Sunday, January 30, 2011
When God gave me nothing I asked for
"I asked God for the strength that I might achieve. I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey. I asked for health that I might do greater things. I was given infirmity that I might do better things. I asked for the riches that I might be happy. I was given poverty that I might be wise. I asked for the power that I might have the praise of men. I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God. I asked for all the things that I might enjoy life. I was given life that I might enjoy all things. I got nothing that I asked for, but everything I hoped for. Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered. I am among all men/women, most richly blessed!"
Hearing God: An Amazing story
By Craig von Buseck
CBN.com Ministries Director (Had to share this great story)
I have been blessed by the numerous e-mail responses that I have received from this audience regarding hearing God's voice. Many of you have shared dramatic stories of the Lord's leading. Others have shared how they have had difficulty knowing whether they are hearing God's voice or not.
To encourage the people who read these columns I thought I would share a personal testimony of a time when God made His direction very clear to me in a time of transition in my life.
I want to emphasize the many channels through which God communicated to me during this major life change. I also want to point out that while I sensed the Lord's leading, I was very concerned that I move forward in His timing. I wanted to obey God, but I didn't want to rush out in front of Him, or wait too long to do what He was calling us to do.
I served for a time as an associate pastor in a local church in Pennsylvania. After more than five years on staff I began sensing that the Lord wanted me to leave this church to complete my ministry training. Relations were beginning to become strained between myself and the senior pastor. While we remained friends, as time went by I began to recognize that we had differing leadership styles and different visions for the church.
In more than 10 years of serving the Lord up to that time I had learned that you don't make major moves in your life because things are uncomfortable. Sometimes God places us in difficult situations because He wants to grow our character. Other times He puts us into a tough spot so that we will be there to pray for His will to be done. Over many months I had sought the Lord in prayer about my situation at the church. I came to the conclusion that in this case either I needed to leave the church, or the vision needed to change.
Transition was inevitable, but how it would come about was unclear to me.
And so I waited for the Lord to guide my steps. In the meantime I went about my duties at the church, working as unto the Lord. As my mother taught her seven children, "bloom where you're planted."
In this time, God did some dramatic miracles in that church that to this day cause me to be in awe of His power. In the course of a year we were given a full-price offer on the downtown church building with no parking that we had struggled to sell for years. We were also given a warehouse a block away. We later sold that warehouse and used the proceeds to help purchase a church building that had parking and wonderful facilities -- at a fantastic price. At the same time we were given -- yes, given -- 21 acres of prime land in one of the most desirable parts of town. This donation was without strings -- it was truly miraculous.
And yet in the midst of all this I did not have peace -- one of the seven keys to God's guidance.
I began to consider my options. I had ministered in this city for more than ten years. It would not have been difficult to go down the street and start another church. I was also a part of a national network of churches, and some of these congregations had expressed interest in me coming to work with them. But the more I prayed, the more I believed that God wanted me to go on for more education.
A friend had recently bought me a book called Manners and Customs of Bible Times. As I sat on my front porch reading it I was struck by the lives of Moses and Paul. Both men were highly educated, and both made a significant impact on their world for the Gospel. I decided to look at various seminaries across the country. As I investigated, my heart kept coming back to Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
After much prayer and discussion, I decided to schedule an appointment for an interview. I was beginning to feel peaceful about this direction, but there were still many stressful hurdles to cross -- paramount in my thoughts was God's timing in the transition. I had learned that in the mouth of two or three witnesses all things should be established (another of the seven keys). So I asked the Lord for confirmation.
I prayed that God would make His will clear to me.
The following week clarity began to come. I received a telephone call out of the blue from a minister friend in Florida, a respected prophet who I had grown to love and trust. "Craig," he said. "I don't know what's going on there, but I felt like I needed to call."
"I've been praying for you," he continued, "and I feel like the Lord is saying that you are coming in to a time of transition. I believe you need to get ready because God is about to make some major changes in your life."
Wow! Talk about confirmation. I filled him in on what I was feeling and he said that it witnessed with his spirit. We hung up the telephone and I rejoiced, wondering what the timing would be for this transition.
Two days later another minister friend called from New York. "Craig, I don't know what's going on there, but perhaps the Lord is leading you into a time of transition."
Another two days passed and my former pastor called from Indiana. Guess what he said…
"Craig, I don't know what's going on there, but I feel like the Lord is saying you need to get ready because you're entering a time of transition."
I had heard from the Lord as to His will, and I knew that I was to go forward with the plan. Now I just needed to discover His timing.
At the time I was a licensed minister with Christian International Network of Churches (CINC) under Bishop Bill Hamon. One of the requirements for being in the network was that I attend two CINC conferences per year. I planned to go to an upcoming conference in Columbus, Ohio, and then leave from there for vacation and my interview at Regent. I knew that there would be time made available for prophetic ministry by seasoned prophets, and so I prayed that the Lord would give me clarity of vision and His timing in this transition.
With the busyness of the conference I was not able to make it to a prophetic session until the final day. It just so happened that my pastor and his wife were also there at that time. Beside them there were only a handful of others, and a prophetess I didn't know named Sharon Stone.
After ministering to several people, Sharon called me up and laid her hands upon me. The words that came out of her mouth were both amazing and humbling.
"The Lord says, 'I'm allowing you to stand in places of training. I'm allowing you to stand in places of co-laborship, and I'm allowing you to be one who is trained in diversity. And you're getting to do all things that I might build an ability to know things from the inside out.' For the Lord says, 'Know this, there will be a day that I will plant you -- you're grooming for the anointing of the house now...'"
I began to smile as the Lord confirmed that there was to be more training. That was one answer, now what about the timing?
Sharon continued to prophesy,
"I saw a quick thing that the Lord was doing in the midst of you. The Lord says, 'Know this, I'm changing your home ... I am readjusting you, picking you up and I am transplanting you, just like someone whose pot is too narrow.' The Lord says, 'You're root-bound. I'm picking you up and putting you in a bigger place.' And the Spirit of God says, 'You're going to see that out of that place that I've centered you, I've located you, but I've also put you in a place where your children are going to be blessed."
By now the tears were filling my eyes. One of my greatest concerns in this transition was for my children, and here the Lord promised that He would take care of them. Hallelujah!
The prophetess finished with these words, "I'm going to cause you to be one that no longer puts yourself down for areas where you seem to have lack of training, and lack of investment within the midst of you.' For the Lord says, 'I took Saul out upon the backside of the desert and I trained him. Son, I've had you in places of on-the-job training ... No longer say that you are 'less than' because you did not follow the ways others would acknowledge that training ought to come.' The Spirit of God says 'Son, know this, I'm not holding you down, I'm holding you steady.'"
"And the Lord says, 'Son, you'll see that timing is the issue within your heart. But the Lord says, 'As the sons of Issachar knew not only the seasons, but also the timing, I am releasing understanding within the midst of you that no longer is the heart made sick because of hopelessness.' But the Lord says, 'Son, you might be one that has an understanding of My time.'"
After receiving this word I met with the pastor. As you can suspect from this prophecy, he wasn't surprised when I told him that I was leaving to attend Regent University. After a frenzy of painting and cleaning I put my house up for sale. It sold quickly -- and with a decent profit. A few months later I moved to Virginia Beach where I enrolled in the Divinity School.
In the midst of that first year I began sensing that the Lord wanted me to minister through the media -- a calling He had placed on my heart while I was still in high school. I learned that there was a special program in the College of Communication called Religious Journalism, where students spent half their studies in Bible training and the other half in the study of communication. I decided to schedule an appointment with my mentor and writing professor Bob Slosser. I told him that I felt like God was leading me to minister through my writing, and I asked him what he thought.
"Brother," he replied, "There are a lot of right-thinking pastors out there. And there are an awful lot of right-thinking missionaries and Bible teachers. But there aren't a lot of right-thinking writers and communicators. If this is what the Lord is speaking to you, then I encourage you to go after it with all you've got."
His godly counsel shot through me like an arrow (counsel: another of the seven keys). He didn't have to say 'thus saith the Lord' -- I knew he was speaking God's word directly to me.
Two years later I graduated from Regent University with an MA in Religious Journalism. I was hired in the Direct Marketing department at CBN as a staff writer. After another couple of years the Lord opened the doors for me to become Spiritual Life Producer and later Ministries Director for CBN.com -- a position that allows me to minister through the media, just as the Lord had revealed to me more than fifteen years earlier.
What an awesome God we serve! He has been faithful. I have grown to know that no matter how difficult the road ahead may seem, I can trust that God is good and His word is true. And He has given us the seven keys to His guidance to "lead us in paths of righteousness for His name's sake" (Psalm 23:3).
CBN.com Ministries Director (Had to share this great story)
I have been blessed by the numerous e-mail responses that I have received from this audience regarding hearing God's voice. Many of you have shared dramatic stories of the Lord's leading. Others have shared how they have had difficulty knowing whether they are hearing God's voice or not.
To encourage the people who read these columns I thought I would share a personal testimony of a time when God made His direction very clear to me in a time of transition in my life.
I want to emphasize the many channels through which God communicated to me during this major life change. I also want to point out that while I sensed the Lord's leading, I was very concerned that I move forward in His timing. I wanted to obey God, but I didn't want to rush out in front of Him, or wait too long to do what He was calling us to do.
I served for a time as an associate pastor in a local church in Pennsylvania. After more than five years on staff I began sensing that the Lord wanted me to leave this church to complete my ministry training. Relations were beginning to become strained between myself and the senior pastor. While we remained friends, as time went by I began to recognize that we had differing leadership styles and different visions for the church.
In more than 10 years of serving the Lord up to that time I had learned that you don't make major moves in your life because things are uncomfortable. Sometimes God places us in difficult situations because He wants to grow our character. Other times He puts us into a tough spot so that we will be there to pray for His will to be done. Over many months I had sought the Lord in prayer about my situation at the church. I came to the conclusion that in this case either I needed to leave the church, or the vision needed to change.
Transition was inevitable, but how it would come about was unclear to me.
And so I waited for the Lord to guide my steps. In the meantime I went about my duties at the church, working as unto the Lord. As my mother taught her seven children, "bloom where you're planted."
In this time, God did some dramatic miracles in that church that to this day cause me to be in awe of His power. In the course of a year we were given a full-price offer on the downtown church building with no parking that we had struggled to sell for years. We were also given a warehouse a block away. We later sold that warehouse and used the proceeds to help purchase a church building that had parking and wonderful facilities -- at a fantastic price. At the same time we were given -- yes, given -- 21 acres of prime land in one of the most desirable parts of town. This donation was without strings -- it was truly miraculous.
And yet in the midst of all this I did not have peace -- one of the seven keys to God's guidance.
I began to consider my options. I had ministered in this city for more than ten years. It would not have been difficult to go down the street and start another church. I was also a part of a national network of churches, and some of these congregations had expressed interest in me coming to work with them. But the more I prayed, the more I believed that God wanted me to go on for more education.
A friend had recently bought me a book called Manners and Customs of Bible Times. As I sat on my front porch reading it I was struck by the lives of Moses and Paul. Both men were highly educated, and both made a significant impact on their world for the Gospel. I decided to look at various seminaries across the country. As I investigated, my heart kept coming back to Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
After much prayer and discussion, I decided to schedule an appointment for an interview. I was beginning to feel peaceful about this direction, but there were still many stressful hurdles to cross -- paramount in my thoughts was God's timing in the transition. I had learned that in the mouth of two or three witnesses all things should be established (another of the seven keys). So I asked the Lord for confirmation.
I prayed that God would make His will clear to me.
The following week clarity began to come. I received a telephone call out of the blue from a minister friend in Florida, a respected prophet who I had grown to love and trust. "Craig," he said. "I don't know what's going on there, but I felt like I needed to call."
"I've been praying for you," he continued, "and I feel like the Lord is saying that you are coming in to a time of transition. I believe you need to get ready because God is about to make some major changes in your life."
Wow! Talk about confirmation. I filled him in on what I was feeling and he said that it witnessed with his spirit. We hung up the telephone and I rejoiced, wondering what the timing would be for this transition.
Two days later another minister friend called from New York. "Craig, I don't know what's going on there, but perhaps the Lord is leading you into a time of transition."
Another two days passed and my former pastor called from Indiana. Guess what he said…
"Craig, I don't know what's going on there, but I feel like the Lord is saying you need to get ready because you're entering a time of transition."
I had heard from the Lord as to His will, and I knew that I was to go forward with the plan. Now I just needed to discover His timing.
At the time I was a licensed minister with Christian International Network of Churches (CINC) under Bishop Bill Hamon. One of the requirements for being in the network was that I attend two CINC conferences per year. I planned to go to an upcoming conference in Columbus, Ohio, and then leave from there for vacation and my interview at Regent. I knew that there would be time made available for prophetic ministry by seasoned prophets, and so I prayed that the Lord would give me clarity of vision and His timing in this transition.
With the busyness of the conference I was not able to make it to a prophetic session until the final day. It just so happened that my pastor and his wife were also there at that time. Beside them there were only a handful of others, and a prophetess I didn't know named Sharon Stone.
After ministering to several people, Sharon called me up and laid her hands upon me. The words that came out of her mouth were both amazing and humbling.
"The Lord says, 'I'm allowing you to stand in places of training. I'm allowing you to stand in places of co-laborship, and I'm allowing you to be one who is trained in diversity. And you're getting to do all things that I might build an ability to know things from the inside out.' For the Lord says, 'Know this, there will be a day that I will plant you -- you're grooming for the anointing of the house now...'"
I began to smile as the Lord confirmed that there was to be more training. That was one answer, now what about the timing?
Sharon continued to prophesy,
"I saw a quick thing that the Lord was doing in the midst of you. The Lord says, 'Know this, I'm changing your home ... I am readjusting you, picking you up and I am transplanting you, just like someone whose pot is too narrow.' The Lord says, 'You're root-bound. I'm picking you up and putting you in a bigger place.' And the Spirit of God says, 'You're going to see that out of that place that I've centered you, I've located you, but I've also put you in a place where your children are going to be blessed."
By now the tears were filling my eyes. One of my greatest concerns in this transition was for my children, and here the Lord promised that He would take care of them. Hallelujah!
The prophetess finished with these words, "I'm going to cause you to be one that no longer puts yourself down for areas where you seem to have lack of training, and lack of investment within the midst of you.' For the Lord says, 'I took Saul out upon the backside of the desert and I trained him. Son, I've had you in places of on-the-job training ... No longer say that you are 'less than' because you did not follow the ways others would acknowledge that training ought to come.' The Spirit of God says 'Son, know this, I'm not holding you down, I'm holding you steady.'"
"And the Lord says, 'Son, you'll see that timing is the issue within your heart. But the Lord says, 'As the sons of Issachar knew not only the seasons, but also the timing, I am releasing understanding within the midst of you that no longer is the heart made sick because of hopelessness.' But the Lord says, 'Son, you might be one that has an understanding of My time.'"
After receiving this word I met with the pastor. As you can suspect from this prophecy, he wasn't surprised when I told him that I was leaving to attend Regent University. After a frenzy of painting and cleaning I put my house up for sale. It sold quickly -- and with a decent profit. A few months later I moved to Virginia Beach where I enrolled in the Divinity School.
In the midst of that first year I began sensing that the Lord wanted me to minister through the media -- a calling He had placed on my heart while I was still in high school. I learned that there was a special program in the College of Communication called Religious Journalism, where students spent half their studies in Bible training and the other half in the study of communication. I decided to schedule an appointment with my mentor and writing professor Bob Slosser. I told him that I felt like God was leading me to minister through my writing, and I asked him what he thought.
"Brother," he replied, "There are a lot of right-thinking pastors out there. And there are an awful lot of right-thinking missionaries and Bible teachers. But there aren't a lot of right-thinking writers and communicators. If this is what the Lord is speaking to you, then I encourage you to go after it with all you've got."
His godly counsel shot through me like an arrow (counsel: another of the seven keys). He didn't have to say 'thus saith the Lord' -- I knew he was speaking God's word directly to me.
Two years later I graduated from Regent University with an MA in Religious Journalism. I was hired in the Direct Marketing department at CBN as a staff writer. After another couple of years the Lord opened the doors for me to become Spiritual Life Producer and later Ministries Director for CBN.com -- a position that allows me to minister through the media, just as the Lord had revealed to me more than fifteen years earlier.
What an awesome God we serve! He has been faithful. I have grown to know that no matter how difficult the road ahead may seem, I can trust that God is good and His word is true. And He has given us the seven keys to His guidance to "lead us in paths of righteousness for His name's sake" (Psalm 23:3).
Saturday, January 29, 2011
SAD (Am I stupid)
I'm not sure how I feel? I wonder if I'm the most stupid girl ever????
Did I need someone to care about me that bad that I jumped.... that I flew that I leaped.....
What if you don't care? What if your plans are never to include me.
I look around and see what could be. Do you think that way. Do you really feel the way you say?
I didn't even get a time line I didn't even find what would be what and I let you promise me things I'm unsure
you know you did. I'm not sure it would be fair for me to be hurt again by anyone.
Could you be .......
Did I need someone to care about me that bad that I jumped.... that I flew that I leaped.....
What if you don't care? What if your plans are never to include me.
I look around and see what could be. Do you think that way. Do you really feel the way you say?
I didn't even get a time line I didn't even find what would be what and I let you promise me things I'm unsure
you know you did. I'm not sure it would be fair for me to be hurt again by anyone.
Could you be .......
Friday, January 28, 2011
Beginning of the new me
I just took my first set of drops. I'm happy excited nervous and strrangly wiered out about it all! I've never ever done a diet! I've never ever had a problem loosing weight until now. Well I guess I didn't get fat over night and it doesn't help that everyone is always saying your not fat. You look good. Yes I have a great set of breast but come on now I AM FAT! I almost was offended the other day when I was blunt in this way and a guy said yeah I remember you smaller. HAHA I guess I don't want the truth either! However I know this much I want to take a million photos and be in video with my son as he goes through his career of fighting. I don't want to be embarrased and not share photos because I'M FAT. I feel so fat I don't even want to start posting my before photos until I have after photos. Is that horrible or what?
Well here's to DAY 1!
Well here's to DAY 1!
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Young Couples Often Disagree About Monogamy, Study Finds
Taking vows, having kids doesn't seem to make a difference, findings show
THURSDAY, Jan. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Many young American couples can't agree on whether they've decided to have sex only with each other, a new study shows.
Oregon State University researchers analyzed data collected from 434 heterosexual married and non-married couples, aged 18 to 25. In 40 percent of those couples, one partner said the couple had agreed to be monogamous while the other partner said there was no such deal.
Even among couples who agreed that they had decided to have sex only with each other, nearly 30 percent had broken that agreement, with at least one partner having sex outside the relationship, the findings indicated.
The study also found that couples with children were less likely to have a monogamy agreement in place and married couples were no more likely than other couples to have an explicit monogamy agreement.
In fact, the authors noted, the only relationship aspect related to sustained monogamy was commitment. A scale from one to five was used to assess whether participants viewed their relationship as permanent, and the higher they scored on the commitment scale, the more likely the couple was to have a sustained monogamy agreement.
The findings will be published in an upcoming online edition of the Journal of Sex Research.
"Other studies have looked at perceptions related to monogamy, but this is really the first one that explores the discussions that heterosexual couples are, or aren't, having about monogamy," research associate Jocelyn Warren said in a university news release.
"Couples have a hard time talking about these sorts of issues, and I would imagine for young people it's even more difficult," study colleague Marie Harvey, a professor of public health, said in the news release.
"Monogamy comes up quite a bit as a way to protect against sexually transmitted diseases. But you can see that agreement on whether one is monogamous or not is fraught with issues," she added.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Get in shape ~ Going on my Journey
Today is January 24th I plan to embark on a Journey and loose weight and get in the best shape of my life.
I'm not getting any younger and I have no reason to be over weight! When your good looking people compliment you when your already gaining the weight and you wake up one day and notice~ I'm fat!
Still right now everyone will say "Your not fat!" I know the truth. The truth is I AM FAT!
However I don't plan on letting that define me and wont be for long!
My goal is to loose 60 pounds! I believe that still will not be considered my ideal weight as for my height I should be even smaller. However adding to the minus of 60 pounds just made me see that I TRULY am FAT! What a fat heffer I am! Yuck! Time to loose the weight!
Photos to come!!!
I'm not getting any younger and I have no reason to be over weight! When your good looking people compliment you when your already gaining the weight and you wake up one day and notice~ I'm fat!
Still right now everyone will say "Your not fat!" I know the truth. The truth is I AM FAT!
However I don't plan on letting that define me and wont be for long!
My goal is to loose 60 pounds! I believe that still will not be considered my ideal weight as for my height I should be even smaller. However adding to the minus of 60 pounds just made me see that I TRULY am FAT! What a fat heffer I am! Yuck! Time to loose the weight!
Photos to come!!!
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Trying to figure out the tattoo for my back...
I have some marks from Chemo and want to get my back covered up so I don't have to look at the scars...
Starbucks MENU
(CHRISTMAS GOING TO DISNEYLAND-STOPPED ACCROSS THE STREET FOR STARBUCKS)
Coffee Plain black coffee, brewed less than an hour ago. If you want the barista to leave room for you to add milk or half and half, let him know. Also available in decaf and mild. Iced Coffee Plain coffee, usually House blend, brewed double-strength so the ice won't dilute it and kept in the fridge. This is not just regular coffee poured over ice.
Tea Starbucks has a lot of varieties of tea: black, green, herbal, blends, decaffeinated, you name it. It's generally priced by the number of tea bags rather than the size of the cup, since hot water doesn't cost much of anything.
Iced Tea Plain tea brewed at several points during the day and kept in the fridge. Usually available in black and passion (herbal), sweetened or unsweetened (with basic sugar syrup), with or without lemonade added.
Misto / Cafe au Lait A drink consisting of half coffee, half steamed milk and a bit of foam. It can be made decaf, nonfat, etc. "Misto" is the Starbucks name, cafe au lait is a more generic term.
Espresso Bar Drinks
Latte Espresso, steamed milk, and foam, not sweetened in any way unless you ask for syrup or sugar in it.
Cappuccino Like a latte, only much more foam; normally half milk half foam, unless "wet" or "dry" is specified (see below). This is also not sweetened, and an "iced cappuccino" doesn't really exist at Starbucks. Since iced drinks are made without foam, an iced cappuccino is the same as an iced latte.
Caramel Macchiato Basically, a vanilla latte with a bit less vanilla and extra foam, and with gooey, yummy caramel sauce drizzled on top. If it doesn't taste sweet enough when you first try it, mix it up a bit. If it's still not sweet enough, ask for more vanilla -- caramel sauce doesn't really dissolve well, so by the time it strongly flavors the drink there's way too much. Iced caramel macchiatos, like hot ones, have the shots and caramel poured on top, so when you get it it won't look mixed at all. Just make sure you stir it before you drink. Macchiato, by the way, is pronounced "mah-kee-YAH-toe."
Americano Espresso diluted with hot water until it's roughly the strength of regular coffee. An Americano will usually have one more shot than a latte of the same size. Sometimes if the regular coffee you ordered hasn't finished brewing and you don't want to wait for it, the barista may offer you an Americano instead.
Mocha Espresso and steamed milk mixed with chocolate and served with whipped cream on top. Despite being chocolatey, these are not terribly sweet; if you don't want to taste the espresso, ask for flavor syrup or sugar to be added, or try one of the other mocha drinks instead. Also, these are not blended. If you're looking for one of those milkshake-looking things, you want a mocha Frappuccino.
White Mocha Espresso and steamed milk mixed with white chocolate syrup and served with whipped cream. These are a lot sweeter than regular mochas, but also a bit less healthy.
Mocha Valencia A mocha with Valencia (orange) syrup and an extra espresso shot added, with whipped cream and orangey sprinkles on top. These taste like the chocolate oranges you can buy in various stores. This doesn't appear on the menu as often as it used to, so newer baristas may not be familiar with the exact recipe.
Cinnamon Spice Mocha A mocha with cinnamon syrup added, served with foam and cinnamon on top rather than whipped cream. They have less chocolate than regular mochas, to keep them from being like Mocha Valencias (i.e., so sweet that an extra shot has to be added to balance it). This has also been off the menu for some time, so newer baristas may give you a blank look if you order it.
Toffee Nut Latte A latte flavored with the new Toffee Nut syrup, which tastes, well, toffee-like. Similar to a combination of hazelnut and vanilla. Served with whipped cream and crunchy toffee sprinkles. While originally introduced as a winter seasonal drink, it seems to be a permanent addition to the menu.
Espresso Just espresso. A solo espresso is a single shot, which is a bit less than an ounce. A doppio espresso is two shots. A triple espresso is three, and a quad shot is four (and only for the brave).
Espresso Macchiato Espresso dropped into a cup of milk foam, and only foam. Like a small, extremely dry cappuccino. These are ordered not by cup size, but by the number of shots.
Espresso Con Panna Espresso in a big squirt of whipped cream. Ordered by the number of shots, rather than cup size.
Non-Espresso Bar Drinks
Hot Chocolate Chocolate and steamed milk, with a little vanilla added because the mocha syrup is not very sweet, and served with whipped cream.
Steamed Milk Just steamed milk, usually with a dollop of foam on top. Usually these are ordered with flavor syrup added, which used to be called a "steamer" but is now a "creme".
Vanilla Creme Steamed milk with vanilla syrup and whipped cream. Not to be confused with the Vanilla Creme Frappuccino, which is a cold, blended drink.
Chai Latte Sweetened Chai syrup (tea and spices) added to steamed milk. If you don't want it so sweet or so milky, you can also get Chai made with a tea bag -- black tea and spices, none of that sweetened syrup stuff. There is caffeine in both versions, since it's made with black tea. These taste really good with chocolate (surprisingly enough) or just one pump of gingerbread syrup.
Steamed Cider Apple juice / cider (not sure what the distinction is) steamed to a nice hot temperature. You can also get just plain, cold, apple juice.
Caramel Apple Cider Steamed cider with cinnamon syrup, whipped cream, and caramel sauce. Sweeter (and pricier) than plain steamed cider.
Coffee-Based Blended Drinks
Coffee Frappuccino A pre-made coffee / sweetener base blended with ice, resulting in kind of a milkshake looking concoction. Normally served without whipped cream unless it's requested. All coffee-based Frappuccinos are available in decaffeinated form.
Mocha Frappuccino A coffee Frappuccino with chocolate syrup mixed in, normally served without whipped cream unless it's requested.
Caramel Frappuccino A coffee Frappuccino with caramel syrup added, served with whipped cream and caramel sauce drizzled on top. One of the sweetest coffee-based Frappuccinos, and also one of the most popular.
Java Chip Frappuccino A mocha Frappuccino with chocolate chip-like things blended in, served with whipped cream and chocolate drizzled on top.
White Mocha Frappuccino A coffee Frappuccino with white mocha syrup mixed in.
Espresso Frappuccino A coffee Frappuccino with a shot of espresso added. Actually, any Frappuccino can have shots added (it costs extra, just like adding a shot to any other drink). A more recent (and tastier, in my opinion) way to add caffeine is to order a Frappuccino 'affogato style' -- meaning, with an espresso shot and mocha or caramel on top.
Creme-Based Blended Drinks
Vanilla Creme Frappuccino Basically, a vanilla milkshake. This is a base of nonfat milk and soy (to thicken it) blended with vanilla syrup and ice, with whipped cream on top. No coffee, no caffeine. Other syrup flavors can be used instead of vanilla; mint works well, as does Valencia (orange).
Chocolate Creme Frappuccino A creme Frappuccino made with chocolate instead of vanilla. Like a chocolate milkshake, or a mocha Frappuccino without the coffee.
Green Tea Frappuccino A creme Frappuccino made with green tea flakes. Tasty, very green, and probably seasonal. The green tea may add some caffeine.
Chai Creme Frappuccino A creme Frappuccino made with the same Chai syrup used to make the Chai latte, with whipped cream on top. These have caffeine, since there's black tea in the syrup.
Sizes
Short 8 oz. The smallest size Starbucks offers, but you'll probably only get this size if you ask for it by name; anyone asking for a "small" will get a Tall, which is the smallest size for which the prices are actually on the menu. Only hot drinks can be served in the Short size.
Tall 12 oz. This is what you'll get if you ask for a "small" drink.
Grande 16 oz. This is the "medium" size. Pronounced "GRAWN-day."
Venti 20 oz. hot, 24 oz. cold. For some reason the iced Venti cups hold four more ounces; for this reason, Venti espresso drinks have an extra shot of espresso in them, and cost a few cents more than their hot equivalents. Pronounced "VENN-tee," and reportedly means twenty in Italian.
Caffeination
Decaf Made with decaffeinated espresso, pulled from decaffeinated espresso beans. This doesn't mean caffeine free, but there's very very little caffeine in a decaf drink.
Half-Caf Made with half regular, half decaf espresso.
Espresso Shots
Single Made with just one shot of espresso. This is the normal amount for all Tall-sized drinks except Mocha Valencias and Americanos.
Double Made with two shots. This is the normal amount for all Grande- and hot Venti-sized drinks except Mocha Valencias and Americanos. Also the normal amount for Tall-sized Mocha Valencias and Americanos.
Triple Made with three shots. This is the normal amount for Grande- and Venti-sized Mocha Valencias and Americanos. Also the normal amount for most iced Venti-sized drinks.
Quad Made with four shots. Hope you weren't planning on sleeping anytime soon.
Ristretto This is so rarely requested that even many baristas don't recognize it. A normal shot of espresso takes about twenty seconds to pull; a ristretto shot is stopped at fifteen seconds, making a slightly smaller, less bold shot.
Flavor Syrup
Syrup Flavor syrup can be added to any drink, including regular coffee, frappuccinos, iced tea and Chai. The syrup is basically sugar water with some kind of flavoring, and is usually mixed in the following amounts: 3 pumps in a Tall, 4 in a Grande, 5 in a hot Venti, 6 in an Iced Venti. Caramel macchiatos have one pump less in each size. Coffee-based Frappuccinos get one pump in a Tall or Grande, two in a Venti. The famed Gingerbread Latte, a latte flavored with gingerbread syrup, is only available during the holidays. Year-round syrups include vanilla, sugar-free vanilla, hazelnut, sugar-free hazelnut, Irish creme, almond, mint, Valencia (orange), raspberry, caramel, and toffee nut.
Milk
Nonfat All normal bar drinks can be made with nonfat milk instead of whole. Blended drinks are made from pre-mixed concentrate, so the milk can't be changed, but most are fairly low in fat anyway, especially if you skip the whipped cream.
Lowfat / "Percent" Drinks can also be made with lowfat milk, which is actually a 50-50 mixture of whole and nonfat. Be aware, this may require the barista to steam two separate pitchers of milk if it's a hot drink, so it may take a bit longer.
Breve Made with half and half instead of regular milk. This makes it a bit thicker, a bit sweeter, a bit more expensive and a lot more fattening.
Soy Depending on your location, you may be able to order a drink with soy milk rather than regular milk. It's pretty good, even if you don't have dietary/religious reasons for avoiding cow milk. It does cost extra, though.
Organic Some stores also have organic milk available. It'll cost extra, and they may have to go looking for it, since almost no one orders it (in my area at least).
Eggnog This is the vital component of the much-anticipated holiday drink, the eggnog latte. It's only available during the winter; see Seasonal and Discontinued Drinks for details.
Extra
Foam Lattes and caramel macchiatos are served with a certain amount of fluffy foamed milk on top. You can always ask for more or less, or no foam at all.
Wet / Dry Cappuccinos are made with much more foam than lattes; Starbucks standards dictate half milk, half foam. A dry cappuccino has more foam, a wet cappuccino has less. There's a fine line between a very wet cappuccino and an extra-foam latte.
Whipped Cream Whipped cream is made fresh in the store every day, and it's yummy. Mochas, white mochas, and vanilla cremes automatically come with whip; most other things don't. If you really want whip, or really don't, make sure to tell the barista when you order, because it's a lot easier to write it on the cup than it is to take it off or add it once the drink has been made. And also realize that whipped cream is quite laden with calories; getting your mocha made with non-fat milk doesn't do you much good when you triple the amount of calories with a dollop of whip.
Extra Hot Some people like their drinks extra extra piping hot. Others just want it to still be drinkable an hour later. In any case, if you order something extra hot, don't drink it too fast, because it could be up to or possibly over 170 degrees. Anything over that is technically scalding the milk, but if you want it at 180, go ahead and specify that.
140 degrees No, this is not the newest boy band. If you find normal drinks too hot to drink, and want to save your tastebuds from a fiery death, order your drink at a hundred and forty degrees -- this is still quite warm, but not tongue-roasting.
Kid's By Starbucks rules, any drink that's going to be served to a child must be no hotter than 130 degrees. Keep this in mind when you go cheap and order the $1.00 kid's hot chocolate.
Sugar / Sweet 'n' Low / Equal / Splenda Baristas are prohibited from adding anything you hand them to your drinks, but the various sweeteners available on the condiment bar are also stocked near the espresso bar, so you can ask to have two Equals, or three sugar packets, or whatever, added to your drink while it's being made. This mixes it in better and saves you time, plus it doesn't cost extra.
Caramel Sauce There's two forms of caramel flavoring: caramel syrup, which is the sugar water stuff used to flavor caramel Frappuccinos, and caramel sauce, which is gooey, genuine caramel. This is drizzled on top of caramel Frappuccinos, caramel macchiatos, caramel mochas and caramel apple ciders. You can ask for it on other stuff, but be sure to specify sauce rather than syrup, and it may cost you extra.
Iced Just about all drinks can be served over ice rather than steamed. Iced and blended is a whole different thing -- those are Frappuccinos. Taking a regular iced mocha, for example, and blending it, does not work. Also, iced Venti-sized drinks cost a bit more and have an extra shot, because iced Venti cups contain four more ounces than hot Venti cups.
Extra Ice / Light Ice Depending on your iced beverage preferences, you can always ask for more or less ice than usual. You know. Just because.
Upside Down This pertains to caramel macchiatos -- normally these are made with the shots and caramel dropped on top. Making one upside down means that it'll be more thorougly mixed, and the caramel melted a bit.
Double Blended Double-blending a Frappuccino makes it smoother and more liquid.
HOLIDAY
Eggnog Latte Probably the most widely-anticipated winter holiday drink. People start asking about it in September, but on average these aren't sold until mid-November sometime. The drink is real eggnog, mixed with a tiny bit of milk to help it steam (Don't bother asking for non-fat. Trust me on this.), espresso, and nutmeg on top. Eggnog makes a hell of a racket when it's steamed -- sounds like an F-16 taking off, so be ready to plug your ears if you're lurking near the espresso bar.
Eggnog Frappuccino Almost never ordered, since most people don't know it exists, but this is available whenever the 'nog latte is. It's basically a coffee Frappuccino made with more eggnog than Frap base, and served with whipped cream and nutmeg.
Gingerbread Latte Another classic Christmas drink, which if ordered nonfat and without whipped cream is much healthier than the eggnog latte. A basic latte flavored with Gingerbread syrup, and topped with whipped cream and nutmeg.
Peppermint Mocha Introduced during the 2002-2003 holiday season, this is a mocha with peppermint flavoring syrup, served with whipped cream and little red sprinkles. May be available year-round, depending on the store.
Peppermint Hot Chocolate Hot chocolate with peppermint syrup, whipped cream, and red sprinkles.
Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino A mocha Frappuccino with peppermint syrup blended in, whipped cream, and those ubiquitous red sprinkles.
Graveyard of Discontinued Drinks - these are no longer available
Tiazzi These blended, fruit-flavored, Italian ice-style drinks were available at some point before my time. Rumors vary as to why they're not carried anymore, but if you were hoping for one of these, you're several years too late.
Tazoberry A berry / tea concentrate blended with ice, usually served without whipped cream. It tastes kind of like a berry Slurpee would, if there were real berries and a hint of tea in it. All of the Tazo blended drinks contained caffeine from the tea, and were not available in decaffeinated form.
Tazoberry and Cream A Tazoberry with, well, cream added. These were sweeter and lighter in color than regular Tazoberries, and served with whipped cream.
Tazo Citrus A orange / lime / green tea concentrate blended with ice, usually served without whipped cream.
Tazo Citrus and Cream A Tazo Citrus with cream added. These were sweeter and lighter in color than regular Tazo Citruses, served with whipped cream, and tasted kinda like an Orange Julius would taste if it were made with real oranges.
Raspberry Mocha Chip Frappuccino This was available durring the summer of 2001, but was discontinued in the following months. It was like a Java Chip Frappuccino, only instead of the usual chocolate chunks blended in, there were special raspberry-flavored chocolate chunks. Served with whipped cream and such. A lot of people, including your truly, are still annoyed at Starbucks for getting rid of this drink.
Chocolate Brownie Frappuccino A Mocha Frappuccino with chocolate chunks blended in, served with whipped cream and a drizzle of chocolate on top. These have been replaced with the very-similar Java Chip Frappuccino.
Chantico A deeply missed beverage. A Chantico was a very concentrated hot chocolate -- it has been compared to drinking brownie batter. Special 6-ounce cups were made for it, since few people could drink any more than that. Extremely rich, very sugary, and loaded with calories. Introduced during late Winter 2005, when Starbucks was making a push to get more people in during dessert hours, the Chantico's failure may be due in part to its low sales during the summer months.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Courting, Daiting, Mating (What is Courting a Women)
•Dating is the process of two people joining in activities in order to get to know each other better and to get closer physically and emotionally.
•Courting is frequent dating by the man to persuade the woman to be his mate. (Both are on their best behavior during this time and there is no guarantee that "what you see is what you get later!")
•Mating is the mutually agreeable act of a male and female becoming mates. Mating may be just a way of having some fun or surviving better. This arrangement is also often called a "relationship". Relationships often involve having sex for pleasure and bonding, but not to produce offspring.
Now days most men do not court a women.
Courting a women definition:
Courting by definition is obvious. When courting a woman, she is supposed to know that you are courting her, and either tell you she is interested or tell you she is not. It is supposed to be done with her permission.
You're either courting a woman or you're not, so being obvious about it doesn't come into the equation.
Invite her to dinners, picnics, drives together and take each date as it comes. Ask permission before holding her hand, or kissing or whatever.
Watch a couple of old romance movies and get some pointers from them about "courting".
As young as I am I still have the idea of the OLD ROMANCES.. it's all the Cinderella types of movies and at the same time the old soul that I have been born with. I just love the old days and all the romance.
I feel a man should shower you with Flowers (yes they die) but the memory will last forever. Memories are a lifetime. Women no matter what they say love to be romanced! It's a important part of life. It will keep your relationship if it will turn into one going really well.
You need to show your love. If your already in a relationship you could even go with beautiful plants they last longer then flowers and if she will remember the gesture forever.
The most important thing is to listen; if you listen you will hear what she loves likes and enjoys, spice it up go on a road trip - you can tell a lot about a person on a road trip. Concerts, bands, walks, shooting range, fishing, aw there are so many things you can do together.
Hope this is informational :)
•Courting is frequent dating by the man to persuade the woman to be his mate. (Both are on their best behavior during this time and there is no guarantee that "what you see is what you get later!")
•Mating is the mutually agreeable act of a male and female becoming mates. Mating may be just a way of having some fun or surviving better. This arrangement is also often called a "relationship". Relationships often involve having sex for pleasure and bonding, but not to produce offspring.
Now days most men do not court a women.
Courting a women definition:
Courting by definition is obvious. When courting a woman, she is supposed to know that you are courting her, and either tell you she is interested or tell you she is not. It is supposed to be done with her permission.
You're either courting a woman or you're not, so being obvious about it doesn't come into the equation.
Invite her to dinners, picnics, drives together and take each date as it comes. Ask permission before holding her hand, or kissing or whatever.
Watch a couple of old romance movies and get some pointers from them about "courting".
As young as I am I still have the idea of the OLD ROMANCES.. it's all the Cinderella types of movies and at the same time the old soul that I have been born with. I just love the old days and all the romance.
I feel a man should shower you with Flowers (yes they die) but the memory will last forever. Memories are a lifetime. Women no matter what they say love to be romanced! It's a important part of life. It will keep your relationship if it will turn into one going really well.
You need to show your love. If your already in a relationship you could even go with beautiful plants they last longer then flowers and if she will remember the gesture forever.
The most important thing is to listen; if you listen you will hear what she loves likes and enjoys, spice it up go on a road trip - you can tell a lot about a person on a road trip. Concerts, bands, walks, shooting range, fishing, aw there are so many things you can do together.
Hope this is informational :)
How to Do Quiet Time – Time Alone with God
Quiet time is one of the most essential aspects of your Christian life. Many Christians take some time reading the bible everyday. While it is very useful, just reading the bible will not lead you to much fuller Christian walk with Christ. You need to spend time in his words, study and learn from it everyday. Without daily regular quiet time, our spiritual life can be seriously malnourished just as our body can be Mal-nutritioned without proper food and water! I often wonder when people talk about forgetting to do their quiet time due to busy schedule; I have never found anybody who forgot to eat for a day due to work!
Here I am presenting simple steps for how to do your daily quiet time.
Time: Quiet time should be about 10-15 minutes long. You can choose time according to you schedule. For some, morning works better, for others, night may work well. While, I recommend the morning time as you are much calmer and fresh, any time can work fine. It is also important to set fixed time everyday, as it brings discipline and consistency.
What do you need?
Your bible, note and pen. You can occasionally refer to bible commentary or dictionary for difficult passages of bible (Free bible study resources). But I would recommend studying bible as it is and ask God for his guidance to understand the passage. It is a very good practice to take notes in your quiet time. You will be amazed when you will see your quiet time notes years later!
How To do Quiet Time?
■Start with prayer:
■Spend just few minutes in worship and thanksgiving.
■Spend some time in asking God for forgiveness for our sins.
■Ask for his guidance in today’s quiet time
■Passage for Quiet time: It is good to select any book of bible and read it continuously. It will help you to get the whole picture and can enjoy your quiet time more. Select about 8-10 verses, don’t select whole chapter, as you may not be able to cover it all. Select small paragraph according to passage.
■Read the paragraph for 2-3 times. This bible study method is also called ASPECT method. From the paragraph, ask following questions.
■A – About God – What can you learn about God through this passage?
■S – Sin – Does it talk about any sin?
■P – Promise – Is there any promise in the word?
■E – Example – Is there any example, I can follow?
■C –Command – Which command I need to obey?
■T – Teaching – What can I learn from this passage?
■Concluding Prayer:
■Thank God for his guidance in quiet time
■Worship God for his characteristic
■Pray for deliverance from any sin
■Ask for strength for the day.
■Here is a simple example of Quiet time using ASPECT method
Here I am presenting simple steps for how to do your daily quiet time.
Time: Quiet time should be about 10-15 minutes long. You can choose time according to you schedule. For some, morning works better, for others, night may work well. While, I recommend the morning time as you are much calmer and fresh, any time can work fine. It is also important to set fixed time everyday, as it brings discipline and consistency.
What do you need?
Your bible, note and pen. You can occasionally refer to bible commentary or dictionary for difficult passages of bible (Free bible study resources). But I would recommend studying bible as it is and ask God for his guidance to understand the passage. It is a very good practice to take notes in your quiet time. You will be amazed when you will see your quiet time notes years later!
How To do Quiet Time?
■Start with prayer:
■Spend just few minutes in worship and thanksgiving.
■Spend some time in asking God for forgiveness for our sins.
■Ask for his guidance in today’s quiet time
■Passage for Quiet time: It is good to select any book of bible and read it continuously. It will help you to get the whole picture and can enjoy your quiet time more. Select about 8-10 verses, don’t select whole chapter, as you may not be able to cover it all. Select small paragraph according to passage.
■Read the paragraph for 2-3 times. This bible study method is also called ASPECT method. From the paragraph, ask following questions.
■A – About God – What can you learn about God through this passage?
■S – Sin – Does it talk about any sin?
■P – Promise – Is there any promise in the word?
■E – Example – Is there any example, I can follow?
■C –Command – Which command I need to obey?
■T – Teaching – What can I learn from this passage?
■Concluding Prayer:
■Thank God for his guidance in quiet time
■Worship God for his characteristic
■Pray for deliverance from any sin
■Ask for strength for the day.
■Here is a simple example of Quiet time using ASPECT method
Thursday, January 13, 2011
DO YOU REALLY KNOW YOUR SIGN??
It's all very scientific and has to do with the moon's gravitation pull of the earth and how things have shifted over the years, but astronomers at the Minnesota Planetarium Society say it's so. Apparently, the way the stars are really aligned mean a lot of people think they're a sign they're really not.
"This is not something that happened today. This has gone on for thousands of years," astronomer Parke Kunkle told NBC-2. "Because of this change of tilt, the Earth is really over here in effect and Sun is in a different constellation than it was 3,000 years ago."
Thanks for telling us now!
Important life decisions have been made according to horoscopes; jewelry and clothing proclaiming one's sign have been purchased. Lives have been forever altered because someone in a bar didn't like the response they heard when they asked one of the most famous pick-up lines of all time: "Hey baby, what's your sign?" They can't just go and change it!
But they have. Here are the new dates, see if yours is affected:
Capricorn: Jan. 20 – Feb. 16
Aquarius: Feb. 16 – March 11
Pisces: March 11– April 18
Aries: April 18 – May 13
Taurus: May 13 – June 21
Gemini: June 21 – July 20
Cancer: July 20 – Aug. 10
Leo: Aug. 10 – Sept. 16
Virgo: Sept. 16 – Oct. 30
Libra: Oct. 30 – Nov. 23
Scorpio: Nov. 23 – Nov. 29
Ophiuchus: Nov. 29 – Dec. 17
Sagittarius: Dec. 17 – Jan. 20
This is all so crazy to me ... however I'm still consider a LEO so I'm not upset :-)
Does your sign change under these new dates? Are you going to start reading your new horoscope?
A recent Harris Poll found that 31 percent of Americans believe in astrology. They're wrong -- although not necessarily in the way their detractors might cite.
The ancient Babylonians based zodiac signs on the constellation the sun was "in" on the day a person was born. During the ensuing millenniums, the moon's gravitational pull has made the Earth "wobble" around its axis, creating about a one-month bump in the stars' alignment.
The result?
"When [astrologers] say that the sun is in Pisces, it's really not in Pisces," said Parke Kunkle, a board member of the Minnesota Planetarium Society.
Indeed, most horoscope readers who consider themselves Pisces are actually Aquarians. So instead of being sensitive, humane and idealistic, they actually are friendly, loyal and inventive.
Or not.
There is no physical connection between constellations and personality traits, said Kunkle, who teaches astronomy at Minneapolis Community and Technical College. "Sure, we can connect harvest to the stars," he said. "But personality? No."
Astronomers have pooh-poohed astrology from the get-go, but Kunkle hedged when asked if astrology can bring people to his science.
"Historically, people looked at the sky to understand the world around us," he said. "But today I don't think people who are into astrology look at the sky very much."
But they do look at horoscopes. And now they have an explanation for why a day might not have turned out exactly as predicted.
SO IF YOUR A OPHI??? Ophiuchus
If you were born between November 29 and December 17, congratulations -- you're an Ophiuchus! What the? Now that our collective minds have been blown and we have to reassess our astrological signs and our personalities, let's figure out who the new kid is on the zodiac.
Is the Ophiuchus man gregarious or brooding? The Ophiuchus woman adventurous or cautious? I'm sure plenty of astrologers will be adjusting their dials to fill us all in, but until the tropical astrologers switch over to the sidereal (or Hindu) method, I'll fill you in on some fun facts about the 13th sign of the zodiac. Including what celebrities fall under the sign of the serpent.
The Ophiuchus constellation is supposed to be a man holding a snake, as seen above. Which is why the other name for Ophiuchus -- which means serpent-bearer -- is Serpentarius (which I think sounds much better). The symbol also looks like a snake wrapped around a pole, not unlike the physician's symbol.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Knowing God's Law
Do you think you could drive to a friend's house across town without breaking any traffic laws-even if you had a police officer watching you the whole way? You could if you knew the rules of the road by heart and really cared about obeying the law. That same principle is true for living a life that pleases God. If you know his Word by heart-if you really care about demonstrating your love for him-you can stay faithful to him no matter how many people you have waiting for you to fall flat on your face.
Understanding God's Love
Can you imagine anyone loving you more then your mom does?
Can you imagine anyone wanting to see you succeed more than she does?
Can you imagine anyone who cares more about your safety than she does?
Multiply your mom's affection by about a billion, and you'll start to get an idea of just how deeply God loves you.
The difference between God and your mom is that in addition to his concern for you, God has the power to guide and direct your life in a way that will bring you ultimate meaning.
Can you imagine anyone wanting to see you succeed more than she does?
Can you imagine anyone who cares more about your safety than she does?
Multiply your mom's affection by about a billion, and you'll start to get an idea of just how deeply God loves you.
The difference between God and your mom is that in addition to his concern for you, God has the power to guide and direct your life in a way that will bring you ultimate meaning.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Pain
Have you ever had someone very close to you hurt in front of you. Cry in front of you?
I'm sure we all have at one time or another. In some kind of a way someone has let go in front of you.
What do you do when it's someone you love so much? A family member or someone you care about more then anything?
Seeing them hurt makes you feel like someone is stabbing you in the heart.
I can help many people but when it's someone so close to me I almost feel like I don't know what to do. I don't know what to say.
You feel like your helpless. Tonight when I go to bed I'm going to go into deep prayer. I want to pray for guideance on how to be a great listener and on how to pour out God's love.
There are just some people whom I'd rather never hurt a second a moment in there lives and if I could take that pain and feel it myself instead I would in a heartbeat.
I'm sure we all have at one time or another. In some kind of a way someone has let go in front of you.
What do you do when it's someone you love so much? A family member or someone you care about more then anything?
Seeing them hurt makes you feel like someone is stabbing you in the heart.
I can help many people but when it's someone so close to me I almost feel like I don't know what to do. I don't know what to say.
You feel like your helpless. Tonight when I go to bed I'm going to go into deep prayer. I want to pray for guideance on how to be a great listener and on how to pour out God's love.
There are just some people whom I'd rather never hurt a second a moment in there lives and if I could take that pain and feel it myself instead I would in a heartbeat.
AAAAHHHHHHHHHHH
I'm writing for my sites I'm writing for other websites and I havn't written one more page of my books this year.
Thankfully I have my manuscripts but I really want to do some last minute changes and just refine some things. I know I'm more insightful more expressive.
I owe it to myself to give 100%
I'm so thankful for my gift and when I stand before God I want to say "I have nothing left" of the talent you gave me.
Thankfully I have my manuscripts but I really want to do some last minute changes and just refine some things. I know I'm more insightful more expressive.
I owe it to myself to give 100%
I'm so thankful for my gift and when I stand before God I want to say "I have nothing left" of the talent you gave me.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Starting your own Business or Taking your Business to the next level?
As a entrepreneur, you have the spark, the idea, the passion you have for your product or service. After you have the spark, you've got to hustle; your success is all about the hustle.
That means you have to know: Who is your target audience?
What are you offering them? Can you clearly tell people what your marketing? Are you targeting the right people? And how do you sell?
The sales piece is where people have the most trouble. The spark is strong, but the hustle is the most nonexistent. For some people, there's a discomfort with selling. People want to just put it out there and hope will buy it.
Don't underestimate the importance of selling. Half of your time should be spent on creating what you want to sell and the other half should be spent on how your going to sell it.
That means you have to know: Who is your target audience?
What are you offering them? Can you clearly tell people what your marketing? Are you targeting the right people? And how do you sell?
The sales piece is where people have the most trouble. The spark is strong, but the hustle is the most nonexistent. For some people, there's a discomfort with selling. People want to just put it out there and hope will buy it.
Don't underestimate the importance of selling. Half of your time should be spent on creating what you want to sell and the other half should be spent on how your going to sell it.
Four things you should do with your teen that can help them set and reach their goals:
1.) Picture it vividly
2.) Look at it every day
3.) Start with a plan
4.) Don't quit on yourself.
(More to follow on each topic)
2.) Look at it every day
3.) Start with a plan
4.) Don't quit on yourself.
(More to follow on each topic)
Have you ever taken your eyes off the road while driving, if only for a second or two? That's all it takes for you to start swerving.
Taking your eyes off your goals is no different. Sometimes just a few small distractions are all it takes to get off track. Visualizing your goals and picturing yourself reaching them is crucial to achieving success. Many teens don't set goals for their lives, nor have they ever been told they should.
Listen!
Do you remember being a teenager?
I do but I don't remember it being so hard.
My son feels and feels deeply. We went from you don't listen to you don't understand me to I love you.
My heart aches because I wish I could show him it will be alright. Everything will be ok. One day this stuff wont matter much.
All I can do is say and let him know that his feelings matter! All I can say is never feel they don't! All I can say is won't always feel like this.
He is the most handsome teenager ever! He is so smart and amazing. I just ache thinking he feels anything less.
I wasn't made for this! For not fixing something! Nope I wasn't wired that way! So what in the world do I do or say???????
I'm able to make thousands of people feel inspired and happy and tonight I found myself searching for words. Yes me searching for words.
I'd give anything to hold his hand again (1-3) and help him jump over cracks as he laughs soooooo loud. I miss them days. When he truly had no worrys.
It takes time to know what lifes about and all I can do is listen to my heart and pray about it.
I found myself saying all that matters is God.... if you have and believe in God he will guide you, I promise you that much!
My son told me he was sorry; I told him it's ok everyone is allowed to get upset once in awhile however there is a way to express it. (He was upset because when he was talking to me before this about his feelings he was cursing and I said "You do not talk to your mom like that. You don't use those words." Well I know he really was trying to get something off his chest but I had to stop him after he said a couple things. I want to listen but I also have to make sure he understands RESPECT....
He didn't want to talk to me anymore... I didn't leave him alone. He begged me to leave him alone; I finally said ok I will go be sad because your upset and I will go. I was in my room he came and wanted to then say Mom please come talk to me. He told me he was sorry for getting upset that I didn't let him finish and that he loved me.
We then had our long two hour talk outside in the freezing cold at 2am in the morning.
I'm thankful I can listen! I'm thankful because it means he is talking to me! -_-
He thinks so much! He really really feels deeply about life. I would think that as much as I think and feel I would know exactly what to say. . . . however I didn't know what to say or what not to say....
I LOVE HIM SO MUCH! I'M THANKFUL! HE SAYS MOM I KNOW YOU LOVE ME-
Listen.....sometimes you just need to listen.
I do but I don't remember it being so hard.
My son feels and feels deeply. We went from you don't listen to you don't understand me to I love you.
My heart aches because I wish I could show him it will be alright. Everything will be ok. One day this stuff wont matter much.
All I can do is say and let him know that his feelings matter! All I can say is never feel they don't! All I can say is won't always feel like this.
He is the most handsome teenager ever! He is so smart and amazing. I just ache thinking he feels anything less.
I wasn't made for this! For not fixing something! Nope I wasn't wired that way! So what in the world do I do or say???????
I'm able to make thousands of people feel inspired and happy and tonight I found myself searching for words. Yes me searching for words.
I'd give anything to hold his hand again (1-3) and help him jump over cracks as he laughs soooooo loud. I miss them days. When he truly had no worrys.
It takes time to know what lifes about and all I can do is listen to my heart and pray about it.
I found myself saying all that matters is God.... if you have and believe in God he will guide you, I promise you that much!
My son told me he was sorry; I told him it's ok everyone is allowed to get upset once in awhile however there is a way to express it. (He was upset because when he was talking to me before this about his feelings he was cursing and I said "You do not talk to your mom like that. You don't use those words." Well I know he really was trying to get something off his chest but I had to stop him after he said a couple things. I want to listen but I also have to make sure he understands RESPECT....
He didn't want to talk to me anymore... I didn't leave him alone. He begged me to leave him alone; I finally said ok I will go be sad because your upset and I will go. I was in my room he came and wanted to then say Mom please come talk to me. He told me he was sorry for getting upset that I didn't let him finish and that he loved me.
We then had our long two hour talk outside in the freezing cold at 2am in the morning.
I'm thankful I can listen! I'm thankful because it means he is talking to me! -_-
He thinks so much! He really really feels deeply about life. I would think that as much as I think and feel I would know exactly what to say. . . . however I didn't know what to say or what not to say....
I LOVE HIM SO MUCH! I'M THANKFUL! HE SAYS MOM I KNOW YOU LOVE ME-
Listen.....sometimes you just need to listen.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
SORE!
I need to get back on my work out and get back to taking care of my MIND BODY & SOUL!
I spent one hour on the treadmill! I am so sore! I did it though and haven't been on that thing in way to long!
I had a spinich salad with carrots and tomatoes and balsamic vingerette dressing.
Day 1 survived!
I spent one hour on the treadmill! I am so sore! I did it though and haven't been on that thing in way to long!
I had a spinich salad with carrots and tomatoes and balsamic vingerette dressing.
Day 1 survived!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
FAMILY & FRIENDS
It's important to me that everyone that means anything to me reads this:
It came to my attention that I could be making people feel the way sometimes I may feel. When we are young we are free and sometimes are schedules are so free that we are more readily available for the world or certain people.
Do you ever wonder or say why can't that person pick up the phone and call me? Why can't that person text me? Why hasn't that person been around?
Well I have and to be honest I shouldn't because the same could be said about me.
In the past couple years I've lost some very significant people in my life. My mom's side lost the male ROCK in the family at least I feel we did and my father's side lost our Great Grandma then shortly after that found out our Grandfather has a short time to be with us. My son lost his Grandma my ex Mother in law whom I loved very much and my Sisters and Brother also lost a aunt that went way to young and this is just to name a few.
I am not writing this to get into all of that as I came along way as I told myself I wouldn't let that get me as down as I was getting. However I did become very lost, very sad and felt so alone.
Do you know you can have some very close people to you and just feel one person isn't there and that can make you FEEL SO ALONE? Well yes it can.
This year when I heard about a couple very sad things I wanted to be super women and be there for everything but it was to hard.
I have a close couple friends that I use to be with all the time and I've not been the usual "ME" since I'm always around for everything and haven't been for awhile.
I could say WELL NO ONE HAS BEEN THERE FOR me through all of this stuff but I didn't really tell anyone about all of this stuff or how hard it was so what I will say is:
Life is busy for me but never to much to answer a call for you or open my door for you. I love you so much and that wont ever change.
Family~Our blood runs deep! God gave us an amazing crazy family and I love and miss you ALL! I'm here if you need me.
Right now my immediate family/school/work and some me time is my focus but that doesn't mean you don't matter, that I don't love you or that I'm not here.
My number is the same if you need it let me know.
It came to my attention that I could be making people feel the way sometimes I may feel. When we are young we are free and sometimes are schedules are so free that we are more readily available for the world or certain people.
Do you ever wonder or say why can't that person pick up the phone and call me? Why can't that person text me? Why hasn't that person been around?
Well I have and to be honest I shouldn't because the same could be said about me.
In the past couple years I've lost some very significant people in my life. My mom's side lost the male ROCK in the family at least I feel we did and my father's side lost our Great Grandma then shortly after that found out our Grandfather has a short time to be with us. My son lost his Grandma my ex Mother in law whom I loved very much and my Sisters and Brother also lost a aunt that went way to young and this is just to name a few.
I am not writing this to get into all of that as I came along way as I told myself I wouldn't let that get me as down as I was getting. However I did become very lost, very sad and felt so alone.
Do you know you can have some very close people to you and just feel one person isn't there and that can make you FEEL SO ALONE? Well yes it can.
This year when I heard about a couple very sad things I wanted to be super women and be there for everything but it was to hard.
I have a close couple friends that I use to be with all the time and I've not been the usual "ME" since I'm always around for everything and haven't been for awhile.
I could say WELL NO ONE HAS BEEN THERE FOR me through all of this stuff but I didn't really tell anyone about all of this stuff or how hard it was so what I will say is:
Life is busy for me but never to much to answer a call for you or open my door for you. I love you so much and that wont ever change.
Family~Our blood runs deep! God gave us an amazing crazy family and I love and miss you ALL! I'm here if you need me.
Right now my immediate family/school/work and some me time is my focus but that doesn't mean you don't matter, that I don't love you or that I'm not here.
My number is the same if you need it let me know.
Being Single
I was thinking about that feeling you have .... that feeling you have when things are over or you know your just alone. That alone feeling. We spend our entire lives being around family parents siblings etc. However when your older and a relationship doesn't work out or it doesn't go well; you wonder why does everyone say being alone is ok and being alone is good?
Don't get me wrong being alone gives you time to think and gives you time to figure YOU out or gives you time to be YOU.
Sometimes though having someone to love you, care for you, hug you, talk to you can help more then anyone knows. Sometimes you just need a family member to be there for you.
Being single you look for someone to all those non-single things all those trips and enjoyment of family and life. Being single you can plan your own day/night and not worry about someone else's well being. However some people aren't made to be single.
Do you yern for that friendship, love bond of someone anyone just knowing your thought of?
Being single can be the greatest thing in the world and being single can feel like the worse thing in the world.
It all depends on your take of it.
Don't get me wrong being alone gives you time to think and gives you time to figure YOU out or gives you time to be YOU.
Sometimes though having someone to love you, care for you, hug you, talk to you can help more then anyone knows. Sometimes you just need a family member to be there for you.
Being single you look for someone to all those non-single things all those trips and enjoyment of family and life. Being single you can plan your own day/night and not worry about someone else's well being. However some people aren't made to be single.
Do you yern for that friendship, love bond of someone anyone just knowing your thought of?
Being single can be the greatest thing in the world and being single can feel like the worse thing in the world.
It all depends on your take of it.
Sweet Simplicity
Take time to notice all the usually unnoticed, simple things in life. Delight in the never-ending hope that's available every day!
A fiery sunset, tiny pansies by the wayside, the sound of raindrops tapping on the roof- what extraordinary delight we find in the simple wonders of life! With wide eyes and full hearts, we may cherish what others often miss.
A fiery sunset, tiny pansies by the wayside, the sound of raindrops tapping on the roof- what extraordinary delight we find in the simple wonders of life! With wide eyes and full hearts, we may cherish what others often miss.
KINDLE LOVE
I'm so happy I received the Kindle for Christmas! I've been wanting the Kindle for I believe two to three years! I love to read! I love being lost in a story and since I love to write myself I enjoy each aspect of it.
I'm enjoying uploading/downloading my new books! It is very user friendly. I now will add things to my site about Kindle since I love mine so much. :)
I'm enjoying uploading/downloading my new books! It is very user friendly. I now will add things to my site about Kindle since I love mine so much. :)
HOW IS THIS FAIR?
Hi which class am I in today? Please wait a minute (minute turns into 5-6) then I am told which one my class was today. I go to the class (clearly marked wrong) said is this the class I'm in.
I don't get a clear answer I get asked who am I? She then says your late you can't come in. I mention that I was at the front trying to figure out which class I was in and yes I still technically would be considered 3-5 minutes late instead of the now almost 5 minutes late.
I went to the front not to make a fuss but to voice that I needed to know how to reschedule my class. (She didn't know how)
I then say "I feel it is ridiculous that I've been on time every single time and don't even get someone to get me until sometimes well over 15 minutes, when I need to be back to work. So you can be late for me and I can never be late for you guys?!"
She agreed that she understood and felt it wasn't fair but like some places and people "There is nothing I can or you can do about it"
I also have to pay when I miss my classes.
What a kicker!
I don't get a clear answer I get asked who am I? She then says your late you can't come in. I mention that I was at the front trying to figure out which class I was in and yes I still technically would be considered 3-5 minutes late instead of the now almost 5 minutes late.
I went to the front not to make a fuss but to voice that I needed to know how to reschedule my class. (She didn't know how)
I then say "I feel it is ridiculous that I've been on time every single time and don't even get someone to get me until sometimes well over 15 minutes, when I need to be back to work. So you can be late for me and I can never be late for you guys?!"
She agreed that she understood and felt it wasn't fair but like some places and people "There is nothing I can or you can do about it"
I also have to pay when I miss my classes.
What a kicker!
Saturday, January 1, 2011
What I will do ~ Welcome 2011
Every year I try to write something for the following year... last years was nice but I love what I'm writing now more.
1. I BELIEVE in the GOLDEN RULE as the basis of ALL Human conduct. Therefore I will never do to another person that which I would not be willing for that person to do to me if our positions were reversed.
2. I will be HONEST, even to the slightest detail, in all my transactions with others, not only because of my desire to be fair with them but also because of my desire to impress the idea of honesty on my own subconscious mind, thereby weaving this essential quality into my own character.
3. I will FORGIVE those who are unjust toward me, with no thought as to whether they deserve it or not, because I understand the LAW through which forgiveness of others strengthens my own character and wipes out the effects of my own transgressions, in my subconscious mind.
4. I will be just, GENEROUS, and FAIR with others always, even though I know these acts will go unnoticed and unrewarded, in the ordinary terms of reward, because I understand and intend to apply the law through the aid of which one's own character is but the sum total of one's own ACTS and DEEDS.
5. Whatever time I may have to devote to the discovery and exposure of the weaknesses and faults of others I will devote, more profitably, to the DISCOVERY and correction of my own.
6. I will slander no person, no matter how much I may believe another person may deserve it, because I wish to plant no destructive SUGGESTIONS in my own subconscious mind.
7. I recognize the POWER of THOUGHT as being an inlet leading into my brain from the UNIVERSAL ocean of LIFE, therefore I will set no destructive thoughts afloat upon that ocean lest they pollute the minds of others.
8. I will conquer the common human tendency toward hatred, and envy, and selfishness, and jealousy, and malice, and pessimism, and doubt, and fear, for I believe these to be the SEEDS from which the world harvests most of its TROUBLES.
9. When my mind is not occupied with thoughts that tend toward the attainment of my DEFINITE CHIEF AIM in life, I will voluntarily keep it filled with thoughts of courage, and Self-Confidence, and goodwill toward others, and faith, and kindness, and loyalty, and LOVE for TRUTH and justice, for I believe these to be the seed from which the world reaps its harvest of progressive GROWTH.
10. I understand that a mere passive belief in the soundness of the Golden Rule philosophy is of no value whatsoever, either to myself or to others. Therefore, I will ACTIVELY put into operation this universal rule for good in ALL my transactions with others.
11. I UNDERSTAND the law through the operation of which my own character is developed from my own acts and THOUGHTS. Therefore, I will guard with care all that goes into its development.
12. Realizing that enduring HAPPINESS comes only through HELPING OTHERS find it, that no act of kindness is without its REWARD, even though it may never be directly repaid, I will do my BEST to assist others when and where the OPPORTUNITY appears.
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