My little creativity revealed....

I must admit that I have a secret obsession.
It's not an obsession with coffee, for me that is a necessity, a love, a passion. Without coffee my day will not go go well. It's also not an obsession with baking, for me that is a stress reliever, a love to make people smile hobby, an infatuation for chocolate and something for me to enjoy alone. Enough with that. Let's get to the real obsession.
I have an obsession......with Picnik! It's the photo-editing website designed by Google and it is the one place where my creativity shines (the little that I have). I like to make photos better, especially the ones from my old digital camera. Though in all seriousness, my creativity shines in making memories out of the pictures. It's like my way of telling a story through the words I put in the picture or the collage that I make.

Here are a few of my photo creativity designs, I took all of the photos except for two of them....let me know what you think!

Relish in the snow days....and everyday

I have been thinking about the weather and I came to notice that we have had a lot of snow in just two winters.....the most snow I have seen since I was, maybe 4 years old. It's unbelievable, especially for the "triad" since we are right in the center of the state and usually snow is always around us. North, south, east or west. It never fails to happen. until recently.
Between last winter and this winter season, we have already had 7 big snows. The last one was just Monday and Tuesday which were the first days of the semester. Thus no school = Awesome!

Tuesday was my favorite because it was the first day since the honeymoon that me and the hubby got to sleep in, not worry about anything and just enjoy the snow day. For us there was breakfast in bed, peaceful shopping at the outlets, a beautiful sweet romantic dinner out and ending with a movie in our apartment. It was great, I loved every moment of it :). Most importantly we enjoyed each other's company in a way that it was completely focused. Thoughts weren't going in a million different directions, stress wasn't building up with every move that was made or with every word passing the lips. Rather, thoughts were still and clear, stress had ceased thus every word, every action brought relaxation and joyfulness.
I didn't want the day to end....I wanted to apply a freeze-frame and just sit there in the moment and relish in it.

Thinking on it now, I pray that I apply it to everyday not just the snow days or the honeymoon days. I wish that at the end of everyday I can look back on what I did that day....what I said, the look I had on my face, the feelings or thoughts I had at different moments.....and smile.
A smile that says, I was living my day in order to show Christ and glorify God through the words I chose, the decisions I made and the acts of  love I expressed to my husband.
A smile that is thankful for having another day to experience with my husband, another day to experience God's grace working in my life, another day to teach and show others about God's grace in the midst of the God-less society, another day to simply learn more.
A smile that says "I want to apply a freeze-frame and relish now as long as I possibly can."

First Christmas!

It's our first Christmas together as a married couple! I love the sound of that :)

Well, today is Christmas Eve and since we have so much family to go see today and tomorrow we decided to have our gift giving this morning.
It was so cute, perfect, and incredible. Even though it didn't last long and it was simple, I was happy because it was OUR christmas together! The little moments, looks, and surprises are what I cherish the most.
I am not going to have a play-by-play of what happened this morning but I will share my favorite moment....I was opening my gifts and the last one had a note with it. It was simple and something that Jonathan just put together at the last minute (hehehe) but I liked it. It read
"Remember that I love you. Love you!"
It made me smile :) So I proceeded to open the box....
It was a beautiful gorgeous silver necklace that had a small teardrop pendant that said "LOVE".
While I was opening it he said to me, "everytime you wear this always remember that I love you!"

It was a beautiful, Perfect moment.

More to come tonight, tomorrow and Sunday. Let the Christmas rejoicing, celebrating, and gift giving begin!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and all rejoice the birth of our King because that is the real reason for celebrating Christmas!!

coffee....

Oh yes, I got him into drinking coffee.....I am AWESOME! hehehehe :)
Tate Street Coffee. Our favorite place. Many memories were made there. Now I want coffee.....

Grace Revealed....these days everyone is in need of knowing this

"Cheap grace is not the kind of forgiveness of sin which frees us from the toils of sin. Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves.
Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession.

Cheap grace is
grace without discipleship,
grace without the cross,
grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.

Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will gladly go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble, it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him.
Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock.

Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ.

It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life.

It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: "ye were bought at a price," and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us."

Snowing!

OH WOW! It is SNOWING!!!!

I can't believe it, the weather forecast did not call for this at all today. It is beautiful and breathtaking....watching the snow fall is sweet, relaxing, and goes great with a cup of hot coffee in my large comfy chair :)
I love this time of year....when we get snow it always lifts my spirits and makes the whole day brighter.
Plus, this is our first snow together as a married couple! Our first snow together in our apartment.I didn't know it was even snowing until my husband (about to leave for the gym) yelled at me from the front door telling me to get over there. I lit up! We just stood there staring at the snow fall for a few minutes, hugging each other because it was cold. Then we went outside and breathed in the beauty of the snow and the crispness of the winter air. It was picture perfect romantic....what I always imagined! Oh I am such a girl sometimes! hahaha

I guess I will get back to my cup of coffee and writing my paper.......

Thanksgiving 2010

So.....Thanksgiving break is over now and it is now the end of the first day back to reality. UGH. More grading I need to finish so that I can acually do MY school work and study for finals......
Though my mind is elsewhere right now. I just had to take a break from grading report after report.

I was thinking about Thanksgiving break....it was wonderful to relax with my husband! and bake some of my awesome cookies (and cheesecake for my aunt!).....baking is always relaxing for me. I have gotten good at it really. I have thought about selling my cookies but the first place that I went to said they couldn't due to me cooking out of my residential kitchen. Too bad but all is well anyways....maybe now I can just charge my family for cookies! Ha! that will never happen.....

A lot of people talk about what they are thankful for.....this time I will actually do it. It is a first for me.
I am thankful for: the Lord blessing me with a wonderful husband whom I love more with each passing day
                          having my family close by so that I am able to see them,
                          my wonderful true friends because no matter what I know that they will always be there for me....even when we don't get to talk very often
                          being able to study chemistry further and possibly make a difference in the medical field
                          most importantly I am thankful for my Christ saving me by grace through faith because I know without a doubt that I would not be the woman I am today without Him. It is beautiful and amazing. I am thankful everyday for the many undeserving blessings He has given me :)