IN THE MOMENT - GREY SWEATERS

Hey Everyone,

How do you guys like the new background? Since it's almost a new year I thought "True Love" needed a renewal. Let me know what you guys think.

If you guys know me fairly well you guys all ready know that fashion is another passion and love I have since I was young. I love everything about fashion and beauty. The vibrant colors, different combinations, shapes, and spontaneousness. So, I wanted to share this side of my "LOVE" with you guys as well. 

"In the Moment" will be a new addition to my blog where I will be sharing an item that I'm currently crushing over at the moment. It may be anywhere from clothes, shoes, purse, beauty products, cool gadgets (although it's not completely fashion), and many more. Let me know if you guys like my new addition. Hope you guys enjoy!

www.TOPSHOP.com

Love,
Sandy

My first birth experience was...

Hey Everyone,

It's been a very long time since I've wrote to you guys.  I got a little lazy the last few weeks of my pregnancy so I didn't update as frequently.  Sorry for being MIA.  I was also a little busy preparing for Topher to come as well.  Chris and I were so anxious to meet Topher the last few weeks it was kind of driving us crazy (in a good way). I also couldn't sleep. There were days I would be awake until 4:00 am or 5:00 am. Thank goodness I was on maternity leave or I would be one grumpy pregnant lady at work.

My official due date was 11/28/11 but Topher was born on 11/21/11 at 10:15 pm. If you would like to know how my first birth experience was you can continue to read.

On 11/20/11, Sunday morning I had a bloody show so Chris and I went into the hospital to get a check up. It turned out that I was 2 cm dilated and it was a sign of pre-term labor. They monitored my contractions and checked if I would dilate more for about 3 hours but I didn't make any progression so they sent me home. I was getting stronger contractions by that time but it wasn't strong enough. The nurse told us we would most likely be back that night seeing the amount of contractions I was having. We were both super anxious to see Topher so we were very hopeful and excited to know that I may go into labor that night. After I was discharged we went to John's house (our pastor) to have Thanksgiving dinner. Everything was great until 9 pm that night. I started getting really strong contractions and much closer in time. This time there were about 3-5 minutes a part but it wasn't consistent. I wanted to make sure it was the real thing so we monitored it for about 5 hours and finally at 2 am it was so painful I couldn't handle it anymore. We finally drove to the hospital and found out that I was 3 1/2 cm dilated. I was considered "in active labor".

I was able to get the epidural right away (THANK GOD). The process was a bit scary because I really don't like needles. There were also a few more unexpected events that made the experience of giving birth a lot more nerve recking then I expected but once you're numb it gets better. Especially because you don't feel your contractions anymore. That's one of the worse pains ever.

I was in labor from 2 am to 3 pm. I didn't feel any of the pain so I slept most of the time. Then finally at 3 pm I was 10 cm dilated and the nurse said I was ready to push. The nurse came back at 3:30pm and I started pushing. Chris and the nurse helped me through the whole process.  The nurse expected me to push for about 1 hour max but I ended up pushing for 3 1/2 hours. My doctor thought I would be able to push better if I was able to feel the contractions more so my epidural doses was cut by half and I was given medicine to feel more contractions. That was the most painful part of my whole birth experience. It turned out that Topher was facing up and not down so the bigger part of his head was coming out first. That's why he wouldn't come out. After 3 1/2 long hours of pushing my doctor said I had to get a C-section because Topher's head wasn't turning. I was so scared when she told me because the thought of going into surgery was terrifying. I was trembling and so many thoughts were going through my mind. I was praying the whole time. It helped tremendously that Chris was there the whole time. I don't know what I would have done without him. Finally we went into the operation room around 10:00 pm and at 10:15pm Topher was born.

My recovery wasn't as painful as I thought it would be. I'm very lucky to have a quick recovery. I started walking a little the next day and by the end of the week I was able to walk fairly well. It's been 3 weeks since I gave birth and I feel about 90% recovered.

The process of becoming a mom is definitely not easy but like all mom's would say it's well worth it. Chris and I are enjoying everyday with Topher. His smiles, cries, farts, poops, burps, and every thing about him puts a smile on our face. He's truly perfect. Chris and I still can't believe we're parents. I don't think it'll really hit us until Topher starts talking. He's truly a gift from God. We love him so much! I hope to share all the great memories that our family will have with everyone. Thank you everyone for your love and prayers. It has made our journey as a parent that much more special and wonderful. I will try my best to share our journey as a family with you guys.

My two favorite men in my life. 

This is us in our recovery room

I can't believe Christmas is almost a week away. Time seems to fly these days. I hope you guys are excited! We are because it's our first as a family. How exciting! Let's start counting down the days!

I've been living on other people's verbal throw up

Hey Everyone,

You're probably thinking, "verbal throw up?" I guess it's kind of literal. If you would like to know please continue to read.

My life after Renovare had it's ups and downs (mainly because of my hormones I think) but overall it's been good. I'm continuously learning.

There's a few great changes I noticed in my life.

The first is that I'm able to soak in God's words as the truth and not just merely information. I didn't know how to put that into words until we started going through a series called MetaX at our church. Before I would read the bible and most of the time it would soak in as good information. I didn't feel it penetrating into my heart. After renovare, I noticed that my heart was able to recieve God's word in a more deeper but simple way.

Another great awakening was that I realized that I've been living on other people's throw-up most of my life.

Let me elaborate on that.

I realized I got burnt out quickly because my strength came from books, sermons, and other sources other then my personal time with God. All the books and sermon's are great information but it's not good enough to give my body all the nourishment it needs in order to function properly everyday. Our pastor put it as Zero Calories. The great books, sermons, newspaper articles are zero calories unless we have God's word in us. All the books and sermon's were information they received from their personal time with God. In return they're sharing it with others and we're listening to their verbal throw up. It's not bad but it's not enough.

I've also realized how important comunity was tremdously through our NUMA family. I've been growing through the love people have been giving me and also through other peoples lives. I was able to see God through them.

What must I do now that I know this? I'm trying to create more margin for God each day. Creating margin for God means letting God be the center and pushing all the worldly things outwards so that God may go inward. Has it been easy? Not necessarily but God pursued after me before I ever pursued after Him.

Do you guys have a similar experience or understand where I'm coming from?

Love,
Sandy

Pregnancy Week 33: Baby Shower + Our first trip to Babies R' Us

Hey Guys,

Week 33, Day 2

Topher Update:

Topher is approximately 17 inches which is about the size of a pineapple and weighs about 4.25lbs. He's still moving around a lot. He also hiccups about 2-3 times a day. I have to say that it feels a little annoying but I'll endure it for our baby.

Weekend Recap:

I hope you guys all had a great weekend! Mine was definitely awesome!

My sisters threw me a Baby Shower this past weekend and I had a blast. I wouldn't have had so much fun if it wasn't for all my dear friends and family. Thank you guys again for coming out and making it so memorable. Also, thank you babe for capturing all the great moments. I love you guys!!

I think the best part was seeing everyone's facial expression when they were smelling the chocolates inside the diapers. It was one of the games we played. It was pretty hilarious. Anything brown inside a diaper doesn't look pretty or tasty even if it's chocolates.

Our trip to Babies R' Us:

Chris and I finally went to Babies R' Us this past Sunday to buy a few things for Topher. It felt surreal to be inside the store. Who knew this day would come so soon. We realized how clueless we were about what Topher really needed. Why do babies need so many things? Thank God we have people around us to give us some stuff because we would easily spend a fortune.
Chris was so excited to go through all the aisles. I was a bit tired but he was so excited that I couldn't resist not going.

The funiest moment was when Chris freaked when he saw how expensive the Baby Bjorn was. He said, "It cost $200 to carry my son", but of course it's all worth it. He was also super excited to build Topher's Pack and Play. He stayed up until 1 AM building all his stuff. He's such a great dad!

Tips for first time shoppers at Babies R' Us:
1) We asked for a registry list at the guest service and went down the list to see what we needed to buy. Cross out everything you have, don't need, and stick with the most important things.
2) Ask the workers at the store for help when in doubt then do your own research.
3) Not all babies like the same baby bottle so only buy a couple to test it out. See if your baby likes it first and then you can buy more after. We personally bought the Tommie Tippee because it's currenlty one of the best selling and it was recommended by our friend.
4) Use coupon's.
5) Baby Carrier: Our friend recommened to get the one with full back support. It's more expensive but well worth the investment. It puts a strain on our back especially for us women. We got the Baby Bjorn brand. We found it for about 30% less on Amazon.com and it was directly from the company.
6) Try not to resist hand me downs especially things for newborns. They grow out of it so fast and they would never know or even care that it's not brand new.


Mom's if I forgot anything please leave comments below.



Chris making Topher's Pack and Play

 I hope you guys have a great rest of the week!

Love,
Sandy

Pregnancy Week 32: Contractions? + Nutrition Update + My Birthday

Hey Guys,

Weekend Recap:

I hope you guys had a great weekend!! Mine was fabulous! I celebrated my 28th birthday which was by far one of the best. Chris threw me a surprise birthday party. My hubby is truly the best. I seriously had no idea. As soon as I walked in John's house everyone quitely screamed SURPRISE (b/c of Topher) then each person handed me a rose with warm hugs. I was so overwhelmed with love and joy. Then it kept getting better. I saw all the great food, decorations, and all the love that people poured out to make that day perfect for me and Chris. I was a reck that day because I cried my eyes out. Then on Monday (my actual b-day) I celebrated it my the NUMA ladies at the women Covenant Group. Jeni made delicious food and all the girls got me a gift card to a really fancy spa. I'm really going to make good use out of that after Topher get's here. I felt really loved this entire weekend. Thank you everyone for all your love, presents, and cakes. I won't forget it.



I prayed for a church and God provided a family!!

 Topher Update:


He's aprroximately 3.75lbs and 16.7 inches big. Topher's a lot more active so his movements are a lot bigger now. Sometimes I feel like I can see his body parts through my stomack when he kicks. It's really interesting.





Pregnancy Upate:

I'm currently on week 32, Day 3. I read on Babybump that Topher is gaining about 1/2 lb a week and i'm gaining approximately a one pound a week. I weighed myself 2 weeks ago and I weighed 110 lbs. I gained about 20 pounds so far. Based on the book Conception, Pregnancy & Birth I'm right on target with my weight gain. Also, I've been experiencing Braxton Hicks Contraction this week. They say you get them as early as 6 weeks into pregnancy but you won't really notice it unitl your mid-pregnancy if you feel it at all. You feel your stomach tensing up and then you feel like you have to pee. It's not painful so it's bareable. You can read more about it here.(What's Braxton Hicks contraction?)

Nutrition Update:



Week 31, Day 7



It's hard eating healthy during pregnancy because there's certain things you crave even when you know it's not good for you or your baby. My solution to that is just to have enough to satisfy your craving but don't finish the whole bag. Depriving yourself might lead to binging or stress which isn't any better so eat a little but remember that junk foods are empty calories. You may ask, so do I eat healthy all the time? Absoutely not but I do try. When you're hungry you tend to crave sweets or foods that'll satisfy you instantly so I keep healthy snacks at my desk, purse, car for those moments such as:

1) Almonds and nuts

2) Several Fruits ( I get them at a local farmers market because they only sell fruits that are in season)

3) Organic Meal Bars/ snack bars that's has vitamins and good nutrition. Make sure it's not just filled with sugar.

4) Mineral Water (It's extremely great for me and Topher)

I tend to eat not so healthy when I'm tired or really hungry. My weaknesses are pizza, french fries, and pastries. I crave those periodically. I do satisfy my hunger but I just don't eat it every day or every week.

Due to Dr. Miriam Stoppard more problems develop if you eat too little than if you eat too much. However, you do need to beware of truly excessive weight gain. Junk food, from chocolate bar to hamburger and fries, tends to be made up  mainly of fat and sugar, which are of little value to your growing baby, and your body converts it to maternal fat. Maternal fat is hard to lose after your baby. (source Book: Conception, Pregnancy & Birth).

Hope you guys all have a great week!!

Let me know if there's some other things you would like to know about pregnancy or myself.

I love hearing from you guys!!

Love,

Sandy

What a beautiful MESS

On the weekend of Labor Day I got baptized for the first time. I wanted to share the experience with you guys. There are a lot of things I want to share so I decided to break it up into different blog posts.

The process:
The emotions of being baptized didn’t dawn on me until I was in the water and Pastor John was asking me if I commit to being baptized through the name of Jesus Christ. I had about a month to prepare for my baptism but it didn’t really hit me until then. I almost broke out in tears when he asked me that question because it was a very sacred moment. I made a vow in front of people I loved.

I’ve always thought about being baptized but I didn’t know the clear reason why we had to be baptized.  I once asked someone if I had to be baptized to go to heaven and I remember them saying that wasn’t the case. So, I really didn’t know what the importance of it was. Also, there might have been a part of me that wanted to avoid making that kind of commitment so I may have used it as an excuse.
Then, Pastor John explained what baptism was and it cleared up a lot of the questions I had. Now, It didn’t matter why I had to do it. I just wanted to receive it.

Among the few things Pastor John Park talked about the main thing that stood out to me was that once we’re baptized we’re identified with God. Growing up I had difficulties with my self-image and although I’ve found myself in Christ I wanted to made a declaration by accepting his grace through the baptism. Also, our Pastor talked about a renewal. To be baptized meant to be renewed by God.  He also explained that God has freely given us grace and being baptized is us accepting his grace. It’s not just us making a commitment but us accepting the commitment God has already made to us. I wanted to accept God’s love and commitment through my action. The whole experience was even more amazing because I was able to do it with Chris and Topher.

We got baptized in Newport Beach because that’s where we had our retreat called Renovare which means Renewal in Greek. It was 3 nights and 4 days.  Our beach house was literally on the beach which was incredibly relaxing. Also, I felt God’s love through our NUMA family the entire weekend.  We had a lot of time to “X” which means to connect with one another with Christ in the center.  So, every night we got a chance to hear someones story. It gave us a chance to learn from one another , get to know each other better , and hear about all the wonderful things God did and was doing in our lives. It was awesome!

The baptism:
On the day of the baptism we had Sunday worship at our Beach House. My friend Susie, Alex, and my sister came to share this sacred moment with me which meant a lot. I also asked Chris to help baptize me and Topher which was incredibly special.  

The whole ceremony was a celebration. Every one was cheering and congratulating one another. It wasn’t like any other baptism ceremony I’ve seen. It was beautiful. I’m getting teary just thinking about that moment again. I was a little scared walking into the ocean because I'm scared of waves but I felt secured because God, Chris, Pastor John, and Pastor Jenny was with me.  I thought the water would be extremely cold but surprisingly it wasn't. As we saw the wave coming P. John asked me if I would like to make this vow to God and I said YES! Then, they helped me into the water and Chris shoved my head into the water. He said he wanted to make sure I didn't cheat myself from fully being baptized and renewed. He knows me too well. I might have jumped right up due to my fear of the ocean. It was awesome! I have been RENEWED!
There were a few people getting baptized that day who were none believers. It’s amazing the transformation God can do in our lives. We were all a little worried that day because the waves were huge, it was really cold, and there were no sunlight. Although the circumstance wasn’t the best it turned out perfect. Our pastor described it perfectly . It was a beautiful mess. His wife Jeni shared that she received a word from God that morning telling her that that’s how we should come. We don’t need to be right with ourselves to be cleansed from God.  Everything doesn’t have to be perfect but even in the midst of the ugly storm he’ll make it beautiful. We just come as we are. It’s so amazing that it’s hard to grasp but that’s how awesome and amazing He is.

On a side note: A funny thing that happended that day was how P. Jenny got baptized several times along with us because the wave swallowed her up. She's very petite so she kept getting swept away. I felt so thankful for her sacrafice and can't deny that it was incredibly funny. We all couldn't stop laughing. That made it even more memorable. We're going to miss you P. Jenny!



This is a tribute for P. Jenny. This is her getting swept away for the 5th time =)





We love you P. Jenny for your sacrafices =)



What a beautiful MESS <3

Please leave me wonderful comments. I love reading them!
Hope you guys have a great day!

 Love,
Sandy

The end of our Summer of Love- What's the point of being intentional?

Hey Guys,

I hope you guys all had a great weekend!

Chris and I had a great time this past weekend with friends and mentors. We had a special leadership conference that was truly inspiring. It always feels great to expand our knowledge.

This week was the last week of Summer of Love for our Covenant Group. You can read my posts about the different topics we've been discussing and experiences during the past weeks here: post 1, post 2,  post 3

It was also the last day for Chris and I at the Young Adult Covenant Group yesterday. We'll be transitioning to the Family CG in September. It almost feels like we're graduating into the next chapter of our lives.

Since it was officially the last day for "Summer of Love" we all shared what our experiences were like this past summer; especially learning about love. Generally, most people said they really felt true love through the actions of people around them and through NUMA family which was awesome.

Chris and I also felt a great measure of love through our brothers and sisters at NUMA as well. We were newcomers and looking for a community to be a part of and we really felt like everyone embraced us into their family which was in turn God's family. It really reflected the love God has for us.

I've also seen a change in Chris over this past summer. He shared that he learned how to intentionally be interested in other people lives. He's become a much better listener and a friend. He also shared how he was able to be himself wherever he was. He didn't have to separate himself by the work Chris, church Chris, husband Chris, etc. He was just Chris. His focus was on the other person and not on himself. This helped him to build more meaningful relationships. That lead him to ask more questions and listen instead of talking all the time (not that he does that). It's interesting how much we grow when we become more selfless. This is definitely something I've been learning as well. I've been more intentional in getting to know people on a deeper level. Thank you NUMA family for showing us through your example.

I'm praying that this wouldn't be just for the summer but a lifelong thing. Genuinely listening and caring for the people around us and through this showing love responsibly.

Love God relentlessly and love people responsibly- Joana Cho-

P.S.
Please share and subscribe if you enjoyed reading today's entry.
I love reading comments so please leave them for me.

Love,
Sandy Choi

Summer of Love- I've been in love with the idea of LOVE

Hey Guys,

Have you guys ever been in love with the "idea" of being in love? I sure have.

Our pastor John Park was sharing a few weeks ago that he's also been in love with the idea of being in love before he met his wife. He said he dreamed about marriage ever since he was 4 (or something like that). So, everytime he met someone he would think "she could be the one!" then fell head first. I can totally relate to that because there was point in my life when I was in love with the "idea" of being in love as well.

I was pretty independent all throughout high school and college. I didn't mind being single and actually enjoyed not being committed to someone. It wasn't until after college when I started really thining about love and marriage. I had a list of things I wanted in a husband and prayed priodically for him. Then everytime I met someone I would think, "can he be the one?" and I would fall head first instead of God really showing me who my better half was.

I think there was a part of me that subcontiously knew when someone wasn't the right person for me. I use to pray to God to show me confirmations if the person I was interested or dating wasn't the right person for me. But when I met Chris, I prayed for God to show me confirmations if he was the right person for me. My prayer itself was different. Although deep inside I knew it wasn't right a part of me wanted it to be so I prayed for God to show me comfirmations so that I may be able to move on. I'm not sure if all this is making sense.

One thing I realized is that I really wanted to get married because of the "idea" of marriage and love. The stability, companionship, acceptance, friendship, being loved, and etc. I didn't want it for the sake of just love. Does that make sense? I was seeking love for merely my selfish wants and needs. In 1 Corinthians 13:5 it says "It is not rude, it is not self seeking." It meanig love. That's what I've been relearning these past few weeks.

When I met Chris, I was at a point in my life when I was completely fulfilled with just God's love alone. I didn't need a man to fufill my voids anymore. So, I didn't need to be in a relationship or want to be married because of my own needs. It wasn't self seeking. I fell in love with Chris for Chris and not for the idea of being in love.

I was reminded to seek after God's love first before I looked for it in others because people can always dissapoint me but God's love is neverchanging.

The Two Strangers

This past weekend Chris and I went to 3^rd street Promenade to eat the best Salty Caramel Gelato at Bellagio.  We drove 40 minutes just to have this Gelato and when we arrived we found out that they ran out of it. Chris was on a hunt to eat everything he wanted before he started his round 2 of P90X on Monday (Click here to visit his blog. You can see his round 1 results from doing P90X and more.)  We were both pretty bummed but we had a great time walking around and getting some fresh air.  That day turned out even better after we witnessed a very heart touching moment.  We were driving towards the freeway to go home then suddenly the engine of the truck on our right wouldn’t start.  She looked young and she was all alone.  She was talking to someone on the phone and I’m guessing she was calling someone to ask what she should do.  I can tell she was about to breakdown and cry.  Then, she got out of her car and started pushing her huge truck.  There were a lot of cars behind her and a few people were honking.  It didn't look pretty.  Chris decided to park our car to help her.  So we drove across the street to the gas station to park our car and as Chris got ready to run across the street her car started moving with her in the driver seat.   I thought her car might have started but as her car turned on the street I saw two young men pushing her car from the back.  Chris said they both jumped out of their car immediately and started helping her.  I don’t know why but seeing that brought tears of joy in my eyes.  I’m sure you guys know by now but I tend to cry easily for any occasion.  I don't know why I was crying but It showed a lot of love and hope.  It proved that there are many great people around us.  Sometimes it takes a difficult situation to see them.

This is obviously not the actual picture but I thought it was too cute <3

Did you witness true love recently? Please share I would love to hear about it.
Love,
Sandy

Thanksgiving with the Choi Family

Hey Everyone!

I hope you guys all had a great Thanksgiving weekend!
Mine was filled with great food, music, and company.

Last Tuesday I decided to write down 50 things I was thankful for this year to follow what I wrote last week (click here to read) .  The first 20 were easy to list but I had to really think about the last 30.  It was a great experience because it made me appreciate things that I usually take for granted.  For example, as I was writing my list I was reminded of how lucky I was to be able to speak, hear, touch, see, run, walk, and many more.  Those things seem so simple and that's why it's easily ignored.  It was a great time to truly reflect and appreciate even the little things that God has given me which all sums up to great things.

Next, I called a few of my friends I haven't talked to in a while and chatted for a few hours.  It was nice catching up and talking about old times.  Also, I wrote a thank you note to everyone in my family to show love and appreciation.  They thought it was a bit silly at first but I saw the smiles on their faces after they read the notes.  It's amazing how a simple thank you note can bring giggles and smiles to someone's face which is irreplaceable. 

Here are some pictures of few of my family members from Thanksgiving Day:

My wonderful Husband!

My beautiful sister #2

(My 3rd sister went to her in-laws this year and my oldest was busy cooking)

My handsome brother in law #2

My cute mom and dad

This is me from the night before at my friends b-day party. I forgot to take a picture of myself on Thanksgiving Day =)

I hope you guys had a great vacation. Now, it's time to get ready for Christmas!!
Christmas is my favorite time of the year!

Let's Give Thanks on Thanksgiving Day

Hi Friends,

I received this email from Chris today by Little Things Matter and I wanted to share it with you guys.  A few day's ago I was reminded of what Thanksgiving Day was all about.  This whole time I kept thinking about all the yummy food I was going to eat and not having to go to work that I forgot what the true meaning of this day was. So, I wanted to take this opportunity to observe Thanksgiving Day with everyone.  This post humbly reminded me of what I should truly be celebrating on Thanksgiving Day and and I hope it does the same for you guys as well. Who's up for the challenge?

Thanksgiving Day Long Ago
For 66 days a sailing vessel called the Mayflower carried 102 pilgrims across the stormy Atlantic Ocean and landed at Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts on December 11, 1620. During that first cold winter, 46 pilgrims died. In the spring of 1621, the Wampanoag Indians taught the pilgrims how to cultivate the land—growing corn, beans, and pumpkins which helped them survive. At harvest time the colonists were so grateful for their bountiful crops that Governor William Bradford organized the first Thanksgiving feast, inviting their neighbors—Wampanoag Indians. With joy and thanksgiving, they expressed their gratitude and appreciation to God for their bountiful harvest.
Many years later, in 1789, President George Washington wrote a proclamation, recommending to the “people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God . . . Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November . . . that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country . . .”
Thanksgiving Day Today
So it has been that for over two centuries. Thanksgiving Day has become a joyous festival celebrated with a lot of enthusiasm. People have gathered together to thank God for His past blessings and to enjoy the warm fellowship of family and friends.
However, over the last 50 years Thanksgiving Day has lost its original significance. For many people, it has simply become a time when families come together to eat turkey and watch football.
As we prepare to celebrate this Thanksgiving with our family and friends, I encourage you, regardless of where you live in the world, to stop and reflect on the things for which you are grateful.
In our busy and demanding lives, it’s easy to focus on our challenges and overlook the things we are truly blessed to enjoy. It’s easy to lament what we don’t have, rather than appreciate what we do have. We would all benefit from the words of Epictetus, a stoic Greek philosopher, who said, “He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.”
When we focus on all the positive things in our lives, we will find more joy, satisfaction, and happiness. Our lives will take on greater meaning and our hearts will be filled with love and gratitude.
My Challenge to You
1.  Make a list of all the things for which you are thankful. Stretch yourself to make a list of 50 people, things, or events. This can include the names of family, friends, co-workers and others whose relationships you value. Include your religious affiliations, your pastor or priest. Include our country and the servicemen who are protecting our land and our rights. It can also include your physical being, material possessions, and conveniences we so often take for granted. Parents, let me encourage you to have your children participate in this exercise.
2.  After making this list take some quiet time and reflect on everything you have listed. In the words of Thornton Wilder, “We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.”
3.  Express your gratitude to the people you’ve listed. It could be a hand-written note, a personalized email, a text message, or a phone call. Whatever method you choose to use, make it personal and heartfelt. Let these people know how you feel about them and how special they are to you.
If the weight of your challenges makes it difficult to give thanks, reflect back how the pilgrims must have felt. “The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than those who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving.” H. U. Westermayer.
Don’t take anything you have for granted.
Instead express your gratitude for all your many blessings—great and small.

BY: Little Things Matter

Did you guys make your list?  If you guys did, please share your experience with me. I would love to hear all about it. You can read about my experience (here).

Love,
Sandy

My Conneciton to Tony Robbins "Breakthrough" TV Show Ep.1

“The worst thing you can do for the people you love is doing things that they can do for themselves”

I watched the first episode of Breakthrough by Tony Robbins today and learned a lot about how to be a stronger person not only for myself but for people I love as well. Breakthrough is a TV show about Tony Robbins helping people make positive turns in their life by series of breakthrough events.  He shows them that their life can change and there is hope.

The first episode is about a married couple name Frank and Karen Alioto whose lives changed dramatically on the day of their wedding when Frank fell into the pool and became paralyzed.  Since that day they both lived with grief, guilt, and sorrow because they thought they could never have the life they planned for themselves.  Karen felt extremely overwhelmed with everything in her life and because she loved Frank so much it broke her heart to see him so vulnerable everyday.  It was extremely hard for Frank to see Karen go through so much pain and he felt guilty for not being able to provide the life he promised her. This is when Tony comes into their life to show them that their story hasn’t ended yet.

Tony gives both of them a series of challenges to overcome and through those challenges you start to see hope in their eyes again. One of my favorite part is when Tony talks to Franks family and friends about allowing Frank to struggle.  He mentions the worst thing we can do for the people we love is doing things that they can do for themselves and by doing so we end up being handicapped.  Frank might struggle at first but he’ll figure it out and it would no longer be a struggle for him.  That was a great life lesson to learn.  This was a great reminder that tough love is a form of love that's needed in certain moments of our lives.  This is definitely something I need to practice as well.  I want to make sure I don't handicap the people I love from becoming greater than they think they can be. 

You can watch EP.1-1 below. I encourage you to watch the rest!
Have a blessed week everyone!
 

My Connection to LOVE by Jaeson Ma (feat. Bruno Mars)

The lyrics to this song always humbles me and makes me think.  I even cried a few times listening to this song by myself in my car.  I’m sure you guys all have done before. =)

 I think I listened to it at least 5 times a day for 2 weeks straight.  There are so many parts on this song that spoke out to me.  It really speaks the truth and because it does it’s very humbling and challenging at the same time. 

Whenever I listen to this song it makes me think about the kind of love that my life is reflecting.  Would I be able to die for my enemies?  Does my love keep no record of wrongs?  The truth is I’ve been struggling with showing love to two specific people in my life the past year.  I see them every day because I work with them and every day I tell myself it’s a new day and I’m going to show love to them.  Then I get into the office and they do something to annoy me.  So, all the promises and prayers goes straight out the door.  Their personality is completely different from mine so their work ethic frustrates me sometimes.  I’ve been asking God to give me strength to show love to them but it’s been a real challenge.  Although it’s not easy I will not give up because I know God is working in me.  I also know that the only way anything will change is if I decide to change.  So, I decided to start praying for them and their family.  It’s a commitment but I feel like God is telling me to start there.

The other part that brings tears of joy to my eyes is the way it describes what perfect love is.  It’s so refreshing and humbling.  It also gives me a lot of hope.  Sometimes I think I got it right and I let my ego get the best of me.  Then, I think about how God portrayed his love for us it humbles me.   It truly is unthinkable to think about what Jesus Christ did for us.  That is truly perfect love.

I think if we try to do what the chorus say's, it'll help us along this journey.  It’s not easy with all the temptation around us but there’s no temptation big enough that love can’t fight.  This will be a continuous mission and journey for me but I’m looking forward to learning and growing every step of the way.  I’ll let you guys know how it turns out with my coworkers in a few months.  Please keep me in your prayers.

I also follow Jaeson Ma's blog which has great inspiring stories. You may want to check it out http://www.jaesonma.com/.

Thanks for reading everyone and please share some trials and triumphs you've had as well.  What was your connection to this song?

A Deeper Look into My Heart

Hey Guys,

I wanted to take this time to share about my inner passion to fight against human trafficking.  I first heard about human trafficking 3 or 4 years ago in church through a spokesperson from Oasis.   At the time, I didn’t know something like this was possible and it was all incredibly new to me.  Back then when I thought about slavery I thought about the stories we read in our history books.  I never thought it could be happening now.  I learned about different forms of slavery and they are all equally horrible but the one that broke my heart the most was sex trafficking.  Maybe it's because I'm a woman but the thought of young children and women being sold as prostitutes really bothered my soul.  It was horrible enough to know that people from third world countries were being trafficked but it really boggled my mind when I found out that people in California were being kidnapped and tricked into slavery as well.  Although my heart cried out for these people I didn't decide to get involved until I watched the movie "Taken".  This movie is about a father who goes to the ends of the earth to get his daughter back who was trafficked into prostitution.  I cried uncontrollably after watching this movie because I knew this was happening in real life. I prayed and asked God how something like this could be happening in our world.  Then in return I asked myself or God asked me what I was going to do to make it better.  That's when I decided that I needed to do something to help any way I can.  Through a friend I was able to get a hold of the founder of CAS (California Against Slavery) and I started to get involved with what they were doing to end slavery in California.

This crime seems impossible to end when you look at the growing population of people being trafficked each year.  Even so I truly have faith that this horrible crime would come to an end.   I'm not sure when that'll be but I have faith that it will because I saw it happen in my dream.   A few months ago I had a dream that I was sold as a sex slave because my family was tricked into thinking that they were sending me to a really great school.   The emotions I felt when I found out what happened were so real.  I felt lost, scared, betrayed, and my whole world was spinning.  I asked people to help me but they were so scared of the scary man (the guy in charge) that they ignored me.  Not even the police was able to do anything.  The people who worked for him told me I had to sleep with the scary man and the thought of that made me sick.  I remember praying in my dream and asking God why this happened to me.   I was mad at God but I also knew He was the only one who could save me.   So, I prayed earnestly for a miracle.  Then the next day and I had to go see the scary man.   I remember feeling terrified standing outside his room.  Then, something happened.  The scary man came out and told me I was free to go.  It was words of disbelief, happiness, and hope.   It was a miracle. Then he told me again, “You’re free to go.”  So, I walked out of there as a free woman.  I remember seeing the brightest light when the doors opened.  After that dream I had ultimate faith that this horrible crime would come to an end.  It was my confirmation and I can’t wait for that day.

If you want to know more information or find out how you can help support CAS please visit our website:

www.californiaagainstslavery.org

My connection to "Mine" by Taylor Swift

Some of you may not be a Taylor Swift fan but I like her so don't hate please. I recently watched a interview of her's and she talked about her new song "Mine". She said this song was about the real prospect of falling in love but always looking in your rearview mirror seeing all the times love has failed. If you listen to the song you can see that she questions love because of past experiences but she takes a chance and in return finds true lasting love. She said she personally tends to run from love because she see's people saying goodbye in her life all the time. Even though she has these thoughts she also has blind faith and hope that when she meets the right person love will be worth fighting for and that they'll work through the problems along the way. Her song and music video protrays that very well.

I remember when I had my guard up when it came to love. There was a part of me that anticipated for the other person to change for the worse because that's what always happened. When Chris and I first started dating, I had a hard time trusting that he was all that he said he was because of this reason. I prayed and asked for several confirmations (click here to read more) before I started trusting him. Although I was afraid of risking myself to fall in love I never lost hope and faith that true love could last.

There's a scene in the music video where Taylor Swift and her husband in the video get's into a fight for the first time. It brought me back to the time when Chris and I fought for the first time. The song say's she was expecting him to say goodbye because that's what she was use to seeing and that's how I felt when we fought for the first time too. There was a part of me that thought he might leave. There was another part of me that thought his love for me was going to change because that's what I was use to seeing but instead he told me that he would never leave me which is what the song said as well. That part brought me to tears.

I wanted to share this with you guys because I thought there would be someone who felt the same way as I did whether you were hurt by your boyfriends, girlfriends, family, or by a trusted friend.  What ever the cause was I hope my testimony or this song relieves you of any doubt in your heart.

If you do or did feel the way that I did, I want to encourage you to have blind faith and hope that love is worth fighting for. It's the strongest instrument we have and the enemy will try everything to take that away from us. It can clear any darkness. So, have blind faith and hope in love.

P.S I also want to encourage you guys to watch this music video. It's great! =)

it was more than just a DATE NIGHT

I hope you guys all had a great weekend and having a great week so far. Chris and I just came back from our second honeymoon yesterday. It was incredibly relaxing and a great dream building time. Chris and I like to talk and plan out all things we want to do in the future with our family and how we're going to achieve it. It's inspiring and through it we get to know each other better as well. It's also a great motivation.

We went to Las Vegas for two nights and three days and this was so far the best Vegas trip. We didn't do anything too crazy but it was perfect. The second night we decided to stay in our hotel and drink some wine watching a movie. Yes, I know that's what old people do but it was so much fun. We were surfing through the movies and came across "Date Night". I remembered my sister telling me that it was a great movie so we decided to watch it.

I would like to highly recommend this movie to every one except for kids because there's cursing. I don't want to hype it up but it's definitely worth watching. In the story, the Foster's, being married for a while and having two kids, almost forgot what being in love was and I love how they re-learn how in love they still are with each other. If you don't want me to spoil it you probably shouldn't read on but if you don't mind then you may. The Fosters start to question whether they're marriage is okay or not after they learned that their friends were going through a divorce. The reasons their friends gave were confusing to the Fosters and they started to question their own feelings. This made me think a lot about my own actions. It's a great story line and not to mention that Chris and I were rolling on the floor laughing because some of the scenes were hillarious. One of our favorite scene is the kill shot. It's become an inside joke for us. We had a geat laugh and I learned something valuable through this movie as well. I hope you guys enjoy it as much as we did.

My First Year of Marriage

Hello All,

Chris and I just celebrated our ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY. Whoo Hoo!! Honestly, it felt like any other day because it's so short compared to all the years to come but it was great spending quality time with my hubby. A few weeks ago someone asked us if marriage was hard. I'm assuming they asked us because most people say that the first few years are the hardest. I can't speak for Chris but for me it wasn't hard for me.  I believe it wasn't because we had God as our foundation and we made a choice to make everyday a great day. We chose to love each other every day. We learned to do this after we learned from our mistakes.

After we got married the first few months were really hectic. We used that excuse to miss church. At first it was just one week then it turned out to be a month or so.  As I started missing church my heart started parting from God. Then, my heart started to grow cold. God was no longer in every aspect of my life. I had put Him away in my pocket. Everything seemed normal but something in my heart wasn't right. I started talking to Chris differently and I wasn't giving him the same respect as I did before.

Then on New Year's Day, Chris and I got into a horrible fight after having a few drinks. We said some things to each other that were very hurtful. That was our first real fight and it wasn't pretty. We would have never acted that way but I don't know what came over us. After that night, we both knew we had to change or things weren't going to be so great. We knew we had to focus back on God because we lost ourselves. We both repented before God and cried out to Him. It definitely felt like the enemy was trying to break us up. We promised eachother that that would never happen again and we decided to quit hard liquor. That's also when we decided to choose our marriage over ourselves.

There's goods and bads to marriage but that's life. Nothing in life can always be great but it's a decision we have to make. I decided that we were going to have the best time of our life until we go to heaven. There are days when I forget but I try to remind myself to look at Chris the way God looks at him. Then I remember to treat him with love and respect.

Chris and I asked each other what advice we would give to newly weds and here's what we said:

Sandy said:
1) Always have God at the core of your relationship
2) Tell your wife she's beautiful every day. Yes, EVERYDAY! We tend to forget.
3) Submit to your husband (if you don't know what this means, ask me separately)

Chris Said:

1) Don't get lazy in your relationship especially guys. Treat her the same way as you did when you first met her.

2) Accept compliments when they give it to you because that's a gift as well. Just say thank you, you're great too!
3) Guys, don't hold back your "I'm sorry's."

There were a few more but I don't remember them.

That's all for today.

I hope you guys have a great rest of the week!