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Saturday, June 21, 2008

Temptation

My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness.
II Corinthians 12:9

After going through some difficult times in my life right now...I have found strength in this verse. Sometimes it can be difficult to know what to pray for or even how to pray...after reading this verse it became more clear to me that God is aware of my weaknesses and knows how to work in my life despite what I may think is right. Being human has "entitled" me to my selfishness..my greed...and of course undying temptations. I had never thought deeply about how many consequences can come from the defeat of temptation until recently. What sparked this curiosity in me was a sermon I listened to at my parent's church a few Sundays ago titled "Is Anyone Listening...Overcoming Temptation." The pastor made me personally aware of certain temptations that were evident in my life that needed to be sorted out..if not to be done away with completely. Being a 23-year-old female who is just starting my life on my own and experiencing things that were not evident to me in my teens read a verse from the sermon notes that struck a chord in my heart:

"The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure." 1 Corinthians 10:13

Anyone reading my blog today can go through past, present, or even future temptations and find this verse to be inspiring. With the knowledge that this verse gave me, I am now more aware that in the situations I am facing, I can look for the "way out." Should I not be able to find it so easily at the time I need to understand that "my time" is not the same as "God's time." There is always more at stake than you might think when facing tempation.
The pastor also mentioned that it is better to have never faced temptation than to have faced it and succeeded. This brief 'sidenote' from the pastor did not make sense to me until just recently when I had considered a tempting situation. "Should I go and have a good time...or should I just avoid it all cost?" Avoiding the situation at all cost has saved me from a guilty concious and disappointed friends. I am not 'preaching' to anyone simply because there is certainly no part of my life in which I can 'preach' from. The steps that I am putting forth in my life (from today forward) are also from the same sermon and I hope that you can utlize these in your life as well:

1. AVOID tempting situations
2. ADMIT where you struggle.
3. ACKNOWLEDGE Satan's influence.
4. Arm yourself with GOD'S WORD.
5. Accept God's DELIVERANCE.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

All over the Place

It's been a few days since I last wrote...but that is a good thing...it means I've been busy!! I have been working alot and trying to balance a social life!!! Its been fun...last week I went out a few times with my girlfriend Sarah and stayed out wwaaayyy too late ;) We just went downtown and visited a few of the bars on the West End of Greenville. Then on Saturday, we hung out at the pool all day and (tried to) enjoy the 98 degree weather. After getting in and out of the pool about 50 time we went back inside!! I got fried...again...and decided that tanning oil does not suit me well..haha! We went out that night and tried to stay away from any bright lights as I was already giving off enough heat for everyone downtown...Sunday was a lazy day. I just laid around and ate lunch with my dad for Father's Day. After we ate lunch, Nate came over and we watched TV and hung out. And then there was Monday..not that anything spectacular happened...it was just Monday.

Today I went to the Oral Surgen because I am getting my wisdom teeth pulled. Thankfully, I only have 3 wisdom teeth so it won't be too bad...right??? Anyways, my two top teeth have already broken the skin and are really bothering me. I can't decide if my lingering headaches are from my teeth or my job...haha! My bottom tooth is growing completely horizontal so it is pushing against my other teeth and in unable to break the skin. I can't decide if I want to go through with the surgery because I watched that movie 'Awake' and the guy was paralyzed during his whole surgery but could feel EVERYTHING!!! It has made me a little paranoid....;) I just have to get up the nerve to make the appointment. Fortunately, I have good insurance at work and I'm only going to have to pay about $280.00 for the procedure. I think my insurance is paying about $800.00 of the bill so that is GREAT!! Yeah for insurance!! haha! That would make my mom proud ;)

Sorry this is so random and all over the place but that is pretty much everything that has been going on since the last time I wrote. Hopefully my next blog will be more interesting!!! Have a great week!

Monday, June 9, 2008

My Pets

I have four pets. My first pet was my cat Josie. She is a black Calico that I got from the pound when she was dropped off by her owner who could not take care her and her two other siblings. She was the runt and although she was a little rough looking I loved her! I was always intrigued by Calico cats because they are a genetic mutation which causes them to have so many different colors. Calico's are 99% of the time female also...if you have a male Calico they are worth alot of money!! She is a great cat...a total diva!! haha!



My second pet was a dog my ex-boyfriend and I bought together. She was actually a birthday present I bought for him in which is now living with my parents. Her name is Shelby and she is a Boxer/Greyhound mix. We bought her at PetsMart where they found her beside a dumpster and thankfully she was only in the pound for one day!! She is the sweetest dog and loves to play outside with parent's dogs.





My third pet was Jake. He is my gray Tabby cat which I bought from a couple in the newspaper for $1.00. I was at work one day and decided that I wanted another cat for Josie to play with, so I left work with a newspaper and picked him out of a litter and went home. He is a sweet cat but ALWAYS on edge!!! He and Josie have become best friends and they are so cute together...I come home from work and they are laying in the sun on my bed together with their arms around eachother!! haha!! Its so cute!!

My fourth (and last pet) is a puppy that my boyfriend, Nate, and I just bought around Christmas time. We were walking through PetsMart and just happened to see him and his brother in a little cage. We immediately fell in love with him as he was so cute and little. The people who were adopting him out had received a call from the pound a few weeks prior to us getting him when they were told that there was a pregnant dog there that was being taken back to be put down. The couple immediately went to the pound and adopted her and on their way home, she had six puppies in the back of their truck. Isn't that amazing??!!! After we adopted him, we decided to name him Bruiser. He weighed 4lbs when we adopted him and now he weighs about 15lbs. He terrorizes the cats but loves to be around us!!! Bruiser is definatley a mutt but we think he is a Boxer/Terrier mix. He won't get much bigger than he is now (which is GREAT) but he is all puppy!!!

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Welcome to Me...

Well, lets see...I am 22 with alot of recent changes... I graduated from Woodmont High School in Greenville SC in 2003. From there, I went to school at the University of South Carolina Upsate where I graduated with a degree in Communications and Marketing. College prepared me for one thing..."a shoking reality!" After going to class day after day and semester after semester, I began to think that it would pay off tremendously and there wouldn't be a day I had to live paycheck to paycheck. Well..as all of the 'grown-ups' who have been around the block know I hit a brick wall when I realized that college was not put in place to hand you money!! Who would have thought...??? Anyways, I worked at Express in Spartanburg for 4 years throughout college where I met some of my best friends with whom I have luckily kept in touch with over the years. I dated...I partied...and experienced college with some of the best people I know!



I graduated from school in May of 2007 and got a job in August 2007 at the Hampton Inn and Suites RiverPlace downtown Greenville. I was thrilled! For those of you who aren't familiar with downtown, it is beautiful! Over the last 4-5 years, Greenville has grown into a spectacular place to live. There are numerous places to hang out if you are looking to party, eat at some great restaraunts, or got to some great events all down Main St. Anyways, I began working in Sales and have recently moved to Guest Service Manager...I am taking it one day at a time (this will be a whole other blog...).



Working full-time has put a huge spin on my life from what I was accustomed to in college. Although I enjoy being able to provide for myself and claim my responsibilities, it is frustrating when my friends are still able to enjoy somewhat of a social life. I love to go out and have a few drinks with my friends at times. Life has completely overwhelmed me and according to 'it' I am no longer allowed to have a social life. ;) I work all day and come home to my apartment to see what my pets have for me! I try to get up early and go to the gym but it is easier said than done! I really try to take full advantage of sleep and peace and quiet! Peace and quiet...it seems to be the consensus of my life right now. I have taken on a lighter work load (since my transition), I am taking a step back from a serious relationship, and my friends have moved all around. It seems that I have alot of new free time to find myself...

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About Me

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I am a 20-something young woman growing up and experiencing the things my mother warned me about...love, friendship, hard work, disappointment and success.