Servanthood

A week ago today was one of my ‘big’ moments in Nicaragua. 

We did a ‘Spa Day’ type setting for the women of the village.  We had 3 different stations set up-massage, hair, and manicure/pedicure.  I got assigned to do the mani/pedi area.  We had washbins set up so we could clean their hands or feet, and then paint their nails.  I was nervous.  I don’t deal well with feet, so as my first ‘customer’ came up I just prayed that she only wanted her nails done.  Thankfully she did. I did them.  I did a terrible job.  I don’t paint nails.  It’s just not a thing for me.  So it was a struggle. Ha. 

Then, because of the multitude of women and the scarcity of us ‘Gringas’ we ended up going to the women ourselves and didn’t mess with the washing station.

I went over to an area of women who come to find out was a Grandma, Mom, and Daughter that wanted both their hands and feet done.  I was terrified.  The Grandma was up first.  I did her nails and then it was time for the feet.  These women are in dirt 24/7. Most wear sandals. I said a prayer and asked that she place her foot on my leg, took a deep breath, and away we went!

As I started to clean off her toenails I began to feel this overwhelming peace come over me. I began to think, “This must have been how Jesus felt when He was cleaning the disciples’ feet.”

I began to feel honored. 

I began to glorify His name.

I went into a form of worship I had never experienced before.

Through all of this I was able to feel, for the first time, a pure form of servanthood.  I was so moved by being able to serve this beautiful woman.

I continued on and did the mom and the daughter.  I was quite embarrassed as I knew I didn’t do that good of a job so I barely looked into their eyes. I started to get up and the daughter says, “no no no!!” I looked up and she smiled so sweetly at me and motioned for me to sit still.  So I did.

Puzzled I just waited.  She said something to the rest of her family and they all gave her the bottles of fingernail polish that I had painted each of their hands and feet with. She collects them all then reaches for my hand,

smiles at me again and then

proceeds to paint MY nails. 

She painted each nail a different color that I had painted theirs. I’m sitting there flabbergasted. I just can’t wrap my brain around what is happening to me. I came here to serve her. She is the one who is in need. She’s the one who has ‘nothing’.  But as I sat there watching her do a professionals job on my nails I became so humbled. My heart cried out for her.  Through that simple act she filled my heart with so much love. And before I knew it those cries started to leak out from my eyes.  All I could do was just look up at her, smile, and let the tears flow.

She gets done and I’m reaching to stand up so I can hug her and she again motions me to sit.  She then proceeds to dip a cottonball into some nail polish remover and starts to clean the mess I had become while trying to paint their nails.  And a mess I was.  I had polish all over my hands, my legs, and my feet.  She cleaned it all off.  Every last bit.  I was spotless by the time she was done. Just as Jesus wiped me clean of all of my sins when He died on the cross for me.

Once she was done I reached up and just hugged her.  It was the only way I was able to express how I felt.

Later she grabbed an interpreter and came over to me to let me know that it was her way of sending me a souvenir to take home with me so I wouldn’t forget them.  And I told her there was no way I would forget. That they had captured part of my heart that will always be with them.  She said it was her way of showing how truly thankful she was for us and everything that we have done and provided for them.

It was a powerful experience.  One of many I experienced last week.  Slowly I’m sure they will start to come out and I will continue to post them. But for now, a week later and I have no intentions of taking off this fingernail polish.  It will be staying on as long as it holds on.  :-)

Enough's Enuf

I have no clue as to how to start this post. And it's a hard one to write. But I must.

My big wake up call was when my aunt passed away in January at the ripe age of 52.  The Lord had been speaking to me about how I've been living my life, but quite frankly I just didn't care.  Then when my Aunt Candi passed... 
I knew I wanted to be around for a long time to see my niece (and any future nieces or nephews), children, my grandchildren and maybe even great grandchildren grow up.  So I knew something needed to be done.  The problem is, as it has been every time I had reached this point, where in the world do I start!  It's such an overwhelming obstacle to try and overcome.  I'm not a health professional, nutritionist, or personal trainer.  And the amplitude of information that is out there, how do you know what's legit and what is right for you!

So I used that as an excuse.

Until....

I found this video.  Guys, it changed my  life.  Truly.  I'm a bit addicted to YouTube, specifically the Beauty and Hair Guru's.  I have learned so much!  But this video spoke to me.  And it was how I was able to feel like I could start my journey to a healthier life.

This is Kaylie.  Shes freaking adorable.  Loves Jesus.  And has impeccable hair turorials. 

Which then in turn lead me to this video and blog...

http://simplymarlena.com/weight-loss-journey/



I know what you may be thinking...that is so common sense Kayla!  It's nothing complex.  But kids it stuck with me.  And it grounded me enough and organized my thoughts enough to come up with a plan of action.  It helped me break it down to two simple words...

BABY. STEPS.

I can't do it all at once.  Yeah some people have and they have had great results.  I've tried that multiple times and failed.  Miserably.  So I started taking baby steps.  I had already started to replace my regular sodas with diet soda but I was ready to take it a step further.  So these were my starting baby steps:

--Replace my soda (diet or regular) with Sweet Tea (I make myself, not McDonalds!) Now remember, I had already started working on this so I had pretty well moved from regular soda to diet which was technically my first step.

--Eat at home more than you eat out

--Aim to drink half your weight in ounces of water

--Do some kind of activity 3 times a week. (this could be something as simple as housework, the goal was to get myself off my couch)

--Replace sweets with fruits

And it's with those that I started my journey.  I am proud to say I have overcome my addiction to soda.  I've been 'freed' from it since Feb.  (You may laugh as that sounds funny but it so isn't.  It's a very serious thing kids.  I was truly addicted to soda.  It ruled my life.  Ok, now I'm starting to feel silly, but it was a serious thing to me at the time.)  I hardly ever have it.  If I want something other than water it's normally tea that I crave.  Here lately I've been working in a little Gatorade here and there as a request from my doctor.  When I told her how much water I was drinking a day I thought her eyeballs were going to pop out.  She said I should probably try and substitute every now and then with a Gatorade so I'm not washing away all of my nutrients.  I do limit my Gatorade tremendously as I hate the High Fructose Syrup that’s in them.

As I stated in my previous post I have been working a lot lately.  Only this time I wasn't going to let that beat me.  I stuck to my new baby step rules and came out on top!  Thankfully I didn't have to workout since I was on my feet so much and constantly moving.  But I stayed with my babysteps and limited my caffeine and ate at home more than eating out.  Which is soo easy to do when your life is absolutely hectic!

Side Note:  Oh and I forgot to mention that I did try taking Thinogenics for about 3 weeks.  I had been stuck at a certain weight for ages and I could. not. break it!  Which I guess in a sense is great b/c I remained the same size.  But I was just ready to break that line.  So I tried it.  And it gave me the success I wanted.  I broke 170 and got down to 164 at one point and went down a pant size and was able to wear dresses I haven't worn in 3 years.  BUT I ended up getting really sick.  I think I just ran myself down and got a bit of a flu so I stopped taking them.  That's when I realized how constipated I was.  Ok, if my mother is reading this I can definitely hear her saying TMI KAYLA T.M.I.!!!!  So I will stop there, but ya'll I was sick!  It took me almost 2 weeks to even me back out.  I've never been so happy to poop in my life!  (Yeah Mom, I just said that!)

Looking back, I am definitely glad I did do the Thinogenics b/c it helped me break a plateau that I so badly wanted to surpass.  I learned the difference between actual hunger and an appetite for food.  People, we really don't need that much food to survive.  We need water more than anything.  And honestly that was a huge shocker for me.  So I do not for one minute regret taking them.  It was definitely a life lesson I needed to learn.  Will I go back on them, no.  I'm happy with what I'm doing.  And I think I was becoming obsessed with my weight instead of my health.  TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THINGS! 

 Insert:  I’ve been working on this blog post for almost a month now.  A lot has happened in the past month.  Things the Lord has been working on me with.  I’ve contemplated whether or not to include it in this post but it would make it a book.  So I’m stopping here for now.  Another one will be coming soon that will go into more stuff.  But for now I will leave you with this…

 My suggestions on getting started:

--Be aware:  be aware of what you’re body is saying to you.  Not everything is meant for everyone (to a certain degree of course).  Be aware of what you are addicted too.  Be aware that you do have a problem and you need to DO something about it.  I finally, for the first time in my life, bought a scale.  I only weighed myself once a week.  I actually put it in the entrance or my kitchen as a reminder of what my choices will cause.  If you’ve had problems in the passed of being obsessed with your weight, then come up with something else.  For me, this is what I needed to do to help remind myself of what I was working on.

--Surround yourself with encouragement:  My momma introduced me to PrayFit.  Jimmy Pena has a devo book that has exercises that is amazing, and he also sends out a daily devo that is so encouraging. I highly recommend it www.prayfit.com is where you can sign up for the daily email devotions and read about the book, etc.  I also bought another devo that was health related and read this at lunch.  My goal when I first started out was to continuously remind myself of what I wanted to accomplish and how I could accomplish it (through Christ).   I am constantly texting a couple of friends/family about my results or my struggles/failures and they keep cheering me on. (More on this in another blog).  There are tons of blogs out there that can help encourage you as well.  Google it out baby!

--Stay consistent:  Whatever you decide to do, STAY WITH IT for atleast a month.  If you  haven’t seen results then maybe switch it up a little.  You know what’s healthy and what’s not.  Just stay with it.  It’s how you see results.  Trust me.

--Go easy on yourself:  We are not perfect.  God didn’t make us that way.  So when you mess up, IT’S OKAY! Don’t send yourself down that spiraling slide of depression.  Just say to yourself that it’s ok and that TOMORROW IS A NEW DAY!  I did this A LOT.  (Remember I've been on this journey since Feb.)  Or if it was a breakfast you goofed up on then say, okay lunch is a NEW MEAL. I will do better.  I’m way to hard on myself to the point that I was setting myself up for failure.  Which is another reason why baby steps are the way to go for me.  Be your cheerleader, not your enemy.

--Take baby steps:  I think I’ve touched on this enough but still I need to say it.  It’s okay to take on one thing at a time.  That’s how we create habits. 

this is up at both of my desks (at home and at work)

Alright my dear friends, that's it for today.  I've had this post hanging over me for too long and just wanted to get it over with!  I have so much I want to tell but my fingers just can't keep up with my brain.  So I apologize in advance if it was all mumble jumbled up! 


Until Next Time...

Newly Thirty

I had a first since I turned the big 3-0 the other day.  I had someone ask me how old I was.  I just sat there....mumbling...trying to get my brain to tell my mouth how to answer.  I even looked at my friend Cary for help.  I finally said...well more like yelled...THIRTY! 

Ok...so I'm still not quite used to it.

But it ain't so bad!  Really, I'm enjoying it!  A lot of that has had to do with some lifestyle changes I have made and continue to make (more of that in a different post).  I have had every intention since my big birthday bash to blog on a regular basis but life kind of got in the way.  For the past 3 months or so I've been putting in 15-20 hours a week at my second job.  No that is not normal.  The  manager of the store I work at has been really sick, so I pitched in to help cover her 40 hours per week.  It's all over now, she's back, but during that time, it was tough.  But also it helped me so much!  Being surrounded by wonderful Christian ladies (I know...in retail...unbelievable!) made me actually look forward to going to work and those 12-14 hour days more enjoyable (my 8 hours at my full time job plus 4-5 hours at my second job).  My mind and soul did, but my body did not.  That was my main struggle.  Working 8 hours can be grueling yes, but it's just mind grueling.  Working retail for multiple hours is grueling mentally and physically!  My body was stubborn, but it finally relented and adapted.  I ended up losing some weight.   I'm down a whole pant size and wearing dresses I haven't worn in three years.  Yay...go me!

But now that I'm done...I'm scared to death!  I'm not going to be running 24/7 like some maniac.  So I'm going to have to actually make myself workout.  THE NERVE!  But it must be done.  I bought an elliptical today...and used it!  Ok...I'm getting ahead of myself...that's all for another post.

So moving on to being newly 30...

Not much has changed.  I haven't noticed a change in what I want in life.  Besides the obvious (a husband), I've also found  myself longing for my own home.  A home that has a porch....with chairs...and a porch swing...that overlooks private property.  To feel the breeze and smell the fresh air.  I live in a great place.  I absolutely love my place.  It's small.  I can vacuum the whole place from one outlet and have it all cleaned in a couple of hours (BAM!).  I have caring neighbors who I love dearly and it's quiet and private.  But I have no deck...or porch...  I have  garage that I could open and sit in I guess but that's not as charming!  I'm a country girl...not a redneck.  ;-) So yeah, there's that.

Oh did I mention that I still cry when I leave my parents house.  Yep...I'm a thirty year old adult and still cry when I leave my mommy and daddy.  I can't help it.  They love me too much!  And spoil me.  And my niece is typically there.  And I love her too much. *sigh*

Be looking for some cool things coming up.  The Lord has been working on me and speaking with me and I've got a project in mind. I'm still praying about it.  It's nothing profound.  But something to help me and my friends (old and new). 

And cue the music...He's still working on me...To make me what I ought to be...

Oh...I need a blog name.  Any suggestions?  I did Untitled b/c I will be writing about anything and everything.  So yeah.  I thought it was clever at first.  But now I think it just looks like it's unfinished. Hmmm...

Until next time...

Ta Ta!!! 

P.S. Sorry I don't have any cute pictures or videos.  Just words this time.

My 30th Surprise Birthday Celebration Weekend

And He said, "Permission Granted."

Hello all and welcome to my very first blog entry!  I'm nervous.  I like to do things right the first time and I have no stinkin clue as to what I'm doing so here goes nothing!  Ha.

So many of you wanted a recap on how my infamous Surprise Birthday Weekend went and a couple of my friends have been begging me to start a blog, so here I am...taking the leap!  I think...

Before I get into it I must first start out by saying it's a miracle I even made it through the weekend.  As my sister (the evil planner behind it all) knows, I'm the one who does the planning and controlling.  So having a weekend that I had no clue what was going on was the hardest thing I've had to do!  I should have been on medication.   For reals.

Day 1...Friday

So we start out the weekend on Friday, awaiting at my house for my sister.  She said she was to arrive around 6:30pm.  Like the good person that I am, I unlocked my door so her and whomever she was bringing to surprise me could indeed surprise me.  Needless to say, at 6:30pm my first surprise arrived.  My wonderful sister  MICHELLE!  She has a small one (almost a year) so I didn't think she would be able to come, so imagine my shock when I seen her walk through my door!  I believe there's video out there but trust me, you're not missing much except for squealing and crying.  :-)

So we chill for a bit, I've been ready since 7:30 that morning so I had nothing to do.  She changed.  I sit there with a bouncing leg and twiddling thumbs.  I'm a nervous wreck!  Bless her heart, she tried her best to calm me down, but it was unsuccessful.  FINALLY at 7pm she tells me we need to get into the car and head out.  I believe I bambled on...ALOT, but I had no other way to relieve the nerves!

See, a downside to surprising someone who has lived in the same place for 7+ years is that after a couple of turns I pretty well had it narrowed down to 3 possible places.  So...I eventually figured out where we were going.

One thing my girls are adamant about is TRADITION.  Hence why they started out our weekend with the Haygoods.  Thinking that was the surprise of the evening I went walking in like always and BAM there's my sister jumping into my arms.  We squeal (outside) and everyone heard us inside.  We can't help it.  So after we jump around squealing we decide to try walking in again and BAM BAM there is another one of my sisters Jenn Darden who flew in from Denver.  FROM DENVER PEOPLE!  I can't even tell you what my reaction was.  All I remember was turning around walking back outside and crying.  Ha.  Then Sommer and her main man shows up and it's officially time to get this party started.

Once inside I see my old roommie (and sista) CaryJean, she escorts us to our seats and I look down and she has some beautiful white roses with pink tips and a bag waiting for me.  She was adamant about me opening it before the show.  I did.  And I owe her one.  I cried, and cried, and cried.  The show was about to start and I was still crying!  We lost her daddy last Sept and he was my dad here.  She had taken a pic of us and made a beautiful canvas out of it (see pic below).  She knows revenge is a  you know what.  So watch it girl!  ;-)

The show starts, we enjoyed it, we went to Applebees, and ate some nasty food. 

It's all about tradition people.

Waiting for the Show to start

The Boys and Cat

My roses and picture.  Sorry, it's been a week so the roses are a bit wilty!

We finally get to the hotel.  We were blessed enough to get the Presidential Suite at the Radisson.  Absolutely amazing!  I will load more pics on my FB page.

Our long hallway. Remind you of anything?

 

 

 

 

Our awesome vaulted ceiling!

Cute elephant!!

Looking into the kitchen.

The awesome tub we didn't get to use!

Living Room

Bedroom with awesome view.