My Valentine's Day Rant...

Because everyone has one, or wants to write one.

Here's my view on Valentine's Day:
1] You're single, completely single
These our those people who aren't even "flirting" with anyone. There is no "potential" future relationships. You are actually SINGLE. ENJOY IT! Being truly single, allows you to live free of expectations which normally lead to letdown because you cannot expect someone else just to miraculously know what you're thinking. So embrace it! Go out with your friends! Have a dance party in your bedroom to angry music! Do whatever you want! And flaunt it! Of course for those of us in this position, Valentine's Day is a harsh reminder that we're alone. [ouch] But in reality we are never alone. We are surrounded by friends, and family who love us. And even greater than that we have a God that loves of more than anyone on this planet is capable of anyway! So to you, single friends, I say be joyous.

2]You're single, kind-of
So you've been texting this guy back and forth for a few months now. Maybe you've even gone on a few frates [friend + dates = not actual date, nobody is putting labels on this thing = CONFUSING]. You wake up today, with those little butterflies in your stomach and your heart keeps skipping beats when your phone alerts go off. STOP YOURSELF NOW!!!! If the guy [or girl, not meaning to be sexist] hasn't made an attempt to get things started before now, he's not going to start today. The guy at the bus stop holding roses isn't him. The flowers that show up at your apartment are in fact from your parents. And those delicious chocolates are from your roommate. I'm not saying nothing will potentially happen, but the chances of it happen today are very very very very very slim. SO stand strong! Go out with your girls! And pamper yourself a bit today!

3]You're dating [BF/GF]
So you're in an official relationship. There are no ??question marks?? in your relationship. The lines are clear and you guys are in the middle of them. YAY! Valentine's Day is meant for you two. It's an opportunity to go a little above and beyond. BUT girls: DO NOT OVER ANALYZE EVERYTHING! If you told the guy, "I'm not really into Valentine's Day, so let's just keep it simple", DO NOT [I repeat] DO NOT, expect him to show up at your house in a suit holding 42 dozen roses, with a limo to take you to a secret romantic spot to have dinner that he's made. That's just not fair to him. Those are ridiculous expectations and you already told him that you didn't really care. If you did in fact care, then SAY IT. Seriously, I've been this girl. I remember explicitly telling my current BF that Valentine's Day was stupid and I would have nothing to do with it. Yet, I was heartbroken when I had to walk around school without flowers like the rest of the girls in relationships. Don't be that girl. So I say enjoy today. Even if it's simple! Spend some quality time together and don't make a big deal about everything!

4] You're MARRIED
First off, congratulations! :] You have that person who is going to stand by you through thick and thin. The person God put on the planet to love you as closely to the way that He loves you. [Ya, I'm envious]. My advice for you, FAN THE FLAME! I don't care if you've been married 2 days or 82 years, buy your wife some flowers. Wife make dinner for the hubs. Or vice-versa. Well, maybe the wife could by the hubs something else like umm...beef jerky? tools? I don't know. I'm not married. Today is a day to look at each other and remember why you are in fact married. Why you love each other and why you always will. Yay, for you love birds! :]

Above all, remember that no matter what you're current relationship status is [facebook or in your head] you are worthy of love and are in fact loved. So, keep a smile on that face.

Day 5

Day 05 - A picture of your favorite memory
Today I'm supposed to post a picture of my favorite memory. How in the world am I supposed to pick one memory from 22+ years of life?? I really have no idea. At first, I figured I would post a picture from the past year, but I realized that I recently created a "Top 10 of 2010" list so that would be repetitive. The first thing that popped into my head was a family trip years ago. I seriously can't even remember the exact year, but it was one of the last trips my entire family (Mom, Dad, and 2 Bros) took together. We went to the Grand Canyon and along the way we stopped at a placed called Zion National Park. Not really sure what we were getting ourselves into, we started out on a hike in the canyon. The water was really low at that time so you could walk right next to the river. Because of the constant supply of freshwater the sides of the canyon were overgrown with green moss. There were multiple water falls that cascaded down the side of the canyon. Needless to say, it is still one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to.

Day 4

Day 04 - A picture of your night
Simply because I am in fact a college student, my typical Sunday night consists of coffee, notes, and my iPod. Tonight was no different. I spent most of it studying. Grabbed a quick bite, aka. fed myself to the max, at CiCi's. [Always good while you're there, always bad after] Came home and started my laundry. Talked to my lovely family on the phone. Worked out. About to shower and finish my night by reading some scripture. All in all a productive and wonderful evening.

Day 3

Day 03 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show
This was actually a really hard pick for me, because I like TV shows but I wouldn't say I LOVE any of them in particular. I just like having something to watch before I go to sleep or during a study break. BUT this show reminds me of my childhood which is always a good thing! I actually started watching BMW (Boy Meets World) during the re-runs. I didn't watch a lot of TV as a young kid besides Saturday morning/Sunday morning cartoons. I love love love BMW! Always makes me laugh, with a little drama on the side. And come on who doesn't find Shawn to be a total HUNK? Oh, 90's hair....And then Shawn's brother comes into the picture in later seasons and man, what a HEART THROB! All over the cover of Tiger Beats, for sure. :]

Day 2

Day 02 - A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest

This is Ms. Julie Huerta. We have been friends since forever. Seriously. I was born September 22 and Julie was born November 22. I'm pretty sure we were kickin' it at the YMCA daycare by December. Fun Fact: We share our middle name, Elise. I still remember staying that night at Julie's house when I was like 4 years old. It was my first time to have a "big girl sleepover" and I still have a photo her Mom took of us that night. Now we are both off at college and doing are thing, but I still consider her to be on of my best friends of all time! So blessed to have a life long friend :]

30 Day Challenge

My friend, Mandi, started this 30-day photo challenge. Sounds like fun so I'm going to play along. Be prepared to learn lots of things about me that you probably didn't really care to know. :]



Day 1
A picture of yourself with ten facts

What Comfort Zone?

About two weeks ago I really started praying for God to put a desire in my heart to read The Word daily. I wanted it to be a craving, something that I couldn't stop thinking about or longing for. Well, God answered my prayer. Over the last few weeks I have had an unsatisfiable need to be in The Word. I've been reading on the bus, before class, during lunch, and on study breaks. It's the first thing I reach for in the morning and the last thing I look at before I sleep. What a powerful and almighty God we have!!! All it took was for me to honestly lay down my own life and be completely available to Him.

Through the pass few weeks, God has had me jumping around Scripture but one book I am reading through consistently is Isaiah. This is a HUGE leap of faith for me. I like books like Ephesians and Romans. Books that have those "inspirational" bible verses you could easily paste on a poster. Isaiah is not one of those books. BUT it's a MAJOR contributor to so much of the New Testament. Often when reading through the New Testament I'd come across those lower case subscripts. You know the ones...you look down at the bottom of the page and it gives you the book the quote was taken from and you think to yourself "Oh, that's cool it all ties together." Isaiah was a prophet, a poet, and a politician. He literally stood on street corners while his nation was at a crossroad. Unafraid and without apology, Isaiah confronts his people with harsh and unyielding words of warning and God's power. God, as portrayed in Isaiah, honestly scares me. He's not the jolly Father-figure I imagine, sitting in a rocking chair with a Santa Claus beard. He's angry and hurt by people who continually refuse to obey Him, despite His desperate love for them. Israel didn't see a need for God. Israel was rich, powerful and successful....sound familiar? God had had enough and Isaiah wasn't afraid to talk about it.

So what have I gotten out of this? A huge reminder of the wrath that I deserve as a sinner. This is the God I deserve to face when I die but because of Christ and His complete sacrifice I will be forgiven. My sins have been justified through the death of one man, the true Savior of man kind. I can never be worthy of this. HOW AWESOME IS OUR GOD?

Isaiah will go on to warn surrounding kingdoms of God's power.But he won't stop there, Isaiah will also provide hope. A hope that he will prophesy comes through a "suffering servant".

God doesn't want to fit into my comfort zone. God is so much bigger than my comfort zone. He doesn't want to be placed into a box. Something that I find myself praying, literally every time I pray, is for God to break down the walls in my heart to allow me to openly soak in everything that He wants to teach me. It's in these intimate times with Him that I feel the most at peace. My heart seems lighter and my world seems so full of joy. I was guided to Psalm 90:14 at church on Sunday:
"Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days."
I literally just wrote this on my mirror because this is the prayer of my heart. I never want to lose the craving that I have to spend time with my Father. Open your heart honestly to God, you'll be amazed at how He changes your mind set and provides you with loving comfort.