31 Day March - Days 7 and 8

Day-7-8 Oooopppsssyy!

What's new today?
Day 7- Had dinner with someone I don't really know. Well I didn't know her very well but I know her a little better now :)

Day 8- Went to a haunted location in Jonesboro...

How is this new?
I enjoy people. God made each person unique for a reason and I love getting to experience that in others. So it was new because she is someone I don't didn't know very well. So it is new because she was new for me to get to know.

I don't like scary things so for me to go to Kellers Chapel was a big step in my spontaneity. 

Why this?
Because I love people!

No idea... but I was glad I had a friend with me. Makes things like that easier.

Is this something that will be continued?
YES!! Getting to know people is precious to me and I hope to keep doing it as long as the Lord allows.

Only if there is a dude with me. No way I could do that without a guy. ... heck no techno not alone.

Are there any negatives to this?
Getting to know people? No ... not that I know of, well unless one of them kills me and then I get to see Jesus. Haha!

Yes, being scared to my wits end... NEGATIVO

Super excited about tomorrows!!!!!!!!! Can't wait to share it with you :)

31 day March - Day 6

Day-6

What's new today?
Today I quit, gave up, or whatever you want to call it on the raw food thing. Yes, I am a quitter.

Also, I had a really bad day, but that is relative to what we each call bad. For me, it was a bad day. So I started writing out what was bothering me or why it was bad and wrote out what could be done to fix it so I am not sulking.

How is this new?
I usually try not to give up on things, especially small things like changing my diet. However, everything seemed so ridiculously overwhelming today so I needed normal and decided to go back to normal. Also realized it probably means I have very little self-control when it comes to food and need to work on that. (Sadly means I may have self-control issues in other areas... like my alarm clock ... that need to be worked on).

When things seem to be bad I usually pray about them, this helped me organize out how to pray and what to pray about specifically. It really reminded me I am not in control, God is the ultimate controller of the universe.

Why this?
Comfort food, when having a bad day comfort food really does comfort. Like I said, I have food issues to work through.

Well, it really helped me work through issues to write things down. Not going to lie, I had 1 page front and back, small print, of what was bothering me and what caused the issues along with how it could be fixed. With each thing I saw that although I made a mistake of not calling this person or not having this ready or out or done, I could not be in control of how others handled the situation. My responsibility is myself. My actions today were far from where they should be, but like I said I saw a lot of things in my life where I had to surrender not being in control. He knew what was going to happen before I ever made the mistakes.

Is this something that will be continued?
Quitting, I hope not. I don't want to be a quitter unless I am quitting bad habits. Not sure what habits I have that are "bad" but there are so many things in my life that need to be worked on, like most people.

Yes, this really seemed to help today. It is also now in my journal so I can look back in a year or so and see how juvenile my "problems" were. :)  This also showed me I don't need to beat myself up as much as I do, things can be worked out and dealt with and I just need to sit down and work through them. Beating myself up will get me no where except more upset.

Are there any negatives to this?
Quitting, heck yes there are... Please don't make me tell you why. I hope you know why quitting has negatives.

Not really, well unless I lose my journal and it ends up in the wrong hands. Then I might be having some interesting conversations. However, it helped me see that each situation was something that could be avoided (well in most cases) and what I could do in the future to avoid those.



God has really been good to me and has begun showing me more of Him through this month. Super thankful for my friends who have encouraged me lately (even today ...). God has truly blessed me with great friends. - Random add on, this is true but I am truly grateful.

31 Day March- Day 5

Day-5


What's new today?
Dried fruit
Wild goose chase for carob chips

How is this new?
Well I like food, found out today I don't like dried fruit. Not to say that I can't ever Luke it, but it just didnt taste great.
Until today I had no idea what carob chips, powder, chunks, etc. were. Google it!

Why this?
After a conversation with a friend I had almost resolved to go try a few new vegetables. I found myself standing in front of several vegetables asking myself if I really wanted to try them right them. The answer was no. I stood there for probably 5 minutes before deciding to go find something else new to try. When I couldn't find carob things I decided on dried fruit. My thought was, "it is fruit, only dried ... It has to be good." Well I go the kind with no additives, no preservatives, and no sugar just plain old dried fruit. So I ended up with pineapple and banana. Let's just say I know a few people who will be happy with me tomorrow since it will wind up in their offices. Just didn't like the taste or texture. Having a hard time overcoming the texture thing.
I went to a couple of places this evening to find carob chips, it is the raw food version of chocolate. It is only day 2 of raw food eating and I am practically desperate for chocolate. This is a problem because it sadly proves to me my self proclaimed addiction. Not proud of this addiction, or any addiction (not that I have many addictions- hole digging just getting deeper). Anyway I couldn't find carob chips and am now going to put out a city wide search on them.

Is this something that will be continued?
Yes, I mean I am going to keep trying new things (including dried fruits- craisins are fantastic!)
I am definitely going to continue my search for carob chips. I mean come on, really, why wouldn't I?

Are there any negatives to this?
Yes, I am realizing my sad addiction to food. Which is funny because before I started this whole March thing I was noticing food no longer was satisfying. Nothing sounded good to eat anymore and yet I kept shoving it in my face. It reminded me that we are all creatures of habit and sometimes when we don't know what else to do we do what is habitual for us. Like food, we may not know what we want to eat because we are "kind of hungry" or in the "I could eat" mood. So in these cases we choose something primarily out of habit. We aren't literally starving like some African children, we aren't in a major famine where it is hard to get fresh produce and eat in a manner that will benefit our bodies, we aren't so poor that we don't know where our next meal is coming from. God has blessed so many of us to have the things we have and yet we find ourselves addicted to them, including food. It is so easy for us to be distracted by what we have and ignore what others do not have when we can easily provide that for them.
The main draw back to forcing myself to eat fresh raw foods is the little voice in the back of my head that reminds me this is how God intended it on being. It wasnt until after the flood that God granted permission to people to eat meat. Have you ever thought about that? Adam and Eve and Seth and Enoch and all of the others at this time were actually vegitarians until the flood. Trust me, I am not going to become a vegitarian after this, God gave us free reign on meant and meant is good! What I am saying is not everything we put in our bodies is healthy and we should do a better job of taking care of the temple God has given us to be stewards of for the time we have here.

PS Didn't mean to be on a soap box on the end there, oops!

31 Day March - Day 4

Day-4 Yes, I know .... this is late


What's new today?
Raw food diet ...
Only purchasing said raw food grown in the US.

How is this new?
I usually eat anything I can put my hands on, mainly because I LOVE food.
I pretty much just grab whatever is close and don't think twice.

Why this?
Well, it gives my body a break from harsh chemicals, processed foods, and whatever else is in our food. It also is teaching me self-control. I love food, and with that love comes me eating anything I can get my hands on. Yes, I am a foodie. It will also help me appreciate the things I eat.
Buying fresh foods grown in America supports our farmers and our agriculture. Also, fruits and vegetables from other countries may or may not meet the standards of the FDA ... Also, it is just an experiment for 7 days.


Is this something that will be continued?
Yes. I could see myself making a habit raw food diets. This one is for 7 days and I am excited to see how it goes. In doing this I began researching why raw food diets. There are so many things that show how much better for you it is to eat raw foods than processed and packaged foods. I think we all know this somewhere in the back of our minds but it is nice to be reminded.
Buying things only made/grown in the US is really difficult but it is good to support ourselves, so yes.

Are there any negatives to this?
Not unless I eat a bad piece of fruit or veggie...
This is really difficult. Mainly because when I decided to do this I said I would only buy things grown in the US. Do you know how hard it is to only buy fruits and vegetables grown in the US? You should try to do it...that proved more difficult than I thought.

31 Day March - Day 3

Day 3

What's new?
I bought my first piece of luggage today. Also went on a long drive alone.

How is this new?
Well other than the luggage I bought today I only own a large duffle bag that was given to me as a birthday gift last year because I owned no other luggage. So yeah that's new. It also signifies my trip to Italy is soon! Yay!!
The long drive... Well I enjoy long drives and stars. So I decided to drive with no destination in mind.

Why this?
I am going to Italy for spring break and planning to make traveling a habit (if God will let me).
Drives are good for many things: thinking, clearing the mind, absent minded activity, etc. It was really relaxing and enjoyable.

Is this something that will be continued?
Heck yes! If God will let me travel more, I will continue this. My heart is in a country I have not yet visited but there is something about it that He has drawn me to. Just like when you meet someone and you KNOW you are going to marry them, it is like that. It is something you just can't explain but know you love it because you are supposed to. No idea how to put that into words. I tried though.
Long drives will be continued either alone or with a friend. Long drives are lovely.

Are there any negatives?
Yes, traveling can be like a drug, it is addictive. Not only is it addictive but it can make a person discontent in everyday life.
Drives cost money and with gas being so expensive I should just invest in good walking shoes and go for long walks as opposed to long drives.

Well I am writing this on my phone which is proving to be an annoyance so I going to stop here...

31 Day March - Day 2

Day-2
What's new today?
Trying new food. Today for lunch I went to my favorite Mexican restaurant, Don Jose, with a couple of girl friends/co-workers. Dinner was with a colleague at a local Thai restaurant, Sai Thai.

How is this new?
Usually when I go to any restaurant I choose the same thing every time. This time I had to order something I haven't ever ordered before. This is easily done since I have a usual at both places. At Don Jose I ordered a chicken taco. This sounds lame but if you know me at all, I hate tacos. Lately I have come to realize it is because of past work experience at Taco Bell (just hated the food there). It was really good, I was impressed.
At Sai Thai I ordered the Massamun Curry, it had chicken and pineapple with red curry paste. Oh my gosh it was goodness in my mouth! I have a new favorite. There are pictures below. I also ordered egg rolls, this too is also not normal for me because I used to despise egg rolls. Oh and did I mention I ate white rice with this and not fried? Yes I did... fan-friggin-tastic.

Why this?
Well, I knew I would be going out to eat for dinner so I figured it would be the easiest way to do something new (yes, I went with convenience on this one and yesterdays...). Also, I really like food a lot. If good food were a man I would not be single.

Is this something that will be continued?
Yes. Something that I have been learning lately is that I cannot fear change or new things. If I fear them and avoid them then I am potentially missing out on something great. I would have never known that Massamun Curry would taste so fantastic if I wouldn't have tried it tonight.

Are there any negatives to this?
I could easily become really obese. God made food taste good and I love God and also food... Problems could come from this

Change is some times a good thing ... in this case it was a very good thing

31 day March - Day 1

So I am determined to do something new ... something new every day for 31 days and blog about it. Yes, everyday a new post. This will be a challenge for me but it will be a fun challenge.

Today's was kind of lame and I hate to admit that but it is true. So they will get better I promise :)

Day-1
What's new today?
Dressed up for no good reason. I got up on time-ish and took care of myself.

How is this new?
Well, I usually get up and throw clothes on and run out the door.


Why this?
This is not what I originally choose, hence the lameness. My first choice was to get up at 5am, get ready, go see the sun rise and get caught up with homework. When you look at what I wanted to do compared to what I did it explains why it is lame.

Is this something that will be continued?
Yes, I want to continue taking better care of myself and plan on doing more of this. Over the past 6-7 months I have started trying to take better care of myself and look a little better put together on the outside. It started with a funny conversation with a co-worker and has turned into me painting my nails, wearing make-up more regularly, and dressing more feminine. So this will definitely be continued.

Are there any negatives to this?
Well yes, there are. My fear with this one is becoming materialistic. God has made it very clear to me that He wants me to be in the foreign mission field. There is really no room for materialism there and here it becomes a way to distract us from the bigger issues of life. This is something I really want to avoid, but I also want to be presentable.

More to come tomorrow.