Category: Uncategorized

I love to travel. Like- nothing makes me happier than to immerse myself in another country’s culture, indulge in their cuisine and to explore a whole new world.

Storytime: My friend invited me on a trip for her birthday to Madrid and Paris. I’ve never crossed the Atlantic Ocean yet, so of course, I was all in! I bought (thrifted) sweaters, new luggage, paid for my trip in full and then the unimaginable happened – the Coronavirus was declared a pandemic. ?

Swiftly, our plans for travel were halted. I was heartbroken. Y’all, this was the one trip I wanted to go on and looked forward to the most. I had outfits planned, our hotels were booked, itinerary was on deck and we were ready to go. I was about to live my best life in Europe – or so I thought. God had different plans for me back in Dallas – most importantly he was concerned about my safety and well-being. I have purpose inside of me that could have been compromised by my over-zealousness to travel. So after a day or so of being sad – my countenance soon changed to gratefulness. Grateful for good health, life, and peace of mind.

My focus has now shifted to being concerned about others who are suffering from the virus, lost their job or have no food to eat. I’m looking for small ways to help others and be a light during this season.

As you guys can see, although I made my plans, God intervened and disrupted everything instantly. He has the final say in everything! So as you make plans, leave room for God to intervene.

P.S. The trip has been rescheduled for a later date and we will go if it’s the Lord’s will.

QOTD: How have you been impacted my Coronavirus?

“We humans keep brainstorming options and plans, but GOD ’s purpose prevails.”

Proverbs 19:21 – MSG

This past week was busy for me.?

Every day after work I had plans to write a blog, read a book or work on my website and it did not get done. ?

Every day last week, life happened, nothing particularly crazy- things just randomly kept popping up. By the time I finished work, working out and preparing dinner it was time to shower and get ready for bed only to wake up and do the same thing the next day.

I was so frustrated, I felt I hadn’t made any progress and had wasted time as it is that intangible resource that once it’s gone, you can’t get it back.

***Side note: I’m still missing this hour of sleep from daylight savings. *** #springforwardwoes ?

Storytime: I was texting with a friend this week, expressing my disdain for my lack of planning and how I hadn’t gotten much accomplished. Graciously, my friend texted me the kindest message, that read, ”It’s okay to have days like that sometimes”.

At that moment, I was reminded that sometimes I need to give myself grace. I’m guilty of feeling like I have failed or like I haven’t done as much as I’ve wanted to in a given week, but I am learning to show myself grace.

Grace to remind me, life happens. Grace to remember I may not complete everything on my to-do list, every meal isn’t going to be healthy and I may not get to the gym as often as I intended.

Grace to know I am flexible enough to realize I’m human.

Grace to know I’m going to mess up and make mistakes, a ton of them; however, I’m not going to wallow in them.

I swiftly get back up and keep pressing forward.

As an outward expression to show myself grace, I took myself on a date this week and went out for dessert too. I had a bomb lemon tart! ?

This week will be better as I continue to pursue my goals and purpose.

How do you show yourself grace?

“The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.”

Psalms 103:8 KJV

A lot of time we are afraid to do what God has told us to because we may think the industry God called us to is overly saturated. But the scripture says in the latter part of Romans 8:30, “and whom he called, them he also justified.” Meaning if God called you, it is because you have something unique about you that he put on the inside of you that no one else can duplicate.

As a blogger, I read blogs by others often, but guess what you can give us all the same topic and we will all write something different. We all have different backgrounds, personalities, experiences and beliefs that are valuable. We all have people assigned to us that are waiting to hear our story and experiences to encourage them and let them know they can be victorious despite adversities.

There are an estimated .4 million flowers in the world (don’t quote me on that number). That’s a lot of flowers ?. A daisy doesn’t worry about a rose, it blossoms in its predestined season.

So, don’t worry about what anyone else is doing, focus on you and what God told you to do. He equipped you with everything you need to succeed. ?

Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:19

Last week, in my blog post I mentioned I was vegetarian-ish. I’ve always said I would never give up meat because of my love for chicken, but I stand corrected, chicken with the bone is one of the reasons I consider not eating meat. ?

Let me take a moment to explain what vegetarian-ish means for me. Lol.

Vegetarian-ish – a person who consumes no meat majority of the time, but may have a steak or some bomb boneless chicken from time to time. ? Y’all not judging right? Lol.

Currently, on my vegetarian-ish journey, I’ve decided not to purchase meat at home, my sisters call me the “social carnivore”. So, if you see me eating meat in public don’t come for me, I may tell you to mind ya business!!!???

Only eating meat in social settings has kept me from impulse-stopping at a fast-food restaurant just to get something quick on the go. Now, I have to plan my meals more or go home and eat. #ihavefoodathome

I realize that what you eat can have you stagnant on your workout journey. Last month I didn’t eat meat for 25 days and it was an awesome experience. I felt better, I wasn’t bloated, I cooked more at home and I consumed more fruits and veggies.

I’m often asked will I eventually be a vegetarian – and my response is yes, possibly in the near future. My personal struggle is sometimes when I go to restaurants, there aren’t a ton of options – I don’t want a $15.00 salad or to load up on carbs (that defeats the purpose of eating healthy). As I’m learning more about myself, I’m trying to incorporate good habits, so I’m not doing binge diets but instead activating a lifestyle change.

QOTD: What are some lifestyle changes you have incorporated into your diet? Tips, recipes, and suggestions are welcome.

“Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit.” 3 John 1:2 NLT