Lent Challenge: Day 3 - The Foxtrot

This past Tuesday, I went to a dance class with my brother, my daddy, and my friend, Garrett. We learned the FOXTROT!

Surprisingly, it is very simple and only has three, basic steps to it. I was going to post a video of the Foxtrot, but the only good ones I could find was from Dancing with the Stars, and let's just say, they don't make the dance look very basic. Haha.


In case you didn't already know, I love dancing. I think it so much fun, it is a great workout routine, and it is definitely a good date idea (**hint hint to all your fellas out there trying to impress the ladies!).

I would love to take dance classes to learn more of the basic steps of class dances (Waltz, Foxtrot, Shag, Swing, Salsa, etc). There is so much that can be done with dancing. There are no limitations. I wouldn't mind taking some class here in Charleston, but I stay so busy it is hard to find the time for it. Once I graduate, I hope to take dance classes regularly. It will be a fun past time and definitely a great way for me to de-stress after being with a bunch of adolescents all day!

Everytime I go dancing, there is ALWAYS one or two older couples there. I want to be that when I am old!! I want to still be active and dancing with my sweetie :) I guess now, I just need to find my sweet/dance partner. He is probably working on dancing to get ready for me. Haha.

Until next time,
K

There is a time to dance! (Eccles 3:4)

Lent Challenge: Day 2

On May 16th, I will be taking a HUGE step of faith. I will be taking a step that I have never done before. A step that I have always had a pull at my heart to do, but never thought it would happen.

I will be going on a mission trip/summer project to Argentina!! I am sure a lot of you already know about this trip, because I have been talking about it soo much. I can't help it though, I am extremely excited.

Right now, on top of being excited, I am a little overwhelmed. There is a lot of preparations that have to be completed before my trip.  I need to continue raising support for the trip. I need to work on my testimony. I need to be spiritual prepared, which means allowing God to really take the lead of my preparations in the weeks to come. I need to figure out about my summer course I am planning on take as well. Everything will get taken care of...I KNOW this, but at this point it is a little stressful trying to make sure it gets completed while still having school and other things on my mind.

I can already see God working in this situation, and it is wonderful to see all the blessings being poured out. I am so grateful and overjoyed with His amazing Love.

My next step: continue raising support and trusting in the Lord with the financial aspect of the trip. If this is where God wants me to go, then He will take me.

Below is a picture of Buenos Aires, Argentina, which is where I will be :)

Until next time,
K

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. (Psalm 37:5)

Lent Challenge: Day 1

I never really know when Lent starts. I always think it starts the Thursday after Ash Wednesday, but that doesn't make much sense with Tuesday being called "Fat Tuesday".  I guess I will be starting all of this on Wednesday then. Giving it up for good for the next 40ish days. Technically, Sundays do not count in Lent so I could get on to Facebook on these days, but I want to try and refrain from it.

Facebook is too much of a distraction for me. I have PLENTY of other things to be doing. There is always something that needs to be completed for school. I just found out this past Thursday that I will be going to Argentina for six weeks this summer (God willing!!), so I have PLENTY of preparations to do for that.

My goal for the next 40ish days is to replace the time I would be spending on Facebook with more productive activities.

I am going to miss not knowing whose birthday is coming up, so I am going to go ahead and wish everyone a HAPPY BIRTHDAY that has one in the next 40ish days. If you want to stay in contact with what's going on in my life, I plan on blogging everyday for the next 40ish days. You can also email me at Kacey2395@hotmail.com or even better, CALL ME :)

I am excited for this challenge. If you decided to give something up for Lent, I pray that the temptation of pursuing it during this time will decrease and that you will be able to refocus your attention on other things. Feel free to email me any prayers requests that you may have. I am here for any kinds of encouragement or support.

Until next time,
K

What to Give Up for a Little While?

Next week marks the beginning of Lent.

Up until last year, I would give up random things without even thinking twice about it.  Most of the time it was something insignificant and didn't really matter that I even gave it up.

I was missing the point of Lent. This is a time to take away something that consumes you and distracts you from other things in life. Well last year, I faced the truth: Facebook consumes me. As I am writing this, I have a tab opened for Facebook. I spend way too much time on it. Mainly just going on other people's pages. I don't find it a bad thing to be informed of what's going on in other people's lives, but I end up wasting a lot of time on Facebook in place of doing more important or productive things.

Last year I gave up Facebook because I became envious and jealous of what others had or what they were doing. I became extremely negative towards myself about it. I hate to admit it, but it's true. After I gave up Facebook for Lent, I felt so much better about myself. I realized I didn't need to rely so heavily on Facebook.

This year, I am giving up Facebook...AGAIN, but not for the same reason.  I have other things that need to be accomplished throughout my day. Too many things. I want to let go of this huge distraction for a little while.

Some of the things I want to do in place of going on Facebook:
1. Spending time with God
2. Sewing
3. Writing letters
4. Catching up on my reading
5. Blogging

Spending more time with God is definitely the biggest goal for me during this time.

My second goal is to blog more. Since I won't be on Facebook, I want to still be connected with everyone.  My goal is to blog about something. ANYTHING for each day of Lent. I am leaving this open to anything. From a deep thought-out post to a picture to a craft to a song to a Bible verse to ...anything.  This might change as Lent progresses, but that's where I am at for now.

If you don't know me, I really enjoy challenges. I think this is going to be a good challenge. A fun one too. If you have any suggestions for what I can blog about, please share! I would love suggestions!

Are you giving up anything for Lent? Can I challenge you to purposefully give something up for Lent that will help you grow in your walk with Christ? I pray that whatever you give up, do it wholeheartedly and with the intent of looking to the Lord for guidance throughout that time.

Love you!

Until next time,
K

ShoesDay #12

It has been too long since I did a ShoesDay. This means that I probably need to shop for shoes over Spring Break so I have a pair to write about ;)

In case you have NO IDEA what ShoesDay is, check out the very first post!

This post won't be about a specific pair of my shoes, but shoes in general.  I found an awesome article on the GirlsGoneWise website.  I found the article to be very applicable to my own life and was a good self-check. Plus it talked about shoes, so automatically I had to read it.

Here is the article:
"Your Spiritual Shoe Closet" by: Katie McCoy

We women are probably not sporting a swagger in the office, bragging about the latest golf game or competing for the most impressive story of a death-defying mountain-climbing excursion. As women, we’re likely to be far more subtle in those attitudes that God’s Word simply calls, “pride.” In my life, it seems like there are as many variations on personal pride as there are shoes in my closet, each of them for a different purpose, each of them worn on different occasions. Since James 4:6 says that God is opposing the proud, but gives grace to the humble, I need to take inventory of my “Spiritual Shoe Closet.”


The High-Heeled Stiletto of Self-Reliance - Because you’re an independent woman who knows how to make a statement!


That famous line, “I am woman, hear me roar!” captures the essence of personal pride. C.J. Mahaney’s Humility says, “Pride is when sinful human beings aspire to the status and position of God and refuse to acknowledge their dependence upon Him.” Jesus said, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Nothing. My attitude of self-sufficiency and self-reliance is an offense to my God and the reality of His empowering grace in my life. Second Corinthians 3:4-5 reminds us of where competence comes from: “Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God.” Have you been walking around in the powerfully impressive, but precariously unstable Stiletto of Self-Reliance?
The Gaudy Gladiators of Competitive Rivalry - The more outlandish the better!


Galatians 6:3-5 warns against comparing ourselves to others to fuel our self-perception: “For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor.” For each will have to bear his own load. Miriam must have been lacing up the straps to her spiritual Gaudy Gladiators when she challenged her brother, Moses. “Has The Lord indeed spoken only through Moses?” (Num. 12:2). In a spirit of rivalry, she believed she was just as deserving of power, despite what God had set up. Philippians 2:3 commands us to “do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”


The Clunky Boots of Selfish Ambition - When you just need to kick people out of your way!

This is one shoe I find myself wearing with just about anything! Before you plow over another sister in Christ with the Clunky Boots of Selfish Ambition, consider Whose attitude we should emulate: “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.” (Phil. 2:4-7)
The Elevated Platforms of Self-Righteousness - Because it’s so much nicer outside when you’re above everyone else!
Instead of acknowledging that it’s God, “who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light,” (Col. 1:11), the Elevated Platform of Self-Righteousness forgets that we have nothing good, righteous or pleasing to God apart from Christ. Self-righteousness tries to remove a speck from another’s eye with a plank stuck in theirs, while humility bears another’s burdens and restores in a spirit of gentleness (Matt. 7:1-5, Gal. 6:1-2)


The Casual Slip-ons of Self-Ascribed Influence - So comfortable, you’ll forget you’re even wearing them!
C.J. Mahaney defines pride as “contending for supremacy with God.” In every influence for good that you and I may have, God is the Master Conductor – we’re just His instruments. In assuming the credit for what ultimately God alone has the power to do, we forget to ask ourselves, “What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?” (1 Cor. 4:17) Next time you reach for the Casual Slip-Ons of Self-Ascribed Influence, remember: “In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me…” (Rom. 15:17)
The Unassuming Sandals of a Humble Perspective – They may not look like much on the outside, but they’ll never wear out!
“Humility is honestly assessing ourselves in light of God’s holiness and our sinfulness.” (Humility, 22). It’s when we lose focus of ourselves and fix our eyes on Jesus (Heb. 12:2) that God works in us the kind of humility to which He turns His attention. “Thus says the LORD: ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool… All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word,” (Is. 66:1-2)
Have you been wearing something out of season for a new creature in Christ? It’s time for all of us to clean out our Spiritual Shoe Closets!




Until next time,
K

Sewing Projects

I extremely dislike how I haven't posted anything in like forever and a day.


I have been wanting to, but I keep putting on the backburner and working on other projects.


This weekend I am playing catch-up with schoolwork, sewing projects, and some much needed relax time.


I completed a few sewing projects within the last month!


I FINALLY finished the shirt for my friend, Mike. I am pretty impressed with how it turned out. Actually that is an understatement. I am VERY impressed with how it turned out.  It took me forever to finish it seems like. Anyways, here is the finished product:



 If you want me to make you a button-up shirt let me know...I probably will have it done with it in a year from now ;)

I have really been into making hair accessories recently.  Most of the ones that I make just require a hot-glue gun and not sewing!  The following are examples of my most recent hair accessories: (Some of them being for myself or friends)

Until next time,

K

Wonderful Wednesdays #2

It's Wednesday! Which means it's two more days until the weekend. I realized as I'm writing this why it is soo important for me to have a positive outlook on Wednesdays.  Wednesdays are my longest days for school.  I go from 12 until 10 will a few small breaks. It's basically like being in high school again with an eight-hour day, but just starting later. "Wonderful Wednesdays" help me to not get overwhelmed with the thought of how long my day will be, but instead focus on the joys from the previous week.

This Wonderful Wednesday will be about MY WONDERFUL WEEKEND.

I had an amazing weekend! Why? Because I got to spend time with my family. I went home on Thursday evening after my class around 7 PM.  I had been planning this since Monday and had planned on surprising my mother. Now usually when I try to surprise her, somehow she always ends up finding out.  But this time it was kept a secret all week!

So when I got home, my mother was already in bed, but my dad woke her up and told her something was wrong with James (the newest pet addition to the family since December), so of course she gets up.  Of course there was nothing wrong with little James, so when she gets downstairs, I am there waiting for her. :) My mother is not one for holding in her excitement so she was overly zealous about seeing me.

This past weekend was just what I needed: a break from the routine of school life.

I got to relax. Sleep in my comfy bed. Watch television. Play with my Daisy dog. Shop. See my church family. Workout. Go Samba dancing. Spend time with my family.

That was the best part of the weekend: spending time with my family.

I love my family. I will admit that I have missed them these past few weeks. It really has only been a few weeks since I saw them last, but it seems much longer.  Since Adam moved back home, I don't get my weekly family hangout time anymore. I think that accounted for alot of the homesickness this past week.

But the weekend was just what I needed. I'm back in Charleston. Refreshed. Ready to continue on this week and face any of the challenges that each day brings.

Until next time,
K

Families are like fudge - mostly sweet with a few nuts. ~Author Unknown