It's fine, I'll find... someone like YOUUUU!!!
Why would someone want another version of the man that broke their heart because they didn't love them enough?
How would that make the new man feel to know he was chosen by her simply because he was similar to the man she's really in love with?
Not I, says Andrea, Andrea would want a different man entirely, someone who sticks with you through thick and thin, a man that doesn't operate on feelings and emotions but on good decency and common sense.
The world is just messed up these days with how they operate their dating system. How long is it going to take them before they realize something's gotta change? HM?
People often say, "Andrea, you need to get out more (in the world), so you can meet people."
And, "how do you know who you're going to marry if you don't date?"
I don't think I want to go out into the world to find a husband that's supposed to be apart from the world.
So, go to Church! Church? Shouldn't your reason to go to Church be to worship God and to be encouraged and strengthened by His word? Not to seek out a spouse?
If your motive for Church-going is to find a husband, please don't go at all.
I do admit, Church is a fine place to meet a fine man to marry, but this shouldn't be your goal. And it isn't mine. Aside from that, my Church is televised on the internet so it's not as though I can jump right through and go man-hunting there.
So your plans have been foiled for my Church-finding-husband-hunting.
So, how do I know who I'm going to marry if I don't get "out" and if I don't date?
People...Please. It's the 21st century, when are you going to get with a program? There is a system out there that is undeniably the single most prestigious way of finding your future spouse.
The internet?
NIGH!!! Would you de-technify your mind for a moment and listen?
God. God is the best way to find your spouse, He's the universe's most awesomest match-maker.
I know you have to know people in order to marry them, and that's not my problem. But I'm not going to run out to Wal-Mart in a cold sweat, afraid I'm going to miss my opportunity to meet my guy!
I just know, when the time is right, I will be introduced to him.
The key is to not be on the prowl, but also be open to opportunities. NOT opportunities to attack, what are you thinking?
Opportunities to listen to the Lord's guidance.
I was thinking about relationships tonight. Some people are of the mind (and I have been once) that you shouldn't even consider a person unless God puts them right in front of you, yells at you, gives you a ton of signs and then, finally, hits you over the head with a 2x4 (or, tossed a rock out of the sky saying "Marry Mr. Jones").
But God's not going to just force a man or woman on you.
Does He do that with anything else?
Think about it before answering, this is a test.
The answer is NO, of course not.
God doesn't force salvation or baptism of the holy Ghost on anyone. He doesn't force a job on you, He doesn't force a spouse on you.
I've likened salvation as a gift God gives. It's a cute little box with a ribbon and everything! And He wants to give it to you. It's a free gift.
But it's not forced on you. God sets the present in front of you and says, "here, I'd like you to have this."
It is your choice to choose to accept it.
When you repent and accept salvation you stand up, cross the room, thank Him for the present, and open it!
True story, bro.
Relationships are the same.
A spouse is the same.
God will pair you with the best person possible--He only wants the best for us!
When the time comes He will wrap my guy up in a neat little package and say, "Andrea, if you'd like, here's a guy for you!"
Just the same, He will present me to a dashingly wonderful, charming, smoldering man and say, "you're an idiot if you don't accept this." (baha, baha, just being a little unrealistic).
At that time it'll be both our choices to accept each other.
God doesn't lay down the law and say, "you guys marry or I'm gonna spank you!"
So we have to be open to accept His suggestion. You have to take that step, in faith. You have to say, "okay, God, if you think this is a good match, let's see what happens. Hi person, how are you?" Then you get to know the guy.
You don't have to get married right then and there, you walk into this (you don't run) with faith as your guide.
You see, there? It has nothing to do with emotions. Do not let your emotions dictate to you.
Now, there could be a chance that God shows a woman to a man before He speaks to the woman about it, or the other way around.
And then it's up to that person to take a step in that direction, cautiously, but out of faith.
When two people are listening to the Lord, and walking by faith, you really can't mess up.
The key is to listen. To be still, to wait on the Lord.
That's what I'm doing, waiting on the Lord.
Open to possibilities, but not searching.
Just, content.
Never expect a man to fill a void in your life.
You need to get to a point where God fills up all the little holes and cracks in your heart and soul and mind.
Sometimes I would think, "it would be easier if I had a special someone to go through this with."
But then I'm reminded, I have Christ to go through everything with. You need to be able to say, "God, You are more than enough." Because there will be times in your marriage that your husband might not be there, he might be on a business trip or in town buying milk when you need someone right away, or he could be fishing and his phone fell in the lake, any number of things. You can't come to rely so heavily on any single one person except Jesus Christ. He is the only one that will be by your side 24/7.
Yes, bearing one another's burdens is in the Bible, praying for each other and lifting each other up is crucial! But I'm saying, in those moments when, perhaps, someone cannot be reached, when God HAS to be enough, you have to be in the habit of turning to Him and dealing with whatever you're doing because Christ IS more than enough.
Brothers and sisters in Christ are a most excellent gift and I couldn't imagine going through life on this Earth without their fellowship and Godly council. But what if you do become too reliant on them and you find yourself without? Say the olde stranded on an island stand-by? Really, you have to think of these things.
So that's what I mean, that here, now, before you're married, you need to rely on Christ entirely for all your needs and not expect a husband to come along and complete your life. (Oh, but it WILL be wooonnderful).
There could also be a time when your husband needs spiritual encouragement from you! What happens if you're used to going to him for all your help and he's like, "help me T.T I don't know what to do!" And you're like, "I don't know either! T.T"
Ah-ha! But you will be smart and so practiced in the art of turning everything over to the Lord that you will point your husband to Him, as well, and in so doing you will both be more strengthened for it.
So, be encouraged. And don't date <_<
P.S. There's still so much to be said on this topic, so if I didn't explain something properly and what you've got out of this is that the anti-christ is coming after Bullwinkle's shuts down then we can safely guess that's not what I meant and you should ask me to clarify.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Saturday, March 10, 2012
I'm Eating Your Chocolate Cake
Hello wonderful people who have found the time to read my humble little blog!
Yes, it's been a month again, but this time I have some excuses. Sad ones, good ones, etc etc.
Well, let's start, shall we?
In January I bought a secret plane ticket to the far side of the country to visit BFF.
I was going to surprise her on Valentine's day by waiting by her car after she got off of work. (Stalkerish much? I know, it would have been awesome)
Sadly, she was talking about Valentine's day and how she WASN'T working!
Quickly, I found all my devilish plans unraveling and wasted no time in telling her I was going to be there next Tuesday. She was quite shocked but, I have to admit, it was a great relief to me. I hate keeping secrets, especially about visits--it's much more exciting when you have someone to be excited with!
By the time I got there nearly everyone knew about it, but that was alright.
We spent Valentine's day together just hanging out. Some guy sent her flowers which totally nailed me deeper into the single schoolmarm box of shame. BFF's younger sister and I pretended to feel sorry for ourselves because the other two girls had Valentines and we didn't.
Besides that, though, it was a fun two weeks.
Sadly, the two weeks were drawing to an end. The night before I left for home my mother called and gave me the most terrible news that my cousin (1st cousin once removed) had ended his life.
It was a very distressing night and I had to fly home the next day. I felt like a zombie the entire time I was in the airport. God saw me through it, though, and I was never happier to sleep in my own bed that night.
The next day I walked around without knowing what to do and then my mom asked if I was going to the funeral. I really hadn't any idea if I should, or not! I had just spent 400+ dollars on a plane ticket to BFF's, along with some spending while I was there. I didn't have the cash on hand and would have to dip into my savings! I prayed about it and all I could find was a 600 dollar ticket. That night I was certain I would go but I forced myself not to buy a ticket and to sleep on it. I knew if God wanted me to go, He could present a way.
I wanted to be cautious.
The next morning I told my parents I wasn't sure if I should go and my dad suggested to fly home on a week day, as opposed to a weekend, because it was supposed to be cheaper. So I searched and it was 200 dollars cheaper! My dad also offered to pay half so I only ended up spending an extra 200 dollars! I praise the Lord for working that detail out. I bought the ticket on Tuesday and flew out on Wednesday.
It was so good to see my family, especially in that time of pain and grief. I was close to my cousin, I used to babysit him and his sister and I used to pick them up from work. He was a special sort of chap and it's so sad to know he's no longer with us. I was an emotional wreck, not on the outside, but on the inside.
But the entire time I felt God's hand on my shoulder, and I felt Him saying, "I am with you." I had a deep calm that I can't explain and I knew that this would pass.
On the upside, I got to see my wonderful sister and got to visit her restaurant that she's manager of! It's an all natural burger joint.
I hate onion rings, but their onion rings I could eat by the basket!! OMW, you haven't had onion rings 'til you had these.
I also got to see some sea lions at the beach and all that good stuff.
My uncle let me pick a ton of herbs from his garden, lemon thyme, greek oregano, peppermint, bay leaves and, oh my goodness, his curly leaf parsley is sooo good! I have to grow some.
In short, I was and am very happy to finally be home.
I haven't been back to work yet, my brother has revolutionized my job so well that, 1, I don't even know how to do it and, 2, he does it now. <_< I think I'm out of a job.
Regardless, I'm going in to work on Monday to see if there's anything I can do.
In the meantime, I cleaned up the house (with the help of my brothers) and have been cooking.
BFF FINALLLY got a computer so now she is back to writing! We are on chapter 10 and I'm so excited for our book (as usual).
I really hope that it goes far, gets published and that people really like it.
I also baked a cake today!
Chocolate Mocha cake. Recipe was given to me by Kerrie Farr and added my own twists.
I'll give you the recipe. It's in the oven as I type.
Photo courtesy of Master Yoda. It was his birthday cake.
Doesn't it look devilishly delicious???
Yes. It is.
Here's the recipe:
Mix together:
2 cupers brown sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cups coco (dark and/or regular)
1 1/2 tbs baking powder and baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 tbs corn starch
Add:
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cup melted butter
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup hot, strong coffee
Put in a greased 13x9 pan and bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes.
COOL, mostly, then drizzle on the glaze.
GLAZE:
1/2-1 Cup of chocolate chips + 1 splash of coffee. Melt together.
Add about 1 cup of powder sugar.
So!
My sister and my wonderful niece and nephew are due for a visit next week!
I'm super excited to see them! Like: AIHdlaskjdlaskjdals!!!! <- that excited.
We will celebrate Saint Patrick's day, the first day of Spring and my brother's birthday!
We will also go see Hunger Games together. Um, woah, you haven't read that book?
Well...I guess you aren't missing much.
I'll include my review of Hunger Games at the bottom of this blog.
Anyways, my Stampin' Up party is soon and I'm so happy that I actually have some people coming, I think the grand total is five! Possibly six or seven!
This is all for now!
OHHHHH!!!
I also started studying Moral Government!
A couple from Faith Tech is putting it, live, online. I love it so much! And it's so good to have a Bible study to go to! =)
Anyways, God bless ye!
THE HUNGER GAMES
by Suzanne Collins
Most people know what it's about and, if you don't, go look it up. I'm not going to waste time explaining it. :p
Suzanne Collins' style of writing grabs your attention and doesn't let go until she drops you off the end of the book, making you want more.
Her skills with plot-making are exceptional!
She takes you through twists and turns and keeps you interested, excited and even apprehensive. There are hardly any boring parts.
She has inspired me to be a better writer, some day I hope to grip someone in a thrilling story the way she has for me.
Content-wise, well, let's just examine that...The book is about this bloody game of children having to fight to the death. The killing wasn't all a big huge deal for me because I grew up watching war movies but there were a few parts that I was like, "oh.. that's disturbing."
There was a bit of nudity that I had to raise an eyebrow at. Also, the romance was sweet for a moment, but then I felt she over-did it (for my old marm mind anyway). All-in-all, though, the pros outweighed the cons. But that's my writer's mind talking. I love how she told the story. It is an incredibly well-written book.
One last bit, of course...I, as a Christian, had a problem with the entire scenario. Humans fighting against humans, hopes being built, hopes being lost. It's all rather marvelous, but it lacks God. And when something lacks God it leaves me with this empty feeling.
If this were to happen in real life and if Katniss were a Christian, things might have turned out differently. There are times in the book (and the other two) where I'm like, "turn to God!" But, of course, no mention. It's sad, really.
So the book deserves a big 4 out of 5 stars for me. The last star is taken away for the content and lack of God.
Yes, it's been a month again, but this time I have some excuses. Sad ones, good ones, etc etc.
Well, let's start, shall we?
In January I bought a secret plane ticket to the far side of the country to visit BFF.
I was going to surprise her on Valentine's day by waiting by her car after she got off of work. (Stalkerish much? I know, it would have been awesome)
Sadly, she was talking about Valentine's day and how she WASN'T working!
Quickly, I found all my devilish plans unraveling and wasted no time in telling her I was going to be there next Tuesday. She was quite shocked but, I have to admit, it was a great relief to me. I hate keeping secrets, especially about visits--it's much more exciting when you have someone to be excited with!
By the time I got there nearly everyone knew about it, but that was alright.
We spent Valentine's day together just hanging out. Some guy sent her flowers which totally nailed me deeper into the single schoolmarm box of shame. BFF's younger sister and I pretended to feel sorry for ourselves because the other two girls had Valentines and we didn't.
Besides that, though, it was a fun two weeks.
Sadly, the two weeks were drawing to an end. The night before I left for home my mother called and gave me the most terrible news that my cousin (1st cousin once removed) had ended his life.
It was a very distressing night and I had to fly home the next day. I felt like a zombie the entire time I was in the airport. God saw me through it, though, and I was never happier to sleep in my own bed that night.
The next day I walked around without knowing what to do and then my mom asked if I was going to the funeral. I really hadn't any idea if I should, or not! I had just spent 400+ dollars on a plane ticket to BFF's, along with some spending while I was there. I didn't have the cash on hand and would have to dip into my savings! I prayed about it and all I could find was a 600 dollar ticket. That night I was certain I would go but I forced myself not to buy a ticket and to sleep on it. I knew if God wanted me to go, He could present a way.
I wanted to be cautious.
The next morning I told my parents I wasn't sure if I should go and my dad suggested to fly home on a week day, as opposed to a weekend, because it was supposed to be cheaper. So I searched and it was 200 dollars cheaper! My dad also offered to pay half so I only ended up spending an extra 200 dollars! I praise the Lord for working that detail out. I bought the ticket on Tuesday and flew out on Wednesday.
It was so good to see my family, especially in that time of pain and grief. I was close to my cousin, I used to babysit him and his sister and I used to pick them up from work. He was a special sort of chap and it's so sad to know he's no longer with us. I was an emotional wreck, not on the outside, but on the inside.
But the entire time I felt God's hand on my shoulder, and I felt Him saying, "I am with you." I had a deep calm that I can't explain and I knew that this would pass.
On the upside, I got to see my wonderful sister and got to visit her restaurant that she's manager of! It's an all natural burger joint.
I hate onion rings, but their onion rings I could eat by the basket!! OMW, you haven't had onion rings 'til you had these.
I also got to see some sea lions at the beach and all that good stuff.
My uncle let me pick a ton of herbs from his garden, lemon thyme, greek oregano, peppermint, bay leaves and, oh my goodness, his curly leaf parsley is sooo good! I have to grow some.
In short, I was and am very happy to finally be home.
I haven't been back to work yet, my brother has revolutionized my job so well that, 1, I don't even know how to do it and, 2, he does it now. <_< I think I'm out of a job.
Regardless, I'm going in to work on Monday to see if there's anything I can do.
In the meantime, I cleaned up the house (with the help of my brothers) and have been cooking.
BFF FINALLLY got a computer so now she is back to writing! We are on chapter 10 and I'm so excited for our book (as usual).
I really hope that it goes far, gets published and that people really like it.
I also baked a cake today!
Chocolate Mocha cake. Recipe was given to me by Kerrie Farr and added my own twists.
I'll give you the recipe. It's in the oven as I type.
Doesn't it look devilishly delicious???
Yes. It is.
Here's the recipe:
Mix together:
2 cupers brown sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cups coco (dark and/or regular)
1 1/2 tbs baking powder and baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 tbs corn starch
Add:
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cup melted butter
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup hot, strong coffee
Put in a greased 13x9 pan and bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes.
COOL, mostly, then drizzle on the glaze.
GLAZE:
1/2-1 Cup of chocolate chips + 1 splash of coffee. Melt together.
Add about 1 cup of powder sugar.
So!
My sister and my wonderful niece and nephew are due for a visit next week!
I'm super excited to see them! Like: AIHdlaskjdlaskjdals!!!! <- that excited.
We will celebrate Saint Patrick's day, the first day of Spring and my brother's birthday!
We will also go see Hunger Games together. Um, woah, you haven't read that book?
Well...I guess you aren't missing much.
I'll include my review of Hunger Games at the bottom of this blog.
Anyways, my Stampin' Up party is soon and I'm so happy that I actually have some people coming, I think the grand total is five! Possibly six or seven!
This is all for now!
OHHHHH!!!
I also started studying Moral Government!
A couple from Faith Tech is putting it, live, online. I love it so much! And it's so good to have a Bible study to go to! =)
Anyways, God bless ye!
THE HUNGER GAMES
by Suzanne Collins
Most people know what it's about and, if you don't, go look it up. I'm not going to waste time explaining it. :p
Suzanne Collins' style of writing grabs your attention and doesn't let go until she drops you off the end of the book, making you want more.
Her skills with plot-making are exceptional!
She takes you through twists and turns and keeps you interested, excited and even apprehensive. There are hardly any boring parts.
She has inspired me to be a better writer, some day I hope to grip someone in a thrilling story the way she has for me.
Content-wise, well, let's just examine that...The book is about this bloody game of children having to fight to the death. The killing wasn't all a big huge deal for me because I grew up watching war movies but there were a few parts that I was like, "oh.. that's disturbing."
There was a bit of nudity that I had to raise an eyebrow at. Also, the romance was sweet for a moment, but then I felt she over-did it (for my old marm mind anyway). All-in-all, though, the pros outweighed the cons. But that's my writer's mind talking. I love how she told the story. It is an incredibly well-written book.
One last bit, of course...I, as a Christian, had a problem with the entire scenario. Humans fighting against humans, hopes being built, hopes being lost. It's all rather marvelous, but it lacks God. And when something lacks God it leaves me with this empty feeling.
If this were to happen in real life and if Katniss were a Christian, things might have turned out differently. There are times in the book (and the other two) where I'm like, "turn to God!" But, of course, no mention. It's sad, really.
So the book deserves a big 4 out of 5 stars for me. The last star is taken away for the content and lack of God.
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