WAIT

Typically the idea of waiting is full of negative emotions. Twenty first century culture demands everything RIGHT NOW. There is consistently a new upgrade for faster.... everything. From our instant communication via cell phones and internet to even the food we eat, there is a constant expectation that everything should be fast.

Have you ever clicked on a program on your computer and then because it didn't immediately appear, click it 20 more times just to have it open all 20 times a few seconds later?

It is so easy for us to get frustrated when we don't get what we want immediately. Think about the devices you have- cell phone, computer, internet- any of it. Now think back 10 years. Or even less than that. Remember how much SLOWER everything was? There is a constant acceleration of all those little things that are supposed to save time, yet our lives seem to get busier and busier.

So. You're seeking the Lord and He responds to you- not with a yes, not with a no, but a "WAIT." What is your reaction?

Do we even know how to wait anymore??

In recent days, the Lord has placed an expectation in the hearts of many of His followers for the coming age. There is a sense among a whole lot of believers right now that something is about to change. Some have hope of fulfilled dreams. Others don't know what to expect- it's just a sense that something is about to happen. But for now? We wait.

While our culture demands everything fast- we actually do have some sense of waiting. In all actuality, our "now" demands have set us up to have more expectant waiting than ever before. Years ago, you sent a letter to someone and you knew you had to wait for it to get to the person, then even once he or she responded, it had to go through the mail all over again to get back to you. Therefore, when you drop the letter in the mail, you may not even think about it again for a while. You might even forget about it. Now, if you shoot a message to someone through email, it's perfectly normal to receive something back even the same day. We've grown to expect it.

We expect a quick response from most everything these days. From microwaves, to the new annoying second-by-second mini news feed on facebook, everything is RIGHT NOW. While waiting for your food in the fast food line, what do you think about? You may sit and think about what you have to do later on or about that phone call you need to make, but all the while you sit there with an expectation that food is coming quickly. You may be thinking on other things, but you definitely haven't forgotten that you are about to have food. In fact, you may even find yourself getting frustrated if it takes a little longer than expected.

So I ask again.... When the Lord tells you to wait, how do you react? What do you do? What SHOULD you do?

Well. To be honest, I don't know.

Wait I guess?

No, but seriously. What does waiting look like? What is the "doing" in the "waiting"?

Well, heres what I know about waiting. When I wait, there's an expectancy for a certain result. As I wait, I am consistently thinking of that "expected end." I look forward with nervousness, frustration or excitement depending on the situation. Nervousness comes when I've got time to freak myself out about the results ahead- its that butterflies in the stomach feeling you get when you're about to give a speech or something. Frustration comes when I am simply sick of waiting- usually this is when I've got somewhere to be and somethings or someone is holding me up. Excitement in waiting is when I know something awesome is up ahead. Its when our usual reaction is, "I can't wait!"

When God says wait, why do I so often choose nervousness or frustration? Why is it that I've allowed culture to tell me waiting is negative? Why do I let myself get caught up in what I am supposed to DO in this moment?

Waiting is not about the doing, but instead, it's more a mindset. Its inserted hope. Its something we can expect.

Galatians 5:5 says, " For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness."
So often, our faith is about waiting on the Lord. We expect right relationship with Him and do all we can by faith. He shows up without fail every time. What a faithful God we have!

So maybe we should start changing our view of waiting. Instead of dreading the process, and associating waiting with long doctors office visits or being stuck in traffic with some place to be, lets choose hope.

Waiting IS hope. If it's our faithful King whose saying it, we know there's an incredible end we can expect. When the Lord tells us to wait, He's doing something for our good and is promising us a good outcome.

Hope for it.

Expect it.

Wait on the Lord.


"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."
Isaiah 40:31

Women With Attitude

I just love a woman with attitude

A woman that knows how to give back as good as she gets

A woman that will stand her ground toe to toe and not back down

I have never been one to let someone run over me and I never will, but I have been catching some grief over Blake and I getting back together. I do appreciate all your concern for me honest I do, but I will be just fine. I can honestly say that I wasn't in love with Blake when we were together the first time and it was just so easy to walk away when I did. But, as they say absence makes the heart grow fonder and it certainly has where Blake is concerned. I can now say I love him with all my heart where I couldn't when we were together before. I know that Blake loves me without a doubt.

Blake and I are starting off just dating again, and I am sorry if I hurt someone in the process. I could never hurt anyone intentionally (that just isn't me). But, I will admit I need to be happy and Blake makes me happy. He is witty and charming, and he makes me laugh and keeps me smiling =) 

I am a big girl trust me I know what I am doing! 

The Long Road Home

I know I may seem crazy dating Blake again, but one thing I have learned without him is how much I truly love and miss him. Our lives seem to keep colliding although we have been apart. 

1. The first incident that truly stands out was  Halloween  2012

Everyone that truly knows me should know how much I love Halloween and how I will always go all out planning my costume for next year far in advance. When I was with Blake I had already purchased our costumes before we broke up. The costumes was that of Hansel and Gretel and I left his costume at his house in his closet when I left and took mine. I would see Blake sometimes on occasion like at work or the grocery store, the mall, or a dinner party of mutual friends. After I moved out and I broke up with him I would not call him and I asked him to not contact me in anyway. As far as facebook he was still on my friends list, but I only liked something he posted a couple times just as I would any friend. Then Halloween 2012 arrived and I decided to wear the costume I purchased that matched Blake's. I was at a bar that had a costume contest and had just walked out of the ladies room when a guy approached me and said Damn if it isn't Gretel. Then he says,  I just passed Hansel over there "Please tell me he is your brother?" My reaction was asking where?  The guy pointed Hansel out and of course it was Blake. I started to leave, but I needed to tell my friends and Blake was at our table. I can't just leave now I tell myself he knows I am here, and just then he looks my way and sees me and smiles and takes a bow. We did talk a lot that night and then started talking on the phone some, but I never had any intention of dating him again. 

2. The second incident was at a faculty Christmas party 2012

We both knew we would both be there and he asked me to go as his date but I wouldn't, but we talked at the party as well and my feelings for the first time in all the time we had been together started to surface. It was time for me to bow out gracefully, and not contact him again. So I did so. 

3. The third incident  was at the grocery store sometimes in January 2013

Blake always shops in town so he doesn't have to drive 20 miles and then stop and shop before getting home, but I had no idea he shopped at this grocery store I was in. We stood there in the store and my mixed vegetables defrosting for at least an hour. It seemed like a few minutes, but when I finally looked at my watch it had been an hour. I ran into another time at this same store, but I was in a hurry to get home. 

4. The forth incident was as I was walking through the mall he came up behind me and scared me and this was in late February 2013.

At this time I was seeing a guy I met at Starbucks and I was reluctant to talk with Blake although I did not tell this to Blake. He asked, if I would join him at the food court and talk but I refused since I was seeing someone. But, we did stand there and talk for about 20 minutes and he listened as I listed all my purchases and how much of a discount I received for each item. haha (Inside Joke) 

5, The fifth incident was as a guy I was seeing and I was seated at the bar waiting for a table at a restaurant on the 2nd of March 2013.

I hear, "there's Amber dude!" and I turn and look into Blake's eyes. He looked sad, lost, hurt but never said a word only stood there for what seemed like an eternity and looked at me. I actually felt hurt and embarrassed. 

I have to admit I had seen Blake countless times at work and there was a point that I would avoid him if I possibly could, and for the longest time I would not talk to him. I simply did not know what to say to him. But, on this Sunday morning as I returned home from a date I could not wait 5 minutes without calling Blake. Asking him to come over so we could talk. He was asleep when I called him. He had left the restaurant and went straight home. This was the first time ever I truly realized he loved me and the first time ever I realized I loved him. 

At this point there is just dating/starting over. 

Far too much had happened to pick up where we left off and start over again. For the first time ever I am in love with him and I know this without a doubt. 

I am happy being in love again and happy that someone loves me back. 

I never thought I could love this way again, but it has happened.

I LOVE YOU BLAKE ROSSI  

   

   

What Sights I visit most. "What are yours?"

I know you have those "go to" websites.  You know...the ones you have to visit most every day.

Let's share them on here.  I'd love to find some new interesting and fun things to read, so I'm asking you to leave a comment with your favorites in it.

If we all participate, we should find some really good stuff!

Here are mine:

Pinterest (duh...if you haven't checked it out, I am going to apologize for the addiction you will soon have).  Find me on there by looking for Amber. =).  I am finding so many good quotes, funny sayings, beautiful decorating tips, wonderful gift ideas, and delicious-looking recipes!

The Happy Place - sometimes a bit crude and irreverent, but quite funny as well.

Damn You Autocorrect - still leaves me in tears every time. Not suitable for children so make sure no little eyes are spying over your shoulder.

Uncluttered - This just sings to me.

22 Words - Collection of a lot of great internet finds.

1000 Awesome Things - I love that others find joy in so many of the things that I do!


So what are yours?  Please share so we can all find some great new places to visit!

8 Activities when TV is out of the question

So last week I heard a ridiculous commercial on the radio. It was this family talking about taking nature walks in a torrential downpour because hey – what else were they supposed to do since their satellite dish had lost a signal due to the storm.

It was laughable.  I know – they were just using a silly sales tactic, but it was absurd to think that there was nothing on earth that this family could do when it was raining and they didn't have access to their regularly scheduled programming.

Here are 8 ideas of things to do rather than watch TV shows (regardless of the reason):

1.Board Games:  If you don’t have any board games in your house – well, shame on you.  =)  Seriously though – it’s a great way to invest time together as a family and just have fun as a whole.  Make sure they are age appropriate of course, but there are tons of games for little ones on the shelves.  In fact, many of the ones for younger children are cheaper, so it shouldn't be a big investment for a lot of fun. Even if they are too young to play, you can have your 3-year old count and move your Monopoly piece around the board for you or something similar to help involve them.

2. Card Games:  If you can’t tell, I’m a game lover. Card games are great for all ages and more than just having fun, they can actually teach you things without it feeling like you are learning.  You can play Go Fish for number recognition. You can play Rummy or Gin Rummy for strategy.  You can teach various forms of solitaire for counting.  I’ll include in the card game category games like dominoes as well, where you can learn adding and counting in multiples of five.

3. Build a fort:  Yep – out of couch cushions and sheets and tables and whatever you have handy.  Open up a world of imagination for your children – and join them inside if you dare. =)

4. Read: You can take one of two approaches here.  Either read a book as a family.  If the little ones get bored, you can even have them act it out.  To encourage reading in your children who are literate, each family could also take time apart with their own favorite type of book.  Whether it is a classic novel, a newspaper, some silly teenage vampire romance (yes, I have read them too), a hobby magazine, or a comic book, reading is reading. And it’s all good for everyone.

5. Crafts: You don’t have to be a domestic version of Hobby Lobby for this one. It’s amazing what types of crafts you can do with items you already have around your house. Just Google “Crafts with Household Items” or something similar.  You’ll be amazed what you can create.  And don’t just leave it to the kids – join in for some real family time together.

6. Movie: Just because you don’t have access to your TV programming doesn't mean you can’t settle in for a family movie together.  Media is not all bad and it can truly create some great memories.  Pop some popcorn and watch something from your DVD collection. Maybe there are some oldies but goodies that you haven’t seen in a long time or that you've never shared with your children. Enjoy the time together!

7. Video Games: Yes, mom. Those incessant video games. Sit down and play them with them. They will find your inability to conquer the Dragon King (totally just made that up – I think!) funny. You’ll get to see what it is they are doing all of that time. And you just might enjoy it! Even if they balk at the idea – they will remember that time that Mom couldn't just over that giant chasm to save her life.

8. Cleaning:  I know – this one sounds utterly mind numbing (unless you’re a clean freak like me).  Put a sock on the hands of the tots and send them around the baseboards.  Teach older little ones how to fold towels.  Let older ones vacuum the floors, clean the blinds, etc.  You never know – you just might get all of your spring cleaning tasks done without having to dread doing them.  Put it all to music so you can all dance around while doing it to make it a bit more enjoyable. Whatever works – just make the most of it!
 What are some other ideas of things you can do as a family if you suddenly find yourself not able to watch your favorite TV shows?

Things That Drive Me Crazy

1.  People who type in text speak.  You know...I get it.  Before we had qwerty keyboards on our phones, it was a lot easier to type "u" instead of "you" and ""gr8" instead of "great."  Now that you can type with the strength of a regular keyboard, please stop acting as if you have a limited number of spaces and are trying to create a personalized license plate. It's not funny, it's hard to read, and it makes you look uneducated. 
2. When people change the spelling of a perfectly good word to create a business or blog name with repetitive letters. Yeah, yeah. I get it. My name starts with a "A" and there are more "C" words than "A" words that I could use in a business name. That doesn't give me the right to change the word. It's not catchy. It's not quirky. It just makes you hard to find in the phone book. If you are reading this and your blog falls into this category, I don't think you're a bad person. But I probably don't like the name of your blog. Sorry. You don't have to like the name of mine either.


3. Speaking of spelling: when Microsoft Word insists that it knows what I want to type. I know, I am a far worse speller these days than I was before spell check. But seriously - just underline it in red and I'll come back to it.  Please don't change it for me on the fly. You just might be wrong and I might miss it. And while we're busy with that spell check thing - if it is capitalized - LIKE MY NAME - I have probably spelled it correctly.  Yes, I know I can turn on that "ignore capitalization" thing and I know I can add my name to the Dictionary. Just stop questioning me on my spelling, darn it!
4. People who wait until the last minute to merge - intentionally.  Yes. I'm talking to you, jerkface. I know you saw that "lane closed ahead ahead" sign somewhere within the last 2 miles just like I did. Instead of trying to find a nice place to merge early and make for a smooth transition where everyone can continue to drive along seamlessly, you feel you need to rush up to the front where the lane finally does end and take advantage of someone nice enough to let you in - or worse yet, try to nose your way in.  Guess what?  I love when my fellow motorists and I join together in a silently understood gesture of solitude and bunch up together as to not let you in. It makes me happy on the inside. 
5. When people speak poorly of everyone else's driving, yet drive like an idiot themselves. I know...I'm really setting myself up with this one and the last one.  But I will admit I am not the best driver on earth. I do, at least, usually try to be cautious although I don't always succeed.  These people I am speaking of make generalizations about EVERYONE else's driving and then become more a part of the problem than part of the solution. I have a good friend that is like this. I have jokingly made a comment about it, but for the most part, have to bite my tongue. 

A Lovely Winter's Glow (Sugar Scrub)

From living in what I like to call, ‘the "Big City" 'Baltimore Maryland, I can say this from personal experience; winter can be rough on skin. Whether it is the dry hot air needed to keep you cozy or cold, arctic blasts chafing at you exposed skin outside – nourishing your skin in time for spring is a must to get it back in shape! Fortunately, you do not need to hire a team of dermatologists or spend a week at a spa to do so, although a week at a spa relaxing would be quite enjoyable! Just a few simple ingredients mixed together and you can create your own at-home spa-like experience for a fraction of the cost.

Before you start, gather the ingredients you will need:
 ½ cup Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (unrefined)
1 cup Raw, Unrefined Sugar
6 drops Peppermint Essential Oil (optional)
1 or 2 containers with tight fitting lids (you will need 2 if you use the peppermint oil)
Labels / Marker (optional)

You can find these items at most large grocery stores. Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (EVCO) is usually sold near the other cooking oils and it is solid at room temperature. If you have never purchased it before, you will notice it is usually sold in short, wide glass jars and not bottles. For the sugar, you will need a small bag that is able to be scooped from or poured. Do not purchase the individual packets – opening enough for the recipe will be rather tedious. The peppermint essential oil can be found at a pharmacy or specialty nutrition shop. It is not required but will make the second scrub smell amazing. Many online retailers sell it as well. Directions: Divide your EVCO equally into 1/4 cups each in two microwave safe bowls. Take your first bowl and microwave it for about 30-45 seconds or until the oil is melted. (Do not heat the oil until boiling!) Once your oil is melted, mix 1/2 cup of your Raw, Unrefined Sugar into the oil until it is thoroughly mixed. This is your body sugar scrub. Label your container “Body Scrub”.

For the second batch, follow all of the same directions above except once you have your raw sugar and EVCO thoroughly mixed, add 6 drops of the Peppermint Essential Oil. This will be your foot scrub and will smell very much like Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookie™. Label your second container “Peppermint Foot Scrub”. Usage: During a hot bath or shower, rub an ample amount of the sugar scrub to your body, concentrating on the rough, dry patches. Allow the scrub to sit on your skin for a few minutes then rinse off for noticeably softer skin. Do the same with the foot scrub. Enjoy your new glowing winter skin!