encouragement

April 9, 2012               
                 "Later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah."               

Genesis 30:21, NLT

                    "As far as we know, Dinah was the only daughter of Jacob and Leah. She had ten older brothers and two younger ones. When Dinah was probably a teenager, she and her family moved to Shechem. Jacob, her father, bought a piece of land outside of town where they pitched their tents. Jacob was actually procrastinating about fulfilling a promise to God to return to Bethel and worship. Jacob's delay proved disastrous for his family.

Apparently no one really paid much attention to Dinah until she went out for a walk one day in the city of Shechem. During her visit to town, she was raped by Shechem, the son of the ruler of the city. Violated and shamed, Dinah found herself in the center of a family crisis. Shechem asked his father to arrange a marriage with Dinah. But in Jacob’s and his sons' eyes, Dinah had been damaged and their family had been insulted. Jacob failed to provide any fatherly leadership in this situation, and his sons took matters into their own hands. The results were treacherous and bloody.

In all of this, the victim was overlooked. Dinah was neither comforted nor consulted. Instead, she was treated with almost as much disrespect by her family as she was originally by Shechem. Dinah's brothers profited from the massacre of Shechem. Jacob was angry at his sons for their actions, but he hadn't given them any direction. Meanwhile, Dinah slipped back into oblivion and was never mentioned again. Her story reminds us of the tragedies which occur when family members are careless with each other. Someone ends up paying a high price.

You probably know someone who can identify closely with Dinah. Perhaps you have experienced that same anonymity as a victim who was unnoticed or forgotten. Remember several glimmers of hope: Even when everyone else forgets, God doesn't; when no one seems to notice, God does; when no one seems to care, God does; when you feel all alone, you aren't. And one of the first lessons God will teach you as you depend on him is that there are others who also care and are willing to help. Begin to speak to God today in prayer about your past.

Do you ever wonder how often each day you pass by people who are convinced they are worthless? "              

Defining Seasons in Your Life

Confession:  I know that I have not been faithful AT ALL with blogging.  This is very apparent.  The truth is, my role at the company I work for has drastically changed!  I went from shifting papers to marketing to now basically running the business....all because someone decided to lie, cheat, manipulate, and steal. The sad part of it all is this man was my dad's best friend.     

Here is the story in short: 
        The company that I work for was started by a few men wanting to start a Sleep Study business to provide a convenient outlet for patients to have a diagnostic sleep study performed at an independent sleep facility.  Well, my father ended up financially backing the company so that these men would not go under in their entrepreneurial endeavors.  Once this company started to get on its feet, my father brought his best friend into the company as to provide him with a job (since he had already lost his first one from stealing).  My dad, in good loyal faith, gave him the opportunity of a "second chance".  Two months after my dad placed him as Manager/CEO in the company, this man began to embezzle money from the company.  This lasted for 4 years.  This past February (2011), my father received some information that prompted him to confront his best friend about him frauding the company.  The man confessed to it and then went on to steal even more money from the company until July 2011.  Even after my father extended him grace and tried to let him make things right....he continued to lie, cheat, manipulate and steal.  Finally, my father absolutely could not take it any more.  I was told of what was going on in February, but I had to continue to work there all the while knowing what this man and his wife were doing to my family.  (I forgot to mention that his wife did billing in the office)  I couldn't say ANYTHING to the office...I had to pretend that I didn't know anything.  I just had to sit back and watch this man tear up my father's heart. Not only did he steal from my parents over $1million, he stole from me and my husband (the company was to be given to us) and also to our future children. They stole part of my parent's inheritance.  And I could honestly go on and on about the methods he used and how he has created such a mess even for his children...but I will spare the details.  Well, in September, my father came into the office and fired him, finally.  I will never forget my dad crying and the words that he said to his "best friend".  I will never forget it. 
       Well, now I am running the company at age 24.  Very exciting....but even more scary.  This man has left us with more bills that he conjured up over the years.  For a few weeks, we didn't know if we would even make it with all the debt this man had created for this company.  I mean, he forged so many checks and loans that my dad knew nothing about. So now, my honesty is coming forth and we are dedicated to making this company the absolute best that it can be.  It's not easy AT ALL...but I have faith.  I know that there is so much potential for this company to be phenomenal!  It's about time that there was a healthcare provider that was honest and concerned about patient care FIRST.
       So yes, this is a very defining season in my life.  Very very difficult! But God never said this life would be easy.

I swear, this would make for a very good reality show!  Or even a comedy!


Please pray for me and my family as we continue to go through all of this.   It is federal now, so it is completely out of my families hands.

ceci and driving

Last night my youngest sister decided to grace us with her presence and SPEND THE NIGHT!!! I was sooooo excited she was gonna stay with us! Of course this is our "poor week" (the week before we get paid), so we really didn't have anything that would be deemed "delicious" to cook up and eat.  So I decided to head over to my parens' house and help myself to their abounding grocery selection! (Thank God for parents and well-stocked refrigerators)!!!!  After I conjured up a few yummies, we left...that's when all the fun started!!! My precious sister is HILARIOUS! If you know Ceci, you know how quick-witted she is.  She defines "cool" in a completely AWESOME way! :)  Well, she was gonna help me cook...and that went nowhere.  So she just relaxed and decided to accompany me to the store to get some last minute milk :) Well, since she is now 15 (and has her permit), I decided it was time for her to drive ME around.  I'm pretty sure I did not stop laughing....she has this "I'm-being-cautious-so-I'm-gonna-stop-100yds-before-the-stop-sign" way to her and it is HILARIOUS!!! Needlesstosay----she definitely needs a few more rounds of driving before she is deemed "safe".  But once we came back to the house, we watched Finding Nemo and just talked. There wasn't a whole lot of "hoopla" in the evening...but it was perfect.

sometimes "FWDs" are a good thing

This was a part of an email that my dad sent me...I liked it.

READ ON.

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction...It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them (our children) to do the same." ~President Ronald Reagan

This was in the Waco Tribune Herald, Waco , TX Nov 18, 2010

"Put me in charge . . ."

"Put me in charge of food stamps. I'd get rid of Lone Star cards; no cash for

Ding Dongs or Ho Ho's, just money for 50-pound bags of rice and beans,

blocks of cheese and all the powdered milk you can haul away. If you want

steak and frozen pizza, then get a job.

Put me in charge of Medicaid. The first thing I'd do is to get women

Norplant birth control implants or tubal ligations. Then, we'll test

recipients for drugs, alcohol, and nicotine and document all tattoos and

piercings. If you want to reproduce or use drugs, alcohol, smoke or get

tats and piercings, then get a job.

Put me in charge of government housing. Ever live in a military barracks?

You will maintain our property in a clean and good state of repair. Your

"home" will be subject to inspections anytime and possessions will be

inventoried. If you want a plasma TV or Xbox 360, then get a job and your

own place.

In addition, you will either present a check stub from a job each week or

you will report to a "government" job. It may be cleaning the roadways of

trash, painting and repairing public housing, whatever we find for you. We

will sell your 22 inch rims and low profile tires and your blasting stereo

and speakers and put that money toward the “common good..”

Before you write that I've violated someone's rights, realize that all of

the above is voluntary. If you want our money, accept our rules.. Before

you say that this would be "demeaning" and ruin their "self esteem,"

consider that it wasn't that long ago that taking someone else's money for

doing absolutely nothing was demeaning and lowered self esteem.

If we are expected to pay for other people's mistakes we should at least

attempt to make them learn from their bad choices. The current system

rewards them for continuing to make bad choices.

AND While you are on Gov’t subsistence, you no longer can VOTE! Yes that is

correct. For you to vote would be a conflict of interest. You will

voluntarily remove yourself from voting while you are receiving a Gov’t

welfare check. If you want to vote, then get a job.

Now, if you have the guts - PASS IT ON... "

today

So I prayed this morning that I would have energy and the stamina to get through this day and to really enjoy my time at work....well....still waiting for that to kick in! In the meantime, though, I am constantly thinking about this new workout regimen that I am getting slightly addicted to!!!! Crossfit.  LOVE IT! It really pushes me to the absolute worst! I really hate it when I'm doing it, but I end up feeling soooooo great after! One of my favorite aspects of it, is I get to do it with my dad and my husband.  It's pretty interesting to see the different dynamics of each person and to really see them push hard after their goals!  I honestly don't see how I could go back to a regular gym after doing this....sure it isn't super convenient---but I love it so much, I just don't care!

lets get honest

Honest moment: 

So, its been awhile since I've updated the blog...mostly because I just can't think of anything to write that isn't uber personal or somewhat comical.  Probably because I can't stop "thinking".  I can't seem to get "planning my future" out of my head....Lately, I've been thinking about it constantly....should I go to med school; should I pursue grad school (and in what???); should I not get a cat; should I get my RPSGT; should I pursue a totally different career????? It might be because my sister is in town (just graduated college and is pursuing her career goals that my fam is uber impressed about...or it could be that my cousin just graduated med school and is about to embark in her residency...or it could be that I just feel like a wasted brain. I don't really know what it is.  And I'm even to the point that I can't really talk about it or even pray about it.  It makes me upset and even more confused than when I started with "Dear God...".  I'm a thinker, a visionary, and a dreamer.  But I'm also quite driven.....and in this "rut that just gets rutt-ier and rutt-ier" I'm having quite a difficult time finding the motivating glow.  Everytime I start thinking on that downward spiral, I hear the word "patience".  BAAAHHHH! Such an annoying word....especially when you have no idea what that is even going to look like.

anyway---needed to get that out.

enough said.

Something from my Devo that I desperately needed today:

"Household gods give worthless advice, fortune-tellers predict only lies, and interpreters of dreams pronounce falsehoods that give no comfort. So my people are wandering like lost sheep; they are attacked because they have no shepherd."

Zechariah 10:2, NLT

"We often create idols of money, power, fame, or success, and then we expect them to give us happiness and security. But these idols can't supply what we need any more than a stone image can make it rain.

'How foolish it is to trust in idols. Instead, trust God's promises for your future.'"