She Changed My Life

Today on my way to work "This is Your Life" by Switchfoot came on the radio (yes, I listen to KLOVE on my way to work). It got me thinking about the journey of this past year and all that I am thankful for. Within this year I have lost 55+ pounds and truly committed to a life change; I value my health. I went from relentlessly looking for a job to working two months at a call center with some great people to having the company I work for now seek me out and offer me a job where I am doing what I went to school for, graphic design. Most importantly my relationship with God and my faith has grown immensely. He took away everything that I was hiding behind and exposed the truth to me. I am defined by His love and mercy, nothing else.

"This is your life, are you who you want to be
This is your life, are you who you want to be
This is your life, is it everything you dreamed that it would be
When the world was younger and you had everything to lose"

A year ago I was not who I wanted to be. My life was not everything I dreamt that it would be when I was younger. This lyric stood out to me this morning and got me thinking about that girl a year ago who was so desperate. She was in her room with this picture hanging on the wall.

And with this little girl staring back at her she broke down because she knew she was not who that little girl had dreamt of becoming. And that's when she knew there would be change. She was broke and had no idea about nutrition and how her body worked. So, fast forward to Christmas where she got some money and bought the book, "This is why you're fat, and how to get thin forever." She educated herself and she was resolute. Her life would never be the same again, because she refused to let that little girl down.

I am thankful for that girl. The girl that was truly desperate for change. I am thankful for her determination to rise above her environment. I am thankful for the fighter inside her that came out and fought for me and now burns in my soul. I would not be here at this place without her. She swallowed her pride and got to work. I am thankful for her and promise not to let her down.

Change IS possible but you have to want it more than what you have now. God has huge things planned for my life and I don't want to miss it, I refuse to settle. I will go shopping for clothes I want to wear, not just clothes that can fit. I will get my dream job because of my skills and talents and not have to worry about them wondering if I can keep up because of my weight. This 24 year old girl who has never been asked out on a date will find true love one day and not be looked over. I will inspire others to value themselves and fight.

I am thankful for a God that will never leave me or forsake me and has revealed even more his immense love for me. And I am thankful for that girl who changed my life.

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He Really Loves Me

If you follow my blog then you know about my wittle doggy, Manasseh. He goes by A LOT of nicknames. We call him: fudgie, fudge popp-e, Roy (short for corduroy), fudgie Roy, chicken little, little one, and on special occasions... Turd. After moving back home to save money and pay off student loans, he and I got really close. This past year was not an easy one as I looked and looked and looked for a job. Since I spent most my time at home (not spending money) Manasseh and I were always together. And then when I started getting in shape, he became my workout buddy, up for any adventure I threw at him. To be honest, I hate going on a run without him.

Now I have a job. Praise the Lord!! But this means Fudgie is at home alone. So, we got him a little brother and they get along (as much as siblings get along) but we still have to leave them in their kennels while we are at work because Fudgie can jump the gate that is supposed to keep them in the kitchen and out of the rest of the house. We just can't let them roam the house free while we aren't there. I have been working for three months now and I think it's gotten to Manasseh.

Yesterday, while we were at work, Manasseh got to work on his kennel and literally chewed his way out of it.

When my parents got home they found the evidence of his escape (which sadly included some blood) and Manasseh on my bed. My poor little guy. So, we are going to have to figure out something better for him but, I can't just not work. When I got home my parents explained to me what they had come home to. Even though I had just gotten home from an hour long Zumba class I thought Fudgie needed some one-on-one time with his sissy. So we went on a long run.

Love this little guy and I HATE being away from him but, what's a working girl to do?


and yes, I am wearing a lovely white wife-beater over my black sweatshirt because I don't have any light colored sweatshirts and while I wanted to keep warm... I did not want to die.

Right Outside Your Window

Adventure. Is it right outside your window?

I have "the" travel bug, and I have it bad. I want to see the world and experience all it has to offer. Meet different people, ride in weird vehicles, listen to unique music, see all the art I've only studied in books. I want to do it all.

For five years when my mom was a young girl she, my grandparents, and her brother lived in Saudi Arabia. My grandparents were teachers for TWA and they got to fly all over the world for free. My mom has sled down the Swiss Alps, she swam with dolphins in the Red Sea (not Sea World, it's different), been on Safari in Africa, and been badly burnt after laying out for fifteen minutes be cause they were so close to the equator. This picture of the elephants is one of a zillion from all their travels. While on safari in Africa they stayed in a lodge where this site was just waiting in the backyard. I love this photo and I love the idea of waking up to this.

In my life so far I have not been fortunate enough to travel really much at all. I've never crossed an ocean and gone beyond North America. Heck, I've barely been to very many states here in the US. But I dream of road tripping across country and seeing every state (of course I'll fly to Alaska and Hawaii). And then I want to go to Europe and see the art and the historical architecture. I want to see where my Great Granddad grew up in England. I want to go on Safari and see animals in their real habitat. I want to go to Australia and climb the Sydney Harbor Bridge. I want to see the great wonders of the world natural and man made. I want to go to Romania to the House of Joy* where I have wanted to go and serve since I was a little girl and first heard of the ministry. I do hope for my travels to be more than just about me but rather an opportunity for me to connect with a broad range of people and share in the love of Christ through our similarities and differences.

I want it SO bad and I know God knows the desires of my heart so I know I will get to see this beautiful world he has created.



[*House of Joy: Kathy is the founder of the House of Joy in Cluj, Romania. House of Joy is a crisis pregnancy center, and offers an alternative for a country with the highest abortion rate in the world. Women staying at the House of Joy attend Bible studies, English classes, and receive life skills and job training, as well as child care classes. Kathy’s long-term vision is to bring a House of Joy to Tallinn, Estonia. Learn more at http://www.livingalternativesromania.com/Site/Welcome.html]

Can you tie it in a bow?

I LOVE wrapping presents. It's all about the bow, the bigger the better. You can really be quite creative with what you use to decorate your gift with. Think outside of the box (no pun intended). I love wrapping with brown paper and then using other things to make the package special.
Two weeks ago I got a friend her birthday gift at Anthropologie (she's pretty much obsessed with that store, and don't worry I shooed the clearance rack. I may have a new job but that store is still way out my budget). All this to say they put her dress I got in a lovely cream box. I likes the box and decided not to wrap it and to just add a great bow. I have this fabulous fabric that I've been able to use on a lot of different projects and I couldn't help but bring it out again. I cut several strips and then used the strips to make this fabulous bow. In love. So mix it up a little, but remember to keep in classy.

Young Adults Group

I was asked to help head up the Young Adults group at my church. This has not been an easy task at all. We are definitely still working out the kinks and trying to figure out what works and what doesn't. This generation is very difficult to reach and a tricky age range. There is such an enormous range of differences and life experiences from an 18 year old to a 30 year old and yet, somehow we have to make it work. How do you create a place for a married mother of two to hang out with an freshman in college?

I have been extremely frustrated with the lack of attendance to events. When I talk with people they say they want something to do, an opportunity to meet other people and yet I can't get them to show up. It's a very tricky group we are working with here. Just praying we can find our niche and get something consistent going.

I did this poster for our launch event and had them printed off in all the different colors to help catch people's attention around the church.

We created a Facebook group to be able to put information out to people while we work on getting a page on the church's website. Created this piece to be the picture for the group. I also wanted to kind of set the look and feel for the group and I think this is more of the direction I want to take the rest of the material I create for events. It has a youthful feeling, while not coming across like something for the Youth Group. Also, I am in love with Letterpress and this has that feel to it.

Now, doesn't this look fun? Who doesn't love a festive Christmas Party with a bunch of Tacky Sweaters? I'm excited.

It was fun to just design some stuff for fun and it gave me an excuse to download some new typefaces that I thought were pretty cool.