My Testimony

I have already shared this a while ago, but I am linking up with Through Clouded Glass to share our testimonies to show our thanks for what our Heavenly Father has done for us.  Make sure to go to her blog and check out other testimonies as well!




There is something powerful about a testimony. It's something others can relate to. It speaks beauty and truth. It shows vulnerability and weakness (something all humans struggle with, but don't really like to admit). It's something that shows just how wonderful and amazing our God is. I love hearing other people's testimony. It makes me happy to hear about one more person who found peace in their soul and lives to share His word and His glory.

I didn't find the lord until I was 21 years old. I thought I finally figured out what I wanted to do with my life, what morals I wanted to have and the standards I wanted to live my life by. It's strange because I took 21 years of my life to figure out who I am and what I stood for. Then when I found the Lord, I had to reconstruct my life all over again. Finding Him seriously turns your life upside down and inside out, but it a good great way.

I had a pretty rough childhood. My family loved each other very much, but we are all pretty hot headed and stubborn and that can get in the way sometimes.  We have come a long way from how our dynamic use to be. We were kinda crazy when I was younger. There was a lot of fighting, screaming, cursing and anger. My dad pretty much abandoned us when I was 12. He wanted a new life with a new family and it felt like he didn't want any of us anymore. He moved away to the South and we only spoke on Christmas every year. I tried to pretend like I didn't care, but it was pure heartache. I was not one to fill the void with other guys (Thank the Lord for that!). Instead I became extremely independent. I didn't need my dad and I didn't need anyone else.

Then my step dad moved in and we never really got along (until I was older). He was a marine drill sergeant and I think that was all he knew how to be for a long time. My sisters and I always got into fights with him and my mom and him would fight too. I felt like it was just an angry household. I was angry at a lot of people and I held on to that anger for many many years. I took that anger out on the people who loved me most and I think the rest of my family did the same. We knew we loved each other, but I feel we just didn't know how to handle the stresses of life that came our way.

As I got older, I tried to avoid my family as much as possible. Since it seemed like all my family ever did was fight, I figured it was best to avoid them all together. I tried to keep myself super busy. I had a job at a movie theater, I was super involved in school and clubs and I tried to always make it a point to never be home. It was easier my senior year because my family would go away on weekend trips all the time. I would have to stay home to work and then the off times I would have my friends over to keep me company. Pushing myself away from my family made me depend more on my friends.

I found a sense of belonging with my friends, yet I still felt like something was missing. I never knew what that something was and I never fully realized how big of a hole I had in my heart until later in life.

When I was younger, I was always open to who God was, but I never really felt in my heart that I really had any interest to learn anything about Christianity or God. I didn't really know anyone who was super close to me and openly shared about there faith. So I felt like I wasn't really exposed to Him very much.

Fast forward to when I was 21 and dating James. He had been a Christian pretty much his whole life. He was not as strong in his faith around the time that we started dating, but for some reason, one Sunday he felt compelled to go to church. He asked me to come along, and I am always interested in people's beliefs and religions (even if I don't feel the same way) and so I went to see what it was all about. As soon as the service was over, I was HOOKED! God really pulled at my heartstrings. I asked James all sorts of questions about Christianity and what it meant to be a Christian. I wanted to learn more and I wanted to feel more of what I felt on that Sunday. We started going to church pretty regular after that. We really just jumped right in. A couple of months later we started attending the College Group. That was where I really learned so much of who He is and what my purpose in life was. Being surrounded by people my own age who were on fire for Him blew my mind and helped me grow so much.

The thing that God really helped me with was FORGIVENESS. He forgives me each and every day, for minor and major things. He forgave all my transgressions from my past, the things that I am very ashamed about. He helped me to forgive myself so that I can let go and grow. He helped me forgive those who have hurt me and wronged me so I could move on. He made it possible to forgive my father and my family so that now we can grow with love and respect for one another.

He has made me a new person, and through Him alone I am finally whole.

Thank you Lord, for filling the hole that had once existed in my heart. Thank you for saving me. Thank you for your unending forgiveness. Thank you for loving me, even though I am undeserving. Thank you for your amazing grace and mercy.

Enter the Tiny Prints Contest!

Tiny Prints is hosting a photo contest on there website here. They have multiple categories such as : Cutest Baby, Cutest Kid, Cutest Family, Cutest Couple and Cutest Pet. You can win a $1,000 or a $500 Tiny Prints Gift Certificate (that's should cover Christmas Cards, Birthday Invites, Birth Announcements and more!) And you will be featured in their 2012 marketing campaign. Click here for the official rules.

I haven't decided yet which category I will be submitting a picture for, but you bet I am going to try... hey, $1000 or $500 is a lot of moolah. And we have tons of things coming up that we could use that certificate for. 

You all should go to there facebook page and enter! I know you all are adorable people out there!. Let me know if you decide to enter too! I would love to see your photos!

cravings....

All I have been wanting to eat lately is cold things (even though the weather is a bit chilly). Cold things as in ice cream, rainbow sherbert has been my fave lately. We bought those big bucket of sherbet ice cream, and it is amazing. I craved cold things when I was pregnant with Chloe too, so I am not too surprised that all I want to eat is ice cream and cereal with really cold milk.

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  Ohhh and then for lunch everyday I have an awesome peanut butter and banana sandwich. On toast and sometimes I even add honey. Yum Yum Yum...

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And I have also been craving sour candies, especially Sour Patch Kids. It's wierd because I was on a kick with Milk Duds and Whoppers for a while and now I want nothing to do with chocolate candy... which actually works out well when you have a huge bucket of candy sitting at home that your daughter collected from Halloween... looks like James gets it all to himself...

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What have you been craving lately? 

10 More Truths

I will be partaking in the 100 truths/ Sunday Confessional thing that Deanna from Delirious Rhapsody has going on. I will be sharing 10 truths a week (hopefully I can fulfill all 100). I would love for you to participate too so that I can get to know you a little more!

21. I always say my fave color is Teal, but that's not true. I don't know why I don't want to admit it. It has been teal for as long as I can remember. In reality, I am in love with the colors Mustard Yellow and Pea Green and that love is more than my love for Teal. Maybe it has something to do with food being in the names? haha, I don't know. I still really like teal, but I feel like some days I like it way more than other days.

22. Colors are super important to me. (as if you couldn't tell from the fact above) I don't know about you, but certain colors can take affect on my mood. And I have this weird thing where I almost always associate people with a color. It takes me a long time to decide on a color pallet for things such as home decorating or even what color scheme I am going to use for a party. It took me forever to pick the colors for my blog.

23. I am a control freak. I am working on it though. I love to be in charge and like to know what is going on. I always took lead in school/college projects and always have been good at delegating. It doesn't help that James is more passive and I am more aggressive so it easily sneaks up on me in our relationship. God is teaching me a lot about giving it up to Him and letting him have control in my life. He is also teaching me to allow others to take control and trust that they will do just as good as job as me. When I sit back and relax and let someone else handle it, I realize how fun it is on the "other" side of things.

24. I don't like to swim in dark water, or where I can't touch the bottom. In a swimming pool or otherwise. I just can't do it. I know how to swim, so that is not a problem. I just don't like dark water because you never know what is around you. In a black bottom pool it isn't so bad, but it still makes me feel uncomfortable. I also hate it when I can't touch the bottom. I am not very good at treading water so I want to be able to know that if I get tired or need to stop swimming that I will be okay and not drown. I used to get panic attacks if I couldn't touch the bottom. 

25. I have a love hate relationship with the beach. Which is funny because everyone in San Diego is supposed to LOVE the beach. James and I couldn't care less that the ocean is so close. Yes, it's nice to go visit once in a while and to take out of town family to the beach, but I just don't see what all the fuss is about. Maybe it's because I only have been to overcrowded beaches and I can get over that pretty quickly. Plus you get super sandy and it gets all over you, down your shirt, in your hair and mouth. yuck. then you have to vacuum out your car every time you go and it seems to always be really cold when we go. I do like to see sunsets at the beach though, that is still romantic. I also like the smell of the ocean and the crashing of the waves.... Like I said, it's a love and hate relationship.

26.  I am really into music. Like really really. If James didn't love the same music as me, I don't think we would be married right now. Before I got pregnant with Chloe, I would go to shows all time time and I love to see live music. I am still really into music today, and we are even naming our unborn child after our favorite band, Emery.

27. I gave myself the nickname Chloe in 9th grade. I just one day decided there were too many Michelle's in my classes and I wanted to go by another name. My mom told me the nickname Shelly was a horrible name (could be she had a pretty rotten step sister named Shelly) so I couldn't go with that. There was this show on TV called Smallville that I watched and a lot of my friends told me that I reminded them of Chloe on there, so I chose that name. (In case you watched the show and know who I am talking about, I do have her personality, and I did have short blonde hair back then). The name stuck and I used it quite frequently even in College. When I would go to parties and meet random people I always introduced myself as Chloe. And so, we named Chloe after me.


28. I love to go camping. LOVE LOVE LOVE. My family used to go all the time when we were younger. I love tent camping. I don't mind RV camping, but tent camping is my fave. It really gets you out there connected with nature. I love to wake up to birds chirping and playing cards and nature walks all day. I can't wait for my little ones to be around 4 and up and we will take them camping all the time.


29. I am a night owl. I can stay up super late (well, not now that I am preggo, but that doesn't count). I wish stores stayed open late (thank goodness for 24 hour stores). I love to shop and get things done at night, that is when I am most productive. I don't do mornings very well. James and I sleep in until our alarm goes off for about the 10th time. We really try to push the limit on when we wake up. that is why we are always running late.


30. I never thought I would live to be this old. When I was younger I always had dreams that I was going to die young in a car crash before I ever hit my twenties. I don't know why I had this dream, I don't feel like I had any underlying issues with something that would make me feel that way, but who knows... I am happily living and I hope to have many many many years ahead of me. If it is my time to go, I am not scared to go either for I know I will be with my Father in Heaven.

Please link back and let me know if you are posting 100 truths about YOU!