long journey. It was difficult for me to understand how God would allow this into my life. Didn’t He love me? And if I were trusting in Him, shouldn’t I be able to overcome these difficulties? Being very familiar with Biblical teachings, I knew that I wasn’t supposed to be anxious. And I wasn’t supposed to be downcast. So what was wrong with me?!

I still don’t have all of the answers. I just know that God, in His wisdom, allowed these difficulties into my life. He’s helping me every day to rely on Him for strength and grace to trust Him and to focus on the blessings that He gives me. It’s definitely a process…baby steps! And while I may not have all of the answers for this gray area, I do know that my God is bigger than it and that He will enable me to obey Him moment by moment.

Have you ever struggled with this gray area? Or is there another gray area that you would like to share? Please feel free to leave a comment! ❤