The camera workshop in Hocking Hills was awesome. We got some great fall shots and had a blast. I would love to go there again when it isn't quite so crowded. We did manage to go to a rather secluded lake to get some great shots.

The gluten free diet is going well. Actually better then I expected. I still struggle to find something to eat here at the house that doesn't require cooking. I like quick things for lunch and for now have been eating a lot of scrambled eggs or refried beans on a taco shell.

My friend Bonnye does not seem to be improving much. She did not get to come home as anticipated. I hope to go see her in the next couple of days and pray with her. Michael wants to pray over her for healing. I don't think anyone has done that for her and we definitely need to.

My Sunday school class is going to natural bridge this sunday for lunch and some hiking. I am looking forward to it. I am not supposed to be exercising so I will take the skylift up and try to limit my hiking. So, not fun. I love hiking especially in the fall and with winter coming it makes hard to just stay indoors. I hate to miss a good photo opportunity.

I need to finish this and make me some gluten free bread so I can have something to eat for the next few days. Hope all is well in your world.

Fun with photography

It has been a busy week. I am now on a gluten free diet per orders of my new chiropractor. Not a fun or easy diet to maintain. This is not to lose weight, although I am, it is to eliminate the swelling in my muscles so that I can get some relief from the pain I was continually experiencing. The pain is getting better in my neck but I have had a rough couple of days this week with my sciatic nerve.

Going gluten free is a much healthier lifestyle but requires a lot of work if you don't like the frozen breads they sale. I, personally, do not like them. They are very dry. So I am now baking my own bread with multiple flour mixtures that I have found in two different cookbooks. It is an interesting journey.

Besides a major diet change, I will be leaving tomorrow afternoon for a photography weekend in Hocking Hills, Ohio. I am looking forward to it. Not sure, just yet what all that entails but we are sure to have a good time and get some good photographs while we are out. We get to spend 8 hours with a professional photographer which will be a great learning experience.

It is late and I am exhausted. I will write more when I get back. Good night everyone.

Things have been going well for me. I am about to get serious about writing my book. There have been 400 women respond to my survey and the comments have been encouraging and heart wrenching at the same time. There are a lot of hurting women in this crazy world we live in. Which only increases my pray list. I pray that God would heal these broken and wounded marriages.

My photography is going well. I have my website up and almost complete. Things are good with Michael and I. Overall things are good in my life.

The down side, I have one friend getting a divorce after only 10 months of marriage and another who has just been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer and it has matastasized into the ovaries and liver. I pray that God will heal her. He has the power and is the great physician anything is possible with our Lord and Saviour. All we can do is to claim the victory over this dreadful disease and wait for God to work. I will keep you posted on how it all turns out.

The journey continues....

I have to say I am sorry for not updating my blog for so very long. But as usual my life has been crazy. But crazy in a good way. God is still very active in my life. He is still amazing me on a daily basis. He has provided for me financially in the most amazing ways. I am doing well, and keeping very busy.
I am currently in a relationship with an awesome man by the name of Michael. He is very interesting and a strong christian. So far, things are going well. He keeps me very busy in a fun way. He promised me there would never be a dull moment and so far he has been right.
I have started writing my book, which I am very excited about. God has continued to put just the right people in my path just as I need them to move me on this journey of writing this book. He intends for it to written and I am honored to have been chosen to deliver this message.
The Carnegie center has been an invaluable resource. Neil Chethik has alot of knowledge that he doesn't mind sharing. I just completed a class tonight on writing a book proposal that Neil taught. I turned in my finished product and am waiting on a response to any changes I may need to make.
Then the fun begins. How to choose an agent and/or publisher. There is so much to just presenting an idea for a book, that it is amazing that anyone gets published.
I have changed the title of my book at the urging of the class, to a softer more encouraging title. I am happy with how it is coming along. I have gotten some good feed back from my writing group on changes that I need to make.
Oh, and did I mention, I got the privilege of writing two days of devotions for a 30 day devotional that was produced for the upcoming Beth Moore conference at Rupp Arena in Aug. That was huge honor and privilege for me. Beth Moore is a very dynamic christian author and speaker.
Michael has been an instrumental part in the creation of this book. I told him he believes in me more than I do. He is a wealth of knowledge and extremely helpful in the editing process. I have enjoyed sharing this journey with him. He has been a tremendous encouragement in everything I do. From my photography to my writing, he has backed me 100%. I couldn't ask for anything more.
Life is good. Still no job but I am not worried. God has been faithful to provide for me in such a way that I don't worry about not having a job. I know, no matter what, He will take care of me. He has proven that over and over again.
My huge leap of faith was all God was waiting for. He has begun a work in me that He intends to see it through to the end. I am very excited about this book and know that God has great things in store for me. I don't know what that is but I eagerly await whatever is next.
My journey, by no means, has been easy. But God has been by my side the entire way. I feel His presence and do my best to stay close to Him. I can't lose my focus now. The journey has only just begun and I am loving every minute of it.

And life goes on.

Wow, has it been less than two months since I last blogged. So much has happened since then.
Where do I begin. Christmas came and went pretty uneventful but the new year came in with a bang and hasn't stopped. I felt like 2010 was going to be a good year for me. I knew it would a hard one but I had no idea just how hard it would get. Six days into the new year my boss calls me into his office one evening and unexpectedly fired me. I sure didn't see that coming. No warnings, no write ups, no nothing. He told me I was not where he thought I should be after six months of employment and mentioned a minor incidence that I had with the office manager. Which, might I add he never addressed with me. Never ask what happened or anything. I realize I had made some mistakes but thought that was all part of learning a new job. Obviously, I was wrong. Considering the amount of training I had received, I thought I was doing pretty well. But that is now water under the bridge. God has used that for His glory in more ways then one. So after being fired I thought I would head to texas and see my son and then go to fla. for a few days and visit a girlfriend I had reconnected with online. I went to Tx. and had a good visit with my son, his girlfriend and my ex-husband. Then headed to fla. to visit a girlfriend. About 8 1/2 hours into the drive, I ran a red light and hit a pick up truck. Totalling my 2009 corolla xrs. I loved that little car. But even through this I see God's hand at work in many different ways. I walked away from the accident with two cracked ribs and some bruises. The cop told me he did not know how I managed to maintain control of that car. I told him it was a God thing. He then proceeded to show me the route my car had taken. I had went into the median and left tracks in the mud. I was trying to miss the pickup truck and did not see the pole I was headed toward. About a foot from the pole my car made a hard right turn missing that pole by about a foot. All I remember is the initial impact and then the airbag deflating. I certainly don't remember having my hands on the wheel during the impact. The song Carrie Underwood sings, Jesus take the wheel has a very real and personal meaning to me now.
God's hand at work, I was about an hour away from a friends house when all this happened. He came and got me and helped me get my things and helped me the next couple of days to get things in order so that I could head back home. Needless to say I never did make it to fla. My entire goal was to go to the beach and spend time on the beach with God. I have always felt closest to God when I was on the beach. And what better time to go then now. Wow, if I had only known. But God has a much better plan than me. I laid in bed the next several nights asking God to show me whatever it was He wanted me to get out of this. When you ask that of God, He will show you.
First and foremost, He wanted me to go back to my previous employer and make up. I had intended to, really I did. But just not this soon. Obviously, God had other plans. He is a chiropractor so I made an appointment and went in to see him. We hugged and all is well now.
The second thing God laid on my heart about this whole thing was that I always had a habit of going 9 miles an hour over the speed limit. I wasn't at the time of the wreck thank heavens but had been throughout the trip periodically. Funny, God convicted me of this before I left on the trip but I still chose to be disobedient. A friend had sent me a clip of her son-in-law preaching a message about what sin do you think is ok. Then he proceeds to talk about a state trooper who once told him the nine is fine, ten your mine rule. I got the message the hard way. No more speeding for me. Also, I loved my car. I was very proud of it. God said, maybe a little too proud. Wow! When He teaches us a lesson He makes it stick. So now I am in the market for a car. I have decided to buy a used one. And save as much of the money I received from insurance as possible. The insurance gave me a more than fair settlement for the car. I was very pleased. Another God thing.
I am currently considering my options. I think I want to look at becoming an optician. I have talked to a friend who was an optician and she has given me a name of a friend to contact about doing an internship and what all is involved. I am very excited about doing something different. I think it will be a lot of fun. God has so, turned my life completely around. And even upside down at times. But through it all He has provided for me in a very abundant manner. There are so many more ways in which He has blessed my life from these two horrific experiences. But I have chosen not to post them all. But trust me when God says He has a plan for you and you start seeking that plan for your life, He will meet you there. And He will take you on the most fantastic ride you have ever been on in your life. He never ceases to amaze me with His generosity and goodness. He truly does love me (and you) and want the best for me(and you). He has proven that to me, time and time again. I would like to encourage you to stop just going through the motions and see what kind of an adventure God has for you.
This has truly been an adventure. And the ride has been like a roller coaster, up and down, round and round. The sooner I learn the lesson the sooner I can move on. I am excited to see what God has in store for me next. Hopefully, the lesson won't come in the form of another bad experience. But even if it does, I know God is with me and will get me through it all. One step at a time.
My old boss had me write out an affirmation. I had never done this before, I guess it is sort of a mission statement. This was mine:
Today is a great day and my future lies in the choices I make.
I take full responsibility for those choices.
If Satan sees an opportunity, Satan will seize that opportunity.
Therefore I refuse to give Satan the opportunity to plant seeds of doubt in my mind.
I am strong and can overcome any obstacle put before me.
With my God by my side, there is NOTHING I cannot do.
I will dream big dreams and accomplish great thing for His glory.
I will find my God given destiny and fulfill His will for my life.

God has shown me that with Him by my side, I can overcome any obstacle. So now on to the fun stuff, dreaming big dreams and accomplishing great things for His glory. I wish everyone who reads this the very best. I hope you get the chance to experience God the way that I have.

Healing from my past

This has been an interesting week to say the least. I woke up Monday morning with a severe headache and nausea. I went in to work, got an adjustment from Doc. and went back home to sleep. Later in the day I was not feeling any better so I went back in for another adjustment. My daughter came over later in the evening and insisted I go to the E.R. and get a shot for the headache and nausea. So we spent about 4 hours in the E.R. but I did get a good nights sleep from it. I woke up Tues. still not feeling well and with a hangover from the pain shot and phenegran shot they had given me the night before, so once again I stayed home from work and slept. On Tuesday evening the diarhea started. So maybe it wasn't a migraine afterall. It is now 5a.m. on Sat. morning and I still have mild nausea after eating. Just wish it would go away. I find it ironic that I got sick at the end of a seven day fast from the internet. I was given a challenge from a friend to stay off the internet for seven days. Several people commented that I was having withdrawals from my fast. I thought this was funny at first but am now wondering, is there a connection? Guess I will have to pray about that one and see what God has to say about it.
I recently started counseling at the advice of a friend. Thursday was a rough session. She really had me thinking about my past. I had to fill out a form and list people in my life who had hurt me in some way. And then compare that with how I was treated in my childhood by various people. It was enlightening how I tend to pick men who treat me the same way I was treated as a child. We are now working on how I can overcome my past so that I pick men who will treat me the way God intended for a woman to be treated. I like my counselor very much. She is the first counselor I have been to, who actually has a game plan as to how I can overcome my past. Instead of just having me talk and she listen. I am given homework so that I can work through issues that have been plaguing me for years. It is not an easy task. Unfortunately, in order to heal we must feel. And some of those memories are excruciatingly painful at times. She has encouraged me to love the little girl inside of me. Spoil her and show her she is loved. This is hard to do after so many years of suppressing those painful memories. Funny how when we suppress our feelings they surface in some other form. We think we are containing the pain when in reality we are only shifting it to some other area of our life. Recovery is like having an infection. You have to drain all the puss and nasty stuff inside, out of you, before you can actually heal. If the puss remains, we only become sicker. Our entire body suffers in some way. The body knows when we hurt. The pain has to come out, if we don't allow it to come out, then the body becomes sick in some manner. It takes different forms in different people. I have seen it cause depression in some, severe arthritis in another, ulcers, vertigo (which I have experienced) and in some cases possibly even cancer. So, if we want to be physically healthy, we must also become emotionally and spiritually healthy.
I feel quite confident I can overcome my past with time and the proper guidance I know I am strong enough to do it. God has used so many of my friends to help me through this process. I am truly blessed. When I took the buyout at toyota, I knew it would be a life changing experience I just never realized how deep the changes would go. He continually puts just the right person in my life at just the right time. I have always heard that God's timing is perfect but I am now experiencing just how perfect it truly is in a very real and very personal way.
Lord, I pray that you will continue to guide me on this path of not only self discovery, but a path of healing from the wounds of my past. I pray that you will allow me to use my experiences to help others overcome the wounds in their life also. Bring people into my life who I can share these experiences with. People who want to overcome the pain in their lives. Always, give me wisdom to know when to speak and when to keep my mouth shut. Fill me with your words. Help me to help them to know that they are loved. That they too, have a very loving God, a very personal God, who wants to help them to heal also. Thank you for putting these trials in my life, for without these trials, I would not be the person I am today. These are the things that have shaped me and made me into a person who has to trust her God. Trust Him to lead me where He wants me to go and trust that He is able to do all that He says He can, including healing me and making me a stronger, kinder, more loving individual. I pray all these things in your name. Amen.
One of my favorite verses in the Bible about tears is Psalm 56:8 the New International Version says: Record my lament; list my tears on your scroll-are they not in your record?
I find it amazing that God cares enough about me to record every tear I cry. He loves me that much and will never waste my tears without giving me something in return, if I seek Him.
The New American Standard version says it this way:
You have taken account of my wanderings; Put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?
Wow! how amazing that he not only records my tears but he keeps my tears in a bottle. Our God loves us more then we can ever imagine. And when we hurt, he knows we are hurting. He is only waiting for us to come to Him so He can heal us from the hurts of this cruel world we live in.
Revelations 7:17
For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
A wild thought just crossed my mind. What if the tears God saves in a bottle are the springs of living water He is referring too. I am sure there are enough tears flowing in this cruel world to keep a spring flowing. Wow! what better way to use my tears then to bring life to others. He truly is an amazing God.
Rev. 21:4 he will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, the old order of things has passed away. 5) He who was seated on the throne said, " I am making everything new!" Then He said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."
Here, He even states, Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true. He has made us a promise He intends to keep.
Psalm 126:5&6
Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. 6) He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.
If we take our experiences and share them with others we will be blessed and we will see a harvest from our efforts.
Jeremiah 31:16&17
This is what the Lord says: "Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for your work will be rewarded," declares the Lord. " They will return from the land of the enemy. 17) So there is hope for your future," declares the Lord. "Your children will return to their own land.
He declares these things. The word declare in the dictionary means to proclaim, state emphatically. to make known publicly or to prove. God wants to prove to us that He means what He says. We can trust Him to do what He says He will do. I don't know about you but in todays world their are very few people you can trust to do what they say. And to me that means everything. I want to know I can count on someone. We can count on our God. He is always there and always available. 24/7. You will never get his voicemail or a busy signal. He doesn't screen His calls. He takes them all. As a matter of fact He sits patiently waiting for us to come to Him. So don't be afraid to give Him a call. He knows what you are feeling and wants to help you heal from the pain of your past. Just as He is helping me. I hope you too can find the strength and perseverence to join me a journey of healing. You are in my prayers.

Life

It has been a couple of months since I have posted anything on here. It is time to post again. Recently I visited Toyota, my old place of employment. They were having a health fair and I talked to Sandy, the nurse, and asked if we could come and be a part of it. She was excited to have a chiropractor as part of the health fair. It was interesting going back. It felt so weird to drive through that gate again. Only this time as a visitor. After the health fair ended I stayed through their lunch to see all my old friends. It was good to see everyone. I was surprised to see how some had aged considerably in just the four or five short months I have been gone. It was the same atmosphere. Everyone was so negative. Not much has changed there just the faces. They had a lot of temporaries and again they are working a lot of overtime. Not much laughter or fun goes on there anymore. It is a shame a place that could be so awesome to work at has become a prison to so many. I know how they feel because I felt that way also. It seems as if management does not allow fun. I know when I was there if they saw someone enjoying there job it seemed as if they would do something (make some silly rule) that would stop the fun. I am not saying people should do things that are unsafe. But I see nothing wrong with someone enjoying their job. Why does management feel a need to steal peoples joy. Are they so miserable that they want everyone else to be miserable too? I used to love that job. But as management changed, the rules changed and those rules felt like chains, imprisoning those that work there. Dooming them to a lifetime sentence of misery. Holding people down and frustrating them to the point of resentment and anger. It is no wonder that moral is so bad in that place. I just wish management could see how they are destroying that place one rule at a time. Once again, I am so thankful that God chose to remove me from that prison. I am much happier because of it.