12 Reasons Why You Should Host Thanksgiving...

I am so excited that Justin and I will be hosting Thanksgiving this year!! And I was just thinking about how every other year, we would go somewhere else... whether it was to a friend's house, family member's house, a church function, or even eat out --

I've always wondered what it would be like to HOST Thanksgiving! Some may view it as a hassle and some may view it as a chore... A lot of people get unnaturally stressed about it! If you're like me, I HATE stress. I'm going to make it a point to make sure that this Thanksgiving is STRESS FREE.

Therefore, let's focus on all the GOOD reasons why you should host Thanksgiving...
____________________________________________________________
1. You don't have to drive anywhere.

2. You don't have to dress up, cause it's your house... your rules.

3. You can sleep in.

4. You don't have to worry about getting there on time.

5. You don't have have to cook the night before.

6. You can tell your guests what to bring.

7. You don't have to worry about your pet.

8. You can control what channel your TV is on.

9. At the dinner table, you can sit wherever you want.

10. You can cut the turkey.

11. You can play whatever background music you want.

12. And best of all, your guests will get so full, they'll forget to pack the leftovers. (That means, you don't have to cook for another week.)
______________________________________________________________

Well, with a list like this, I think everyone should host Thanksgiving at least once! 

And I can't wait! :)

Thanksgiving 2009 (Justin & I were dating)

Thanksgiving 2010 (First Thanksgiving as a married couple!)

Thanksgiving 2011

Thanksgiving 2012

Encouraging Our Husbands Through Prayer...

Ladies, one of the most important tasks about being a wife is being a helper. Genesis 2:18 - It is not good for the man to be alone, so I will create a companion for him, a perfectly suited partner. 

With that being said, there are numerous ways we can help our husband... one of the most IMPORTANT way is by prayer.

I wanted to write about this because in my 3 and a half years of marriage, I've had conversations with newlywed couples and couples who have been married for decades! And through these experiences, I've noticed the pattern of how women would talk about & pray about their husbands. 

• Some women pray like this, "Lord, please change my husband."

• Some women pray like this, "Lord, why is he so blind to the truth?"

• Some women pray like this, "Lord, show him what's right."

• And some women pray like this, "Lord, help me be a better help & encourager to my husband, and that my actions may minister, encourage, and bless him."

From the options above, it seems like the women who prayed like the first 3, had friction in their marriage. Most of the time, the woman has a difficult time finding chemistry with her own spouse because she's TOO busy trying to change him!

ME? I've noticed a night and day difference when I prayed to CHANGE HIM vs. praying for CHANGE, IN ME. When I wanted HIM to change, it felt like nothing in our relationship was going right! We would argue A LOT, I would sass talk him back, I didn't respect what he had to say, and I sure didn't want to listen to his thoughts... BECAUSE I THOUGHT MY THOUGHTS WERE BETTER. When I noticed that the dynamics of our relationship was headed for disaster, I pleaded to God to help. To help ME. To help me see the things in ME that needed to change... The willingness to humble yourself will make all the difference in the world.

So how do you pray? Do you pray to God to change HIM, to show HIM the truth, to show HIM what's right, or do you pray that God helps YOU to be a better wife?

I know,  I know what you're thinking. "But HE'S the one that needs changing, growing, maturing, & be a better husband!"

Sorry to break it to you, but although you MAY be right, you are wrong in so many ways. The fact that we, ladies, pray to God to CHANGE our spouse is NOT in our job description. No where in the Bible calls us ladies to pray to CHANGE our husbands --

1 Peter 3:1-2: Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.

If you feel like your husband isn't living right, don't pray to change him, pray for YOURSELF. 

Pray that God will change your heart, to give you grace, mercy, & patience. Because when your heart is right, your actions will follow. And with that, the bible tells us, "they [husbands] may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives." 

So above all, make sure your heart is right when you come before God. He knows your desires. He also knows that ultimately, what you want is what's best for your marriage... HOWEVER, sometimes, what we, ladies, think is best, may not be God's best.

So how exactly should we pray for our husband? Instead of praying to CHANGE his actions, pray that God blesses him GENEROUSLY with comfort, confidence, wisdom, & peace. TRUST ME, God will answer, and will honor your diligence in being a great wife & helpmeet. (Matthew 7:8-11 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!)

The following are verses that will help you when you encourage & pray for your husband. YES, there WILL be trials, struggles, & temptation. The Bible never promises us that life will be a breeze. Therefore, we must know the truth & SOLUTIONS to whatever life throws at us!

WHEN HE FEELS INCOMPETENT -  James 1:5 - But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

WHEN HIS IS OVERWHELMED -  1 Corinthians 10:13 - Any temptation you face will be nothing new. But God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can handle. But He always provides a way of escape so that you will be able to endure and keep moving forward.

WHEN HE FEELS INADEQUATE - 2 Corinthians 12:9 - “My grace is enough to cover and sustain you. My power is made perfect in weakness.”

WHEN HE IS OVERCOME WITH WORRY - Romans 8:28 - We are confident that God is able to orchestrate everything to work toward something good and beautiful when we love Him and accept His invitation to live according to His plan. 

WHEN HE CAN'T UNDERSTAND GOD'S PLAN FOR HIS LIFE - Matthew 6:33 - Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and then all these things will be given to you too.

Back to Basics

I love social media. I love keeping in touch with people through the web. However, before we had all the technology & expedient ways of connecting with each other, we had --- visitations! You know, when people would come and visit you, or you visit them, and that's how you would catch up with them! There was no, "Oh I saw what you posted yesterday..." or "I see you've been busy...." -- it was a REAL conversations!

Not only were there actual conversations, usually, there were photo albums! And that's something I miss DEARLY.

I recently had some visitors and I wanted to show them some pictures of before and afters of our house. No, they didn't have a FaceBook, Twitter, or Instagram. AND I didn't have any tangible pictures. SO guess what I had to do? That's right, pull up my FB account, let it load, click my albums, get that to load, and scroll through the pictures on a tiny screen. Let's just say that.... the moment passes quickly when you do all that!

So, I've decided that from now on, I will make and have a photo album.

For me, I chose to do a yearly album, and call it our YEARBOOK. Basically, in it, I organize pages by events or seasons, that way it's SO much easier to get it in order.

If you are my FB friend, you'll notice how I am a VERY active participant. :) Mainly because, FB helps me organize my pictures into events and seasons! So at the end of the year, when I'm ready to make my tangible album, it's a PIECE OF CAKE.

I use the website: PICABOO.COM

I do not pay full price for my albums. I keep up with Groupon.com to see deals! My albums have cost me $9.99 - and that's 20 pages of color, hardcover, 8.5" x 11", & free shipping!

So why don't I print pictures and stick it in an album like back then? Well first off, it's cheaper (with the Groupon deal) to put it in a photo-book. Second, remember when your parents/grand-parents had albums with missing pictures? Yes, we all do. And I hated missing pictures! Having a photo-book makes it IMPOSSIBLE to conveniently take pictures! Thirdly, the website I use keeps a copy online... so if I LOSE a yearbook, I can just order a new one!

I feel like it's SUCH a good thing to have tangible memories at hand. Not only is it a neat thing, but it helps us, as humans, see our progress in life! Think of it as a "Look at what we've accomplished" or "Look how far we've come" books! Studies show that the more you can see what you've been through, accomplished, and achieved, the more likely you will be happier and have a positive outlook on life! :)

Here's Justin and I's 2011 & 2012 yearbooks! So far I've kept up! :) Can't wait to start 2013 yearbook!
CLICK ON THE ALBUM TO VIEW

Drysdales Photo-Shoot {Behind the Scenes}

This past Monday, 3/4/13, I had the privilege of modeling for an amazing company called Drysdales. It is a western clothing company... been around for years and popular throughout the country for those who LOVE some cowboy & cowgirl clothes!! Here are some pics from the photo-shoot! It was a long one but SUPER fun! I work with the greatest people!! Click HERE to sign up for their free catalogues and don't forget to follow them on Instagram and Twitter (@_drysdales).

Golf Club of Oklahoma - where the photo-shoot took place

Such a pretty view!!

The gorgeous Miss Rebecca. She's absolutely the sweetest! Oh &, she is 5 months pregnant!!!

AWESOME belts!

All the items that need to be worn by the models!

This is for online shopping- shooting with the whiteboard!

All the clothes we had to wear!!

My last outfit for the day! Can't see my cute Capri's!

Outside shoot - pretty Midwest background for catalogue.

Models in the dressing room... they were a little camera shy lol

Preview on the MAC.

JEWELRY GALORE!!!!

Installing Our Energy Effecient Product {Wind Turbine from RPS}

Well, about a few days ago, Justin and I decided that we are going to install a wind generator unto our house! We've only had the house for 4 months now, but we believe that IT'S ABOUT THAT TIME.

Two days ago, Justin and I (only) moved a 20 ft tower up a 2 story house! It was TERRIFYING. Why? Cause I'm DEATHLY afraid of heights. I was able to get unto the first story, with not much difficulty... but because of the steepness of our roof, it was hard for me to get a good grip. Once I got to a safe spot on top of the first floor, reality hit. I am at least 10 feet above ground. I can feel my breaths getting shorter and my heart pounding faster. And what made it worse- I had to climb another 6 feet to get to the top of the 2nd floor. Justin kept saying that I could do it... but my palms started to get clammy and I can feel my body temperature decreasing. Ok, so you may think I'm exaggerating. NO. I am SO serious. It was THAT bad. Justin was already on the top. Aggravated, he started holding out his hand and giving me pointers.... I started crying. Yes, I started, crying. I was extremely scared!!!!!!! So how did I psyched myself into doing it? How about the fact that there's a 20 feet pole that's halfway up, the sun is setting (15 min of daylight left), and it's COLD. Well, the desire of getting it done was a lot stronger than taking it down, and doing it all over again later. So... I grabbed my husband's hand and he pulled me up. PHEW! I did it!

He hopped up and ran up the side of the roof adjacent to the one I was on... like it was nothing. I am very jealous of how fearless my husband is. Anyway, he grabbed the top of the pole and pulled it up, while I was holding the middle and then, the end. I then directed the end of the pole into the hole that my husband had drilled into the edge of our roof. There was a little trouble, but in the end, it was complete!! The pole is up!

 

Today, Justin carried the body of the wind turbine up! Then he connected blades to it! And then the cover. Honestly, it is much harder than it looks! This unit will be powering our home office! Whoop-whoop!

 

 

 

 

 

Happy People are Open to Change - Unhappy People Resist It

 Two nights ago, my husband and I watched a movie called, "Flight". The movie had Denzel Washington as the lead role (for which Denzel Washington earned a "Best Actor" Oscar nomination for his portrayal of an alcoholic and drug-using airline pilot). This movie was so intriguing that I HAD to write about it. I'm not going to give it away (don't worry). In this movie, there was an ugly and destructive power of a lying your entire life, which I call a "life-lie." It's a gut-wrenching and gripping film, but if you do choose to see it, I think you will appreciate how the concept of a "life-lie" (and the eventual confronting of that lie) is played out in the life of a single human being. However, just to warn you, there is strong nudity in the beginning of the movie.

Here's a quote I found to be terribly true...  "We would rather be ruined than changed." -W.H. Auden
What does this mean? Basically, it's someone deciding to risk everything, even flirting with personal ruin, rather than make a change that needs to be made. The phenomenon shows up most dramatically with addicts and alcoholics, of course, but it's such a regular feature of everyday life that psychologists have a phrase ("highly resistant to change") for such people.

In everyday life, we say that people who are unwilling or unable to make changes are stubborn or recalcitrant. But psychologists are fond of searching for deeper reasons, as Alfred Adler did when he wrote about patients who, instead of taking personal responsibility for their lives, blamed forces outside themselves. Such people, he wrote, generally lived their lives according a "life-lie" which they concocted in order to safeguard their self-esteem and maintain the status quo. The challenge to the therapist, he argued, was to help patients confront their "life-lies."

The film also illustrates other important lessons that we have learned from others or from personal experience:

(1) Change is never easy, even when we know it is needed.

(2) Even when we are committed to change, there are often dark forces
within us that ferociously battle these healthy desires.

(3) When change does occur, our lives can be transformed in the most amazing ways.

(4) If change does not occur, we will almost certainly experience consequences
that will not be to our liking.

It might be worthwhile to give all of this a little thought as you consider the changes that you -- or others in your life -- need to make. Here are are some quotes that should help motivate you to make the necessary changes in your life, or at least see the changes necessary to made, in order for you to live your life to its' maximum potential!

 

 "The need for change bulldozed a road down the center of my mind."
Maya Angelou

"We shrink from change;
yet is there anything that can come into being without it?"
Marcus Aurelius

"Before you'll change, something important must be at risk."
Richard Bach

"Most of us are about as eager to be changed as we were to be born,
and go through our changes in a similar state of shock."
James Baldwin

"All birth is unwilling."
Pearl S. Buck

"The world hates change;
yet it is the only thing that has brought progress."
Charles Kettering

"There is no sin punished more implacably by nature
than the sin of resistance to change."
Anne Morrow Lindbergh

"There was that law of life, so cruel and so just, which demanded that
one must grow or else pay more for remaining the same."
Norman Mailer

"What is necessary to change a person
is to change his awareness of himself."
Abraham Maslow

"It's the most unhappy people who most fear change."
Mignon McLaughlin

"Life is a process of becoming,
a combination of states we have to go through.
Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it.
This is a kind of death."
Anais Nin

"Adapt or perish, now as ever, is Nature's inexorable imperative."
H. G. Wells

Valentine's Day in Texas!

Well, today was the famous LOVE day.... Justin and I were on the road for the first part of the day. We headed to Allen, TX, a suburb of Dallas. Yes, it was the most romantic road trip ever.... filled with country music, McDonald's for breakfast and lunch, with Funyuns and Hot Cheetoes in between. (It was my break day... junk food is my weakness! Anyway, we arrived at the Allen Event Convention Center. Took us about 1 hour to set up. This is our first show for 2013. I quit my job just for this. (I'll write my next blog on our business that we do trad shows for)



 

Starting last Valentine's Day, Justin and I started a tradition. To eat at a buffet on Valentines Day. Why? So that we can both be satisfied to our uttermost desires... Yes.... Anyway, I may regret this tomorrow morning. haha. So... we got all DOLLED up. I was wearing my new dress from mom and what my husband calls, stripper heels.. lol. He was in some slacks and a nice button up. Boy was he handsome. Don't worry, we exchanged gifts before hand... he gave my chocolates, earphones (for my workouts) and a lil witty card! I gave him, well, what every man wants from their wife... encouragement! LOL JK! It's Valentine's people! He wants a little LOVE-A-DUB-RUB!! ;)



 

My man was so beautiful. My 4th year spent with him. Honestly, I feel like I've known him for YEARS!!! Doesn't seem that short... maybe it's because we've been through so much together!!! But it has really gone by SOO fast! Anyway... hope you enjoyed reading my blog. My first one posted since last summer! And if you read this and I sound lackadaisical, it's because I am currently holding a food baby. Seriously. I literally had at least 6 plates of food. I may have an eating problem.

Oh and yes, we were definitely overdressed for the Chinese buffet... oh well. He liked me, that's all that matters!

Modeling...

My first ever modeling gig!

2011 Recap

January – a whole month without FB, it was an accomplishment

February – our first snow storm, jumped into a freezing pool

March – started Diaries of Newlywed - AND got approved for a home loan

April – Started Sweets by Lily

May – Gulf Shores, Alabama Vacation

June – Little Brother graduated, trip to California AND one year anniversary

July – Nothing to crazy, just went to a bunch of weddings lol

August – First Trade show in Fort Worth Texas

September – Winged a sales trip to Dallas, Texas

October – Justin's 21st birthday :)

November – Started Modeling for Linda Layman    

December – Vegas Vacation

 

I'm so grateful for this past year. It seems like everything happened so fast. Justin and I have been blessed beyond measure. I really feel that 2011 was a foundation and preview of what's to come.

I never thought that I would ever do modeling or be good at baking! Since I've started modeling, I've averaged about 1 gig a week. One week, I had 3 gigs! Apparently, that's really good! I've only been signed up for 2.5 months now. You know, I really feel that the dream I had about me giving birth to a 14lb. baby was a prophecy. That dream happened the night before I had my first photo-shoot for the Bridal Package promotion. I interpreted that dream as something good and big is going to happen, and it will look like more than I can handle. But the part of the dream where my stomach was flat the next day, I interpreted that as, although it's a big change and responsibility, I will still be able to handle it. And since then, there had been so many blessings and more responsibility.

Justin has been blessed with some witty ideas. I hope I have been a good wife to him this year. I do hope that I have been encouraging to him and to his endeavors. To be married to an entrepreneur takes courage, strength and patience. It's not easy, but if things go well, it's worth it. I love him so much, and I know how important it is for a husband to know that. I am also very proud of him. He's done so much for me and encouraged me also. God knew what I wanted in a man and He fulfilled me desires. :)

We never thought that we would travel so much either. We don't have much but we do know how to have fun with what we have. And that, I'm so grateful for. God has been so good to us. We love Him and He takes care of us. We've also experience some difficult life changes, please keep Justin's family in prayer. But through it, God has given us strength to overcome and wisdom to know how to deal with it.

He is faithful, even when we are not.

I can't wait to see what 2012 has in store for us.

Crazy Dream

Just wanted to post this...

I had a dream last night that I was pregnant. I did a natural birth, and I gave birth to a 15 pound baby. OH and the next day, my stomach was FLAT.

Amazing.

First Tradeshow for RPS - Fort Worth, TX

So RPS had it's first tradeshow this past weekend! It was really exciting because I was able to support and help my husband. It was just the 2 of us, we drove from Tulsa to Fort Worth, about a 5 hour drive. We left Friday morning at 7am! Yes, bright and early!! Stopped and got some McDonald's coffee (my favorite). We got there around 12:30pm and starting setting up.

The Fort Worth Convention Center was where it was being held at. It was a huge building, the section we were in, I believe, was over 20,000 square feet, not quite sure. But the center was so big that they actually had Wrigley's Brothers Circus in the same building, just in a different section. We starting setting up, and it took us just a little over 3 hours to set up everything. It turned out looking really nice!

So now we had the rest of the evening to ourselves, we checked in to our hotel, it was pretty nice, very spacious. We went shopping and ran some errands, came back and had a relaxing evening together! :)

DAY 1 - Saturday was the first day of the show. We were a little nervous, but we were confident. Ate breakfast and got there early to get our name badges. When the people started coming in, it started to get a little busy. I say a little busy because when we look around, the other booths didn't really have many people. But ours was constantly full! I'm not even exagerrating! We had an average of 5 people at our booth at all times that day! It was question after question, non-stop curiousity! I guess it is a little different that we're not offering them an alternative power company, but rather an off grid system that will power their home!!

Justin and I loved every moment of it. Although, it was really hard to take a break to eat lunch! Mind you, it's only 2 of us and it's from 10am - 8pm. One person could not run the booth by themself because there were too many people there to cater to!

After a long busy day, we decided to go to a comedy club in downtown Fort Worth. The downtown area was beautiful! Very busy and it seemed like it was the hotspot for everyone.

DAY 2 - Sunday started from 11am - 6pm. It was short but we still had business. It wasn't as busy as Saturday but there were alot of strong leads. Most of the people that were potential buyers in the process of building their home! They wanted to have a wind turbine so that they could go off grid as well as save money!

And that's it folks, the world of tradeshows! You meet a ton of people so you must be comfortable to talk and still be confident in the information you provide, or you'll feel burnt out and that'll definitely affect your attitude and your sales. I like my quote, "Life is a gamble; you're not dealt all the right cards but if you can keep a poker face and play your cards right, you win." What we're doing here is not guaranteed, but everything else isn't guaranteed either. As long as you can keep a good attitude during good and bad times, you can make it. :)