i have tried really hard to keep quiet during this election year, more than anything... i want to respect every one's right to vote and their opinions. the past few days, i have been made to feel "stupid" or ignorant, maybe not knowingly, but i am pretty sure my friends know where i stand. so, this is my outlet, and i feel like my voice/opinion needs to be heard.
first and foremost, i am a christian and my own convictions/beliefs (just mine, not speaking for every believer here) do typically align with more conservative values. i'll go ahead and get the two big ones out on the table.
abortion in my book is killing an innocent baby. i personally believe that at the point of conception, a fetus is a human life. yes, there are horrible circumstances in which many people think abortion is necessary, but i do not feel this way. you may think this is asinine, insane, ludicrous, crazy, whatever, but this is my personal belief. i believe that God has specifically thought of each and every person, and i don't think it is our decision to terminate/kill a baby that our God/creator thought of... every little detail (from that baby's hair color, if they will be talkative or not, if they will be short or tall, etc. i'll reference the bible in case you want to know where this thought/belief/reference comes from...
"For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well." (Psalm 139:13-14)
"Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations." (Jeremiah 1:4-5).
i know and have heard many of my own friends talk about how crazy it is that as a woman that i would let politicians make decisions for me about my body, well to that i say, i put my faith and trust in God and i pray that the leaders of our country will do that as well. i know many of you may not agree with me, and that is okay. that is why we live in a country where we are all entitled to our opinion and the beauty of a democracy.
same sex marriage - i am not going to spend a long time on this one. the Bible is pretty clear here, so i do not agree with this. do i dislike people who are homosexuals, of course not. the Bible is also very clear that we should love one another. i have family that i dearly love that are in same sex relationships, while she and i both know what the Bible says, that doesn't mean that i treat her differently, nor do I love her any less. i am not judging anyone, for me, and my beliefs, i am going to vote for someone who has the same beliefs as me.
Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind, it is abomination. Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things (Leviticus 18:22, 24)
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. (1 John 4:7-8 ESV)
so, the other issues... i will not say that i 100% agree with all issues, but what i will say is this... our deficit is out of control, we have got to stop spending. we all know that. i don't agree with giving as many handouts as we have been, it has to stop somewhere and people need to start working, for example, people on welfare need to work. i have read about this and both candidates agree that they should. as for the economy in general, we definitely need change/rebuilding...
i was talking to my dad the other day, and he was telling me about a friend of the family who used to run two electronic/appliance stores and due to the recession/failing economy one of them closed, so now after 25 years or more, he now runs the smaller store that is barely surviving, but only after driving a school bus in the morning, running this store during the day, driving the bus in the afternoon, and has another job, i believe cleaning after all of that, just to make ends meet.
my parents, work harder than they ever have, to make ends meet, and they have never asked for help. my dad, at almost 60 years old, works (self-employed) as a painter/pressure washer/cabinet stainer in his business which at times may require 12-14 days and then works part time at the sheriff's department as a janitor/maintenance, to supplement when business is slow and to make ends meet. my mom has worked as an insurance agent for nearly 15 years. they work so hard, but at the same time, the economy isn't thriving, so times are tough.
i want someone in office that can create change and create jobs and a thriving economy and i believe that is romney/ryan. i've read his five point plan, and i am especially like with point 4 and point 5.
Part four is to cut the deficit, reducing the size of government and getting the national debt under control so that America remains a place where businesses want to open up shop and hire.
Finally, part five of Mitt’s plan is to champion small business. Small businesses are the engine of job creation in this country, but they will struggle to succeed if taxes and regulations are too burdensome or if a government in Washington does its best to stifle them. Mitt will pursue comprehensive tax reform that lowers tax rates for all Americans, and he will cut back on the red tape that drives up costs and discourages hiring.
with all of this, i'll close by saying, i do not think that my friends who are voting for obama are wrong or stupid, that is your right, and i am grateful that we live in a country where we are entitled to vote and voice our opinion. regardless of who wins on nov. 6th, i know that i will be praying for the leaders of our country, i cannot imagine the stress that is riding on our the president/vice president's shoulders. i do not have to always agree/support the decisions made by him, but i can pray. so, all i ask is that you not make rude, disrespectful comments about who i am voting for, and i will continue to do the same. our country as a whole will be making that decision on nov. 6th. even though we may have a difference in opinion that doesn't mean that i don't still love/like you, it just means we don't see eye to eye on this and that is okay. please don't think it is just because i am "stupid" or "ignorant." i have done my research, and this is just my opinion.
I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. (1 Timothy 2: 1-2)
and we that, i'm back to not saying anything, just needed to say to get that off of my chest.
exercise your right for your voice to be heard and go VOTE:)
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Thursday, October 4, 2012
so beyond thankful...
so, i have written about this before, but now that i have moved into a condo on my own again... i need to take a minute to express my deepest gratitude for how God has provided friends and family to help and that i am sleeping soundly now.
anyone who knows me well, knows that my absolutely biggest fear in life is that someone will break into my house. most of time people laugh or think that i am being funny, but it truly is my biggest fear. i say i could almost handle snakes, spiders, rats, etc more than this fear, and i am really not joking. i remember moving out of my townhouse with my best friend from college, holly (whom i lived with for three years out of college) in raleigh, and her saying, "how do you think you will be living by yourself in charlotte?" i was like, i got this! confidence can go along way, but even with a security system, lots of prayers, furniture against my bedroom door, and locks and double locks, nothing could have prepared me for how scared i was in that house. you have all probably read or heard me talk about it, but the truth is you cannot put a price on peace of mind and sleeping soundly at night.
i think there were so many lessons that God was trying to teach me in the months leading up to moving out of my townhouse. i think i was afraid to move out, as i have a huge fear that making huge financial decisions will cause major problems, and i have worked hard to get where i am today. i didn't want to make the wrong move, and get myself into a bind. i continually prayed for discernment and for peace while making the decision. once i made the decision to move, a lot of things have to go into effect and God totally provided, like He always does. i knew that signing a year lease to a new place right away wouldn't be the smartest move financially, as i didn't want to commit not having renters in my place. i prayed and my friend Christine and her mom came to me with an offer to allow me to stay in Charlotte. there are truly no words to describe Teresa's, Christine's mom, generousity, as she allowed me to stay at her house rent free for three months, while i continued to pay my mortgage. the property management group found renters after 8 weeks, so i am beyound blessed to have renters now and that has been a huge stress reliever. teresa, christine, and her husband doug have done so much for me in the past three months, that i will probably never be able to say thank you. teresa has the biggest heart, and i saw that everyday that i lived there. christ shines through in her life daily; what a witness! she loves to cook, and it brings her joy to be able to provide for others:) christine and doug helped me move stuff from my townhouse to teresa's and even helped move a few things to my condo now; never once did they complain, they did it willingly and i am so thankful for friends like this.
my dad has been a huge support, as he works two jobs and probably works 12-14 hours daily. he never complained though and just stepped up and helped in whatever way possible. he got me storage units (climate controlled) in my hometown for half the price, and even got some of his workers/help in his business to help load all of my furniture from my townhouse to the trailor. my brother got recruited to help as well:) when i moved into my condo he arranged to get the truck and drove here, after loading all of it in lincolnton and helped as much as possible. luckily, another blessing, tyler, jake, and grant were here to help me move, which was a complete blessing. my dad has a bad back, so he isn't able to carry a lot of the real heavy stuff, so the boys and i moved all of it on saturday! i cannot even say thank you enough that these guys would spend two hours on their saturday morning to help me! they all had good attitudes and were laughing the whole time, which made moving not as bad! i must also add that my mother came on saturday and was a total trooper, she never complained until she got hungry, haha. if malia doesn't food, watch it (kidding mom)!!! we had some good laughs! my friend ryan even came and helped me put together an entire desk, it was in three different boxes! we managed not to scream or anything at each other, but it sure did take us like 5 hours. oh, and i should add that lindsey and crystal came the week before i moved in and helped me move a bunch of stuff, what a blessing those two are that they would spend an entire saturday helping me move things and we had such a blast just hanging out, catching up, eating which which, buying couches, etc.
the point of my forever long post and public shout outs to everyone who helped me, is to say that i have been completed reminded of how blessed i am to have such amazing friends and family. sometimes i get caught up in how will i do this or i hate asking for help (much better at helping others), so this was a great example of how we are all called to help/love one another. i just wanted to say how incredibly thankful i am to everyone who helped me, who have prayed for this whole situation to work out, and to praise JESUS that i am sleeping soundly at "FORT KNOX!" all i had to do was ask, and people showed up and were so willing to help! i am reminded in scripture where it says,
"This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you." John 15:12
"Bear one aother's burden's and thus fulfill the law of Christ." Galations 6:2
so, to teresa, christine, doug, grant, tyler, jake, lindsey, crystal, kasey (she helped me pack my townhouse even before she moved), my parents, my brother, charles, david, jessica (even carrying empty boxes), and anyone that i may have left off...
THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart!!!
anyone who knows me well, knows that my absolutely biggest fear in life is that someone will break into my house. most of time people laugh or think that i am being funny, but it truly is my biggest fear. i say i could almost handle snakes, spiders, rats, etc more than this fear, and i am really not joking. i remember moving out of my townhouse with my best friend from college, holly (whom i lived with for three years out of college) in raleigh, and her saying, "how do you think you will be living by yourself in charlotte?" i was like, i got this! confidence can go along way, but even with a security system, lots of prayers, furniture against my bedroom door, and locks and double locks, nothing could have prepared me for how scared i was in that house. you have all probably read or heard me talk about it, but the truth is you cannot put a price on peace of mind and sleeping soundly at night.
i think there were so many lessons that God was trying to teach me in the months leading up to moving out of my townhouse. i think i was afraid to move out, as i have a huge fear that making huge financial decisions will cause major problems, and i have worked hard to get where i am today. i didn't want to make the wrong move, and get myself into a bind. i continually prayed for discernment and for peace while making the decision. once i made the decision to move, a lot of things have to go into effect and God totally provided, like He always does. i knew that signing a year lease to a new place right away wouldn't be the smartest move financially, as i didn't want to commit not having renters in my place. i prayed and my friend Christine and her mom came to me with an offer to allow me to stay in Charlotte. there are truly no words to describe Teresa's, Christine's mom, generousity, as she allowed me to stay at her house rent free for three months, while i continued to pay my mortgage. the property management group found renters after 8 weeks, so i am beyound blessed to have renters now and that has been a huge stress reliever. teresa, christine, and her husband doug have done so much for me in the past three months, that i will probably never be able to say thank you. teresa has the biggest heart, and i saw that everyday that i lived there. christ shines through in her life daily; what a witness! she loves to cook, and it brings her joy to be able to provide for others:) christine and doug helped me move stuff from my townhouse to teresa's and even helped move a few things to my condo now; never once did they complain, they did it willingly and i am so thankful for friends like this.
my dad has been a huge support, as he works two jobs and probably works 12-14 hours daily. he never complained though and just stepped up and helped in whatever way possible. he got me storage units (climate controlled) in my hometown for half the price, and even got some of his workers/help in his business to help load all of my furniture from my townhouse to the trailor. my brother got recruited to help as well:) when i moved into my condo he arranged to get the truck and drove here, after loading all of it in lincolnton and helped as much as possible. luckily, another blessing, tyler, jake, and grant were here to help me move, which was a complete blessing. my dad has a bad back, so he isn't able to carry a lot of the real heavy stuff, so the boys and i moved all of it on saturday! i cannot even say thank you enough that these guys would spend two hours on their saturday morning to help me! they all had good attitudes and were laughing the whole time, which made moving not as bad! i must also add that my mother came on saturday and was a total trooper, she never complained until she got hungry, haha. if malia doesn't food, watch it (kidding mom)!!! we had some good laughs! my friend ryan even came and helped me put together an entire desk, it was in three different boxes! we managed not to scream or anything at each other, but it sure did take us like 5 hours. oh, and i should add that lindsey and crystal came the week before i moved in and helped me move a bunch of stuff, what a blessing those two are that they would spend an entire saturday helping me move things and we had such a blast just hanging out, catching up, eating which which, buying couches, etc.
the point of my forever long post and public shout outs to everyone who helped me, is to say that i have been completed reminded of how blessed i am to have such amazing friends and family. sometimes i get caught up in how will i do this or i hate asking for help (much better at helping others), so this was a great example of how we are all called to help/love one another. i just wanted to say how incredibly thankful i am to everyone who helped me, who have prayed for this whole situation to work out, and to praise JESUS that i am sleeping soundly at "FORT KNOX!" all i had to do was ask, and people showed up and were so willing to help! i am reminded in scripture where it says,
"This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you." John 15:12
"Bear one aother's burden's and thus fulfill the law of Christ." Galations 6:2
so, to teresa, christine, doug, grant, tyler, jake, lindsey, crystal, kasey (she helped me pack my townhouse even before she moved), my parents, my brother, charles, david, jessica (even carrying empty boxes), and anyone that i may have left off...
THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart!!!
Saturday, September 15, 2012
family dynamics:: now and then
so, the next day/blog says, describe your family dynamics of your childhood and your family dynamics now... this could take a little while, but i will give it a whirl:)
my biological parents were married the first six years of my life, and we lived in florida til i was 3.5 i believe and then moved to lincolnton (my parents were from here). i have a few, very few, memories of this part of my life, but the dynamic between my biological parents that i remember was not all that great. after they split, i know my grandparents had to step in and help quite a bit, as my mother was basically a single mom for a while. we did have to go to steve's house for visits, but i remember not wanting to go, nor moma wanting us to go. at seven, my biological father passed away and enter my step-dad, who is my dad, but i call him roger or rog. i guess, at seven it was a little too late to start calling someone else daddy. rog enters the scene and basically became the boss, and i didn't like it one bit. he told kendall and i want to do, and didn't let us rule the house anymore.
the dynamics between my extended family were great! my grandmother, who could be the star of my blog with the amount of times i mention her, was like the glue that held us together. she loved so much and it was contagious. she cooked and spoiled each and everyone of her grandkids. i cannot remember a time when i didn't want to go to her house. mom and pops was the best! all in our family got along, we celebrated every holiday and birthday there.
family dynamics have changed a bit. my grandmother has passed away, which has changed things a bit. we have all gotten older and people are busy. we celebrate holidays at my parent's house, which is not the house i grew up in, but it is spacious and nice! some have married and divorced, so we have new family members. we try to get together as much as possible.
within my own family, jamie and jennifer are together, chris and lisa are married, and kendall and kevin are married.... our family has grown. family get togethers are different. even christmas morning is different, but that is what happens when you get older. kendall and kevin are about to have a baby, so that is going to change things even more. i am excited to be an aunt.
my biological parents were married the first six years of my life, and we lived in florida til i was 3.5 i believe and then moved to lincolnton (my parents were from here). i have a few, very few, memories of this part of my life, but the dynamic between my biological parents that i remember was not all that great. after they split, i know my grandparents had to step in and help quite a bit, as my mother was basically a single mom for a while. we did have to go to steve's house for visits, but i remember not wanting to go, nor moma wanting us to go. at seven, my biological father passed away and enter my step-dad, who is my dad, but i call him roger or rog. i guess, at seven it was a little too late to start calling someone else daddy. rog enters the scene and basically became the boss, and i didn't like it one bit. he told kendall and i want to do, and didn't let us rule the house anymore.
the dynamics between my extended family were great! my grandmother, who could be the star of my blog with the amount of times i mention her, was like the glue that held us together. she loved so much and it was contagious. she cooked and spoiled each and everyone of her grandkids. i cannot remember a time when i didn't want to go to her house. mom and pops was the best! all in our family got along, we celebrated every holiday and birthday there.
family dynamics have changed a bit. my grandmother has passed away, which has changed things a bit. we have all gotten older and people are busy. we celebrate holidays at my parent's house, which is not the house i grew up in, but it is spacious and nice! some have married and divorced, so we have new family members. we try to get together as much as possible.
within my own family, jamie and jennifer are together, chris and lisa are married, and kendall and kevin are married.... our family has grown. family get togethers are different. even christmas morning is different, but that is what happens when you get older. kendall and kevin are about to have a baby, so that is going to change things even more. i am excited to be an aunt.
my top 5 hobbies and why i love them
i have always disliked this question, why might you ask.... i wasn't gifted (to my knowledge in the past 29 years) with any real talents, so i could never say, basketball, swimming, etc. i guess i should be glad it is really asking what i like to do. 1) i absolutely love to scrapbook, i absolutely love to put pictures and memories in a book and to be able to flip back through. i love all the detail and that i can be a little creative if i want:) 2) i really like to crochet, no i am not 90, but especially during the winter months it is nice to be able to crochet a scarf a hat. casey taught me the basics and my great aunt jean, who just passed away, was great at it. she got me magazines and taught me some things as well. 3) i really like to clean, yes i said it... kasey smith, if you are reading this, i hope you are laughing. i enjoy organizing and cleaning, a little too much, but it is what it is. 4) i love decorating my house for holidays and things... it just makes me happy to come home and have a place that is decorating for whatever holiday it may be. my mother was never much on the decorating, so it has been fun to do it having my own place. 5) last but not least, i really enjoy going to sporting events... lame to some, and maybe not really a hobby, but i like it and could go to a college football game every weekend:)
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
what i'm loving wednesdays
so i see this on other people's blogs and i thought i do it tonight. sometimes i think taking the time to focus on fun, positive, and good things and taking a break from the worry is just what we need...
so, what i'm loving right now
... that my "name twin" as we like to call each other, kelsey (her last name is moore) from church and i have been meeting up at the gym a lot. it keeps me accountable and it is fun to work out with friends...
...that i got to spend some quality time with holly and michele tuesday night with some pei wei, baskin robbins, and bachelor pad finale...
...that i am going to the clemson game this saturday, never been to death valley, love some college football...
...along the same lines, that it is college football season...
...that i potentially found a new place to live (rent), it is gated and access controlled, woohoo...
...that i got to see casey-c this morning for breakfast, a week long stay in raleigh, just happened to be when i was there for training...
...that i faced my fear of going back to athletic conditioning tonight and didn't die...
... that i can tell the people at starbucks to put one less pump in my drink, so it is less sweet and less calories, it is so much better...
...three way texts with my two favorite k/caseys, iphones are the way to go...
...that i am understanding my "not so new" job more and more...
...this great new polish, "miss fancy pants" and that i am have been painting my own nails each week, it looks great and saves me money...
so, what i'm loving right now
... that my "name twin" as we like to call each other, kelsey (her last name is moore) from church and i have been meeting up at the gym a lot. it keeps me accountable and it is fun to work out with friends...
...that i got to spend some quality time with holly and michele tuesday night with some pei wei, baskin robbins, and bachelor pad finale...
...that i am going to the clemson game this saturday, never been to death valley, love some college football...
...along the same lines, that it is college football season...
...that i potentially found a new place to live (rent), it is gated and access controlled, woohoo...
...that i got to see casey-c this morning for breakfast, a week long stay in raleigh, just happened to be when i was there for training...
...that i faced my fear of going back to athletic conditioning tonight and didn't die...
... that i can tell the people at starbucks to put one less pump in my drink, so it is less sweet and less calories, it is so much better...
...three way texts with my two favorite k/caseys, iphones are the way to go...
...that i am understanding my "not so new" job more and more...
...this great new polish, "miss fancy pants" and that i am have been painting my own nails each week, it looks great and saves me money...
Saturday, September 8, 2012
day 22, or should i say, blog 22, is the future...
here do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? and 15 years?
i think ten years ago, it would have been easy for me to write an entire blog on where "I" wanted my life to be, but the truth is, God has a plan for my life, and He already knows exactly what is going to happen and when. don't get me wrong i still have hopes and dreams, but i have learned in more recent years that i have to be willing to submit my plans, my desires, to Him, as His plans are always greater than our own. for example, i would have never thought that part of my plan would have been to go on two mission trips in the last two years, but how good for my heart both of these trips have been. i am not going to lie, i have to pray and surrender this particular issue to Him ALL THE TIME. for a girl who likes to control things, it is not easy, but we are all works in progress:)
so, just for fun, i'll at least answer:)
5 years from now, i will be 35. i, with all of my heart, hope and pray that i am married and have a kid or two. just saying i will be 35 scares me, goodness where does time go. if i am not, then i see myself probably going back to nursing school to be a pediatric oncology nurse, because well, why not?
10 years from now, i will be fastly approaching 40, since i am not technically 30 yet, i'll slow my roll. i hope that i am married, and that my husband and i are following God's will for our lives, whether that be in charlotte or in some other unknown location. i pray that if i have kids, that they are close to my parents and my husband's parents like i was close to my grandparents - just saying, they were my best friends:) i hope that i am not working like a dog, but i do hope that i am still able to work in some capacity or volunteer.. something.
15 years, goodness, that would be 44/45... that seems older, haha. i will say that all of where i see myself at this age depends on what happens prior too, so we will see:)
all of this to say that whatever God's plan is, i will do my best to choose JOY!!! while there are many days when i am tired of being lonely, i just need to remember i am never alone, He is WITH me.
on to the next day, how about something funny:)
i think ten years ago, it would have been easy for me to write an entire blog on where "I" wanted my life to be, but the truth is, God has a plan for my life, and He already knows exactly what is going to happen and when. don't get me wrong i still have hopes and dreams, but i have learned in more recent years that i have to be willing to submit my plans, my desires, to Him, as His plans are always greater than our own. for example, i would have never thought that part of my plan would have been to go on two mission trips in the last two years, but how good for my heart both of these trips have been. i am not going to lie, i have to pray and surrender this particular issue to Him ALL THE TIME. for a girl who likes to control things, it is not easy, but we are all works in progress:)
so, just for fun, i'll at least answer:)
5 years from now, i will be 35. i, with all of my heart, hope and pray that i am married and have a kid or two. just saying i will be 35 scares me, goodness where does time go. if i am not, then i see myself probably going back to nursing school to be a pediatric oncology nurse, because well, why not?
10 years from now, i will be fastly approaching 40, since i am not technically 30 yet, i'll slow my roll. i hope that i am married, and that my husband and i are following God's will for our lives, whether that be in charlotte or in some other unknown location. i pray that if i have kids, that they are close to my parents and my husband's parents like i was close to my grandparents - just saying, they were my best friends:) i hope that i am not working like a dog, but i do hope that i am still able to work in some capacity or volunteer.. something.
15 years, goodness, that would be 44/45... that seems older, haha. i will say that all of where i see myself at this age depends on what happens prior too, so we will see:)
all of this to say that whatever God's plan is, i will do my best to choose JOY!!! while there are many days when i am tired of being lonely, i just need to remember i am never alone, He is WITH me.
on to the next day, how about something funny:)
superpowers, ha
the next blog topic this 30 day challenge, that has already taken me like two months, is if i could have any superpower what would it be and why? well, this took me no time, i would always know what people are thinking/read people's minds. for someone who has always been so bad at assuming and thinking the worst in what people think of me, i would just really like to know. i hate things to be sugar coated, i want to know the bare bones truth. while this would probably come with a lot of confusion, heartache, and maybe some good laughs, i think for a while it would be nice to know what people really think.
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