Christmas is upon us and I'm quite excited! Can't you tell by my new layout? I'm looking forward to decorating, baking cookies, giving presents, getting presents, watching Christmas movies, singing & dancing along to Christmas music etc. One thing I am not looking forward to is some serious cleaning-but that's what has to be done when everyone's coming over to your place for Christmas this year! And of course the one question everyone has regarding this holiday is "what's on your Christmas list?" Well, I normally use this time to just be thankful that God gave his only begotten son to die on the cross for me, for the areas of my life where he has shown me grace, and for having friends and family at all that enjoy spending time with me and even care to buy me presents. It really is the thought that counts. But this year, I know exactly what I want:
-Nintendi wii console so I can play:
-Just Dance 2
-Karaoke Revolution: Glee
-Michael Jackson: The Experience
Singing and dancing are my absolute favorite things so this is without a doubt what I want. The only thing I could want more than this is the Twilight Saga: Eclipse DVD but I won't have to wait for Christmas to get that because it comes out in only TWO DAYS-EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!! Oh, and I always want clothes lol.
Besides the merriment of the holiday season, I'm merry about the chance to give back. Today will be my first day volunteering for Kids Read Inc. at a local community center. I'll be helping a bunch of 3rd-5th grades who aren't on grade level re: reading, writing, and/or math. I love kids so much and career wise I'd really like to work with troubled youth in some capacity. This volunteering opportunity will be a great way to get more experience working with kids and it'll just be a great way to be helpful ya know. I hope I do a great job. I worked with elem.-high school kids at a homework club in college and let me tell ya, being 23 does not = being smarter than elementary school kids. They are teaching kids very different methods than the methods that were taught to my generation. these kids already aren't on grade level so I can't confuse them further by teaching them my methods lol! I'm sure it'll be fine though...I'm excited :0)
*raises my glass of apple cider*
Here's to cherishing what we have, appreciating what we gain, and not letting that gain include too many pounds ;0) Now go forth & enjoy the most wonderful time of the year <3
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Ohhhhh Australia XD
So I should def be doing my Psych of Personality hw like a good insomniac, but I decided to catch up on my YouTube subscriptions instead; I'm just too comfy procrastinating lol. So while watching a vlog, I learned a few things about Australia that I found amusing & thought I'd share...
1) Got a hankering for kangaroo jerky?..well Aus is the place for you!
2) Bangs are called fringes
3) The toilets don't swirls when flushed, the water just gushes straight down. I'd say Aussies have a less exciting flushing experience lol
4) Last but not least, they have a ice cream bar called Golden Gaytime...
Ohhhhhh Australia, haha XD
1) Got a hankering for kangaroo jerky?..well Aus is the place for you!
2) Bangs are called fringes
3) The toilets don't swirls when flushed, the water just gushes straight down. I'd say Aussies have a less exciting flushing experience lol
4) Last but not least, they have a ice cream bar called Golden Gaytime...
Ohhhhhh Australia, haha XD
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Wireless Router=Evil!
I want to shank my Netgear wireless router. I realize that would not be wise but it would feel good in the moment lol. All I want is wireless internet-is that too much to ask? My Comcast modem works just fine but who wants to be forced to sit in one spot because they have to plug crap in? No one that's who. And Comcast is plug crazy because they charge $150 for the installation. Seriously, it should not cost that much to plug in a few wires and type some stuff in. I've set up a wireless router before in college and it only took a couple of mins, it was easy peasy. So naturally I was not going to have my mom pay that ridic installation fee and opted to do it myself.
I set up everything but when I go to connect to my wireless network it says I have excellent signal strength but no internet access...que??? I tried redoing it, Googling answers, and even resorted to Comcast customer service. Lil miss Kristine-if that's her real name, of course gave me the obvious solutions that any common sense person w/ reading skills would try. So now my last resort is calling Netgear customer service. If that doesn't work...Step1) I'll ave a conniption. Step 2) return router Step 3) get a linksys router which I setup & used w/ Comcast in college and works perfectly fine. But hopefully it won't come to that lol
I set up everything but when I go to connect to my wireless network it says I have excellent signal strength but no internet access...que??? I tried redoing it, Googling answers, and even resorted to Comcast customer service. Lil miss Kristine-if that's her real name, of course gave me the obvious solutions that any common sense person w/ reading skills would try. So now my last resort is calling Netgear customer service. If that doesn't work...Step1) I'll ave a conniption. Step 2) return router Step 3) get a linksys router which I setup & used w/ Comcast in college and works perfectly fine. But hopefully it won't come to that lol
Monday, August 2, 2010
A Mixed Bag of Fun & Disappointment
Tonight I went to a game night with a bunch of my new friends from my new church. It was AWESOME! I'm an only child so I'm quite deprived when it comes to game experience but I was quite proud of my performance. We played Mad Gab & Encore-neither of which I have previous experience playing & I am happy to say that I dominated Mad Gab!!! That's def a new fave game of mine :0)
After game night, most of us went to the 7-11 down the street for some snackage and parking lot loitering. During that time I said something to a friend of mine. This friend legit took offense to what I said. I was quite shocked because I'm pretty sure if anyone else I know had heard what I said, they would've thought it was funny-as it was intended to be. This friend wasn't personally offended, they're just an uptight Christian and ths felt it was inappropriate. I promise you my statement was no such thing. I'm still shocked that my friend reacted that way! It just really disappointed me to have my friend react that way to such a harmless and funny statement. There's a big diff between where humans draw the line & where Jesus draws the line & I seriously doubt Jesus would've dislike what I said...seriously! I highly dislike discovering uptight Christians, especially if it's someone I considered myself close to. In truth, I've been noticing their uptight nature over time and tonight was just the straw that broke the camel's back. Now I don't feel like I can be myself around my friend. Of course Jesus' judgement is the only one that matters but it still makes for a highly uncomfy situation to be on edge about everything you do or say around someone to avoid tripping their alarm of uptightness. Ah well, I'm just going to have to withhold my true self from my friend and pray that I find Christian friends that don't nitpick...
After game night, most of us went to the 7-11 down the street for some snackage and parking lot loitering. During that time I said something to a friend of mine. This friend legit took offense to what I said. I was quite shocked because I'm pretty sure if anyone else I know had heard what I said, they would've thought it was funny-as it was intended to be. This friend wasn't personally offended, they're just an uptight Christian and ths felt it was inappropriate. I promise you my statement was no such thing. I'm still shocked that my friend reacted that way! It just really disappointed me to have my friend react that way to such a harmless and funny statement. There's a big diff between where humans draw the line & where Jesus draws the line & I seriously doubt Jesus would've dislike what I said...seriously! I highly dislike discovering uptight Christians, especially if it's someone I considered myself close to. In truth, I've been noticing their uptight nature over time and tonight was just the straw that broke the camel's back. Now I don't feel like I can be myself around my friend. Of course Jesus' judgement is the only one that matters but it still makes for a highly uncomfy situation to be on edge about everything you do or say around someone to avoid tripping their alarm of uptightness. Ah well, I'm just going to have to withhold my true self from my friend and pray that I find Christian friends that don't nitpick...
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Yet Another Amazing Church Service
I'm really glad I started going to Covenant Life Church. Seriously, I never use to be excited about going to church or reading the bible, but this church truly makes me happy. I use to think people were lying when they'd put the bible down as one of their favorite books on Facebook, but now I'm one of those people lol!
Covenant Life rotates speakers every week. I like that, it keeps it fresh and interesting to see different pastoring(this prob isn't a word but I'll go with it tee hee) styles. Today's speaker was Josh Harris-my fave speaker thus far. I really needed to hear the message he shared today. But before I share that message with you I want to let you know that Josh's mom has stage 4 cancer in her liver and is in hospice care. He is so strong in his faith and so selfless for taking time out of his grieving to share a message with us and enrich our faith. He is amazing.
OK so today Josh's message was entitled " A Word to Wives" . Don't worry, singles and those dating and even men got something out of this message but he'll focus on the guys next Sun. I had always that thought that 1 Peter 3:1-6 was very offensive to the modern woman, but that's because no one had ever broken it down for me the way Josh did.
SUBMISSION:
-Don't think of submission as weakness or inferiority. We submit to institutions of authority i.e. the law because it would be total chaos if we didn't and because God wants us to; he wants us to have stability in our lives. Can you imagine living in a place where there were no rules and everyone just did as they pleased-it may sound glorious at first but things would go south real quick!
-Submitting to your husband is more about curbing the impulse to fight fire with fire-all that does is create more fire and then...everybody burns-no bueno lol! In any relationship, there are going to be arguments, but someone's gotta give. The bible is suggesting that we as women take the high road and stay humble and pure of heart during those times. Your significant other may not always make the right decisions but putting them down and constantly reminding them of their wrongs doesn't help the situation, encourage them instead.
*(1 Peter 2:11)The impulse to fight fire with fire is an evil one. It's the behavior exhibited by those who have their hope in this world instead of in heaven. Fighting to gain power in this world is unnecessary. This is not our home, we're just passing through, and that power will not go with you...
ADORNMENT:
This passage is not saying to never wear clothes, braid your hair, or wear gold jewelry-if that were the case, we'd all be in trouble lol. It's simply saying not to put your hope in beauty, it shouldn't be your primary concern. Today, women use beauty as a weapon to gain power over men, a higher status(esp. in the entertainment industry), or as a means of getting who or what they want. Instead of doing all this, we should focus on our inner beauty. I know, I know, it's a cliche but one that makes a heck of a lot of sense. Ya see, inner beauty is the only kind that is imperishable, and it's precious to God. Why wouldn't you want to cultivate something within yourself that's precious to God?!?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Josh's message was one that I really needed to hear.
a)I was one of those women that was always offended by this scripture because I didn't really understand it, now I do.
b)I can be very feisty and argumentative. It was good to be reminded that that kind of behavior doesn't always get you where you want to be and isn't very becoming.
c)Not to sound cocky but I've always thought of myself as someone who has inner beauty and doesn't really need to work on that. Doesn't hurt that people's comments have always validated that ("Christina you're so strong, funny, smart, easy to talk to, I admire your faith etc"). For a really long time I've focused on trying to attain outward beauty. I've heard one too many comments that told me I didn't have it ("You're eating again..you're fat enough as it is" or "I'm glad I'm not the only chunky one in the family"). Having friends and family members that fir our society's beauty stereotypes also doesn't help but what can one do-hit their friends and family with an ugly stick?!? AND being Christian means that you know a butload of people who are currently dating, engaged, married, or married with kids. I honestly think settling down is more rampant in among Christians. Yet here I am, 22 having never been liked, let alone been in a relationship. But hearing this message reminded me that I don't want a guy that's only interested me in my looks anyways. If I gained weight or God forbid, had a accident that disfigured me, that guy would leave me in a NY minute! I don't want or deserve that. And focusing on beauty could decrease my focus on God i.e. I could choose to work out to lose weight instead of going to church or having quiet time(reading the bible/prayer & reflection). If God wants for me to be married, it'll happen. Until then, nothing should be more important to me than growing in my faith as a Godly woman.
I hope you got something out of this wonderful message. Happy 4th of July! Until next time...
Covenant Life rotates speakers every week. I like that, it keeps it fresh and interesting to see different pastoring(this prob isn't a word but I'll go with it tee hee) styles. Today's speaker was Josh Harris-my fave speaker thus far. I really needed to hear the message he shared today. But before I share that message with you I want to let you know that Josh's mom has stage 4 cancer in her liver and is in hospice care. He is so strong in his faith and so selfless for taking time out of his grieving to share a message with us and enrich our faith. He is amazing.
OK so today Josh's message was entitled " A Word to Wives" . Don't worry, singles and those dating and even men got something out of this message but he'll focus on the guys next Sun. I had always that thought that 1 Peter 3:1-6 was very offensive to the modern woman, but that's because no one had ever broken it down for me the way Josh did.
SUBMISSION:
-Don't think of submission as weakness or inferiority. We submit to institutions of authority i.e. the law because it would be total chaos if we didn't and because God wants us to; he wants us to have stability in our lives. Can you imagine living in a place where there were no rules and everyone just did as they pleased-it may sound glorious at first but things would go south real quick!
-Submitting to your husband is more about curbing the impulse to fight fire with fire-all that does is create more fire and then...everybody burns-no bueno lol! In any relationship, there are going to be arguments, but someone's gotta give. The bible is suggesting that we as women take the high road and stay humble and pure of heart during those times. Your significant other may not always make the right decisions but putting them down and constantly reminding them of their wrongs doesn't help the situation, encourage them instead.
*(1 Peter 2:11)The impulse to fight fire with fire is an evil one. It's the behavior exhibited by those who have their hope in this world instead of in heaven. Fighting to gain power in this world is unnecessary. This is not our home, we're just passing through, and that power will not go with you...
ADORNMENT:
This passage is not saying to never wear clothes, braid your hair, or wear gold jewelry-if that were the case, we'd all be in trouble lol. It's simply saying not to put your hope in beauty, it shouldn't be your primary concern. Today, women use beauty as a weapon to gain power over men, a higher status(esp. in the entertainment industry), or as a means of getting who or what they want. Instead of doing all this, we should focus on our inner beauty. I know, I know, it's a cliche but one that makes a heck of a lot of sense. Ya see, inner beauty is the only kind that is imperishable, and it's precious to God. Why wouldn't you want to cultivate something within yourself that's precious to God?!?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Josh's message was one that I really needed to hear.
a)I was one of those women that was always offended by this scripture because I didn't really understand it, now I do.
b)I can be very feisty and argumentative. It was good to be reminded that that kind of behavior doesn't always get you where you want to be and isn't very becoming.
c)Not to sound cocky but I've always thought of myself as someone who has inner beauty and doesn't really need to work on that. Doesn't hurt that people's comments have always validated that ("Christina you're so strong, funny, smart, easy to talk to, I admire your faith etc"). For a really long time I've focused on trying to attain outward beauty. I've heard one too many comments that told me I didn't have it ("You're eating again..you're fat enough as it is" or "I'm glad I'm not the only chunky one in the family"). Having friends and family members that fir our society's beauty stereotypes also doesn't help but what can one do-hit their friends and family with an ugly stick?!? AND being Christian means that you know a butload of people who are currently dating, engaged, married, or married with kids. I honestly think settling down is more rampant in among Christians. Yet here I am, 22 having never been liked, let alone been in a relationship. But hearing this message reminded me that I don't want a guy that's only interested me in my looks anyways. If I gained weight or God forbid, had a accident that disfigured me, that guy would leave me in a NY minute! I don't want or deserve that. And focusing on beauty could decrease my focus on God i.e. I could choose to work out to lose weight instead of going to church or having quiet time(reading the bible/prayer & reflection). If God wants for me to be married, it'll happen. Until then, nothing should be more important to me than growing in my faith as a Godly woman.
I hope you got something out of this wonderful message. Happy 4th of July! Until next time...
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
I've been all over the place!
I have been meaning to update this blog for awhile now but I suddenly acquired a life! Here's a quick rundown of what I've been up to...
-Dad still trying to talk to me-I'm still happily ignoring him
-Went to Rhode Island for a few days for my cousin's baby shower-it was more like a wedding reception with the amount of guests, presents, the food, DJ, & bartender she had! And I met some pretty gr8 ppl during my visit to RIU to move my cousin into the dorms for the summer(she's a summer counselor there). she has some pretty hott co-workers who are caring as well-who knew that was possible these days?!?!
-Been going to my friend Beth's church for the past month & I've loved every bit f it. It's so nice to feel part of a church family and get to know new ppl-oh how I LOVE meeting new ppl!!! Aside from seeing Beth & my new church friends on Sundays, we've done a yard sale together to raise college $ for our friend Esther. We surprised her with the money last night @ the single's ministry BBQ and she started crying-surprise accomplished! And the BBQ was so much fun. It was gr8 meeting new ppl and getting closer to the ones I'd already met. I hate to get excited about things bc I'm so accustomed to being let down, but I have a good feeling about that Covenant Life Church. I really love it there so far :0)
-Went to the midnight showing of Eclipse!!!!!!!!!!!! It was well worth my months of anticipation and $, and I can't wait until it comes out on DVD! I'm already ready to watch it again lol. And it was gr8 seeing my friends from college again.
Yup, those are the main things I've been up to thus far this summer and it's been time consuming but quite fun. Next up, my uncle's wedding in Philly July 10th!
Until next time... <3
-Dad still trying to talk to me-I'm still happily ignoring him
-Went to Rhode Island for a few days for my cousin's baby shower-it was more like a wedding reception with the amount of guests, presents, the food, DJ, & bartender she had! And I met some pretty gr8 ppl during my visit to RIU to move my cousin into the dorms for the summer(she's a summer counselor there). she has some pretty hott co-workers who are caring as well-who knew that was possible these days?!?!
-Been going to my friend Beth's church for the past month & I've loved every bit f it. It's so nice to feel part of a church family and get to know new ppl-oh how I LOVE meeting new ppl!!! Aside from seeing Beth & my new church friends on Sundays, we've done a yard sale together to raise college $ for our friend Esther. We surprised her with the money last night @ the single's ministry BBQ and she started crying-surprise accomplished! And the BBQ was so much fun. It was gr8 meeting new ppl and getting closer to the ones I'd already met. I hate to get excited about things bc I'm so accustomed to being let down, but I have a good feeling about that Covenant Life Church. I really love it there so far :0)
-Went to the midnight showing of Eclipse!!!!!!!!!!!! It was well worth my months of anticipation and $, and I can't wait until it comes out on DVD! I'm already ready to watch it again lol. And it was gr8 seeing my friends from college again.
Yup, those are the main things I've been up to thus far this summer and it's been time consuming but quite fun. Next up, my uncle's wedding in Philly July 10th!
Until next time... <3
Sunday, May 30, 2010
A good day to a great night..& future!
Today was a good day. It started out like most others, beautiful sunlight streaming in. Spent some quiet time with Jesus and then I went with my mom to get the oil changed in her car. The shop is connected to our mall so we perused to pass time. This resulted in me getting a new headband, shirt, & tote bag-schweet new purchases that I looooove :-) Then I came home and played dress up with m new shirt and took about 20 pics in it-hey, I was having a rare cute moment ok? lol. Then my mom and I had din din together and then watched 'The Proposal'. It was my 2nd time watching it, her 1st. We have a lot going on, and it was great to spend the day with her & make her laugh before heading back to work and dealing with reality again tomorrow.
When my mom retired for the evening, I decided to go to my room and do a little channel flipping on the tele (that' pronounced 'telly' for those of you who didn't catch my attempt at a British accent). I decided to watch the latest sermon by Pastor Joel Osteen-best 30 mins of television I've ever watched! His sermon really lit a fire under my butt, put pep in my step, inspired me etc. It was sermon #427 "Being Excellent in the Workplace", a title I highly disagree with because it covered so much more than that. I jotted down parts of the sermon that really spoke to me:
.Colossians 3:23 -Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.
.Being excellent = doing the right thing even when no one is looking
.Don't take the easy way out; sooner or later your sins will catch up to you. Make the decision to be excellent.
.Everyone of us can be excellent at something
.Your performance gives you a platform
-develop your character & skill in such a way that will earn you the respect of others
-whatever you do,get better at it, always look to improve your skill level
-be proactive about your growth/sharpening your skills & God will open doors for you
.Matthew 5:41 If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.
-do more than expected-go the extra mile!
I had been praying a lot lately for motivation and God answered my prayers in the form of this sermon! Everyone tells me that I'm so optimistic and cheerful, but I am only like that with others. I have a very hard time being optimistic and cheerful towards myself and my own issues. And thus, I have a very hard time being motivated to reach a state of happiness. It doesn't help that I'm always the one doing the caring and not being cared about. Even the strong need help and encouragement sometimes. But this sermon, it truly made me feel motivated for once! It made me want to try my hardest in every aspect in my life, and to do so with enthusiasm. Why? Because I work for God not for men, and living this way will bring Him glory. As Joel Osteen said, people may never read the bible but they will read you. I want my book to read as one that makes God smile, gains respect, and reflects the fruits of the spirit ( love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control-Galatians 5:22-23) ...my spirit. I am really looking forward to seeing how I can continuously apply what I've learned to the various aspects of my life. Hope everyone had a wonderful memorial day weekend. Until next time...<3
When my mom retired for the evening, I decided to go to my room and do a little channel flipping on the tele (that' pronounced 'telly' for those of you who didn't catch my attempt at a British accent). I decided to watch the latest sermon by Pastor Joel Osteen-best 30 mins of television I've ever watched! His sermon really lit a fire under my butt, put pep in my step, inspired me etc. It was sermon #427 "Being Excellent in the Workplace", a title I highly disagree with because it covered so much more than that. I jotted down parts of the sermon that really spoke to me:
.Colossians 3:23 -Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.
.Being excellent = doing the right thing even when no one is looking
.Don't take the easy way out; sooner or later your sins will catch up to you. Make the decision to be excellent.
.Everyone of us can be excellent at something
.Your performance gives you a platform
-develop your character & skill in such a way that will earn you the respect of others
-whatever you do,get better at it, always look to improve your skill level
-be proactive about your growth/sharpening your skills & God will open doors for you
.Matthew 5:41 If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.
-do more than expected-go the extra mile!
I had been praying a lot lately for motivation and God answered my prayers in the form of this sermon! Everyone tells me that I'm so optimistic and cheerful, but I am only like that with others. I have a very hard time being optimistic and cheerful towards myself and my own issues. And thus, I have a very hard time being motivated to reach a state of happiness. It doesn't help that I'm always the one doing the caring and not being cared about. Even the strong need help and encouragement sometimes. But this sermon, it truly made me feel motivated for once! It made me want to try my hardest in every aspect in my life, and to do so with enthusiasm. Why? Because I work for God not for men, and living this way will bring Him glory. As Joel Osteen said, people may never read the bible but they will read you. I want my book to read as one that makes God smile, gains respect, and reflects the fruits of the spirit ( love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control-Galatians 5:22-23) ...my spirit. I am really looking forward to seeing how I can continuously apply what I've learned to the various aspects of my life. Hope everyone had a wonderful memorial day weekend. Until next time...<3
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