My Bags Are Packed With Excitement

I am finally packed and ready to go off and begin my new travel adventure tomorrow! I am so excited! It's going to be a bucket full of fun experiences and new friends. I promise to try and give you an update at least once while I'm there! There's so much to experience and just a bit of time to do it in, so I will be soaking up as much of it as possible! I got to see a lovely friend of mine for a good bit of the afternoon today. It was just as if no time had passed since we last saw eachother (I believe that was around Christmas time..) and we caught up on life, shopped and munched on fruit and salads. yum! I hope you're all enjoying summer so far.

Faith is a reoccuring theme in my life recently..here's some things I've learned recently.

1. Great faith requires humility and trust. Each of us has been given a measure of faith. The question is are you exercising your faith?

2. A resurrected life is meant to produce great faith in others.

3. Great faith is not afraid to ask questions. The way to overcome feelings of doubt is to discover the truth again. Don't base your faith off of feelings and circumstances.

4. Forgiveness prompts great faith. Faith is welcoming Christ into your life. Treat Christ as a royal gues and lavish your love upon him.

I am so excited to see what the next couple weeks will hold for me! Keep up your journaling and reading; I have been enjoying the time spent doing these things as well.

Blessings and New Adventures Ahead,

Candice

Monday Musings

Listening to: Pieces by RED
Quote of the Day: “One day at a time--this is enough. Do not look back and grieve over the past for it is gone; and do not be troubled about the future, for it has not yet come. Live in the present, and make it so beautiful it will be worth remembering.”

Have you ever wondered what people looked like when they were younger? You know when you see those cute old couples barely moving along the sidewalk together, it always makes me think, 'What were they like?' I tend to see them as they are now and forget that they were not always the crotchety, old people they have become. The women were once beautiful, carefree girls who giggled over the dashing boys that would wink at them across the soda shop counters after school. The elderly men were once the suave young men that were brave and valient soldiers or the handsome dance partner at the sockhop. How strange that humans are so obsessed with being different than the way they are in this present moment..excuse me? Let me explain..When we're young, we are always trying to look much older, and when we become old, we do everything to look young again. Have we ever stopped to just enjoy and be in the moment?

 Nothing against coloring grey hairs and removing wrinkles, but have we lost the spirit of who we are now? Life is just so busy, and sooner than we expect, it passes us by like a gust of wind. I am determined to enjoy the person I am right now, in this present moment. There will be a time to act older and a time to have a youthful glow, but for right now, I want to enjoy this time. Besides, we are only guaranteed this moment.

This was just something I was thinking through today..

On another note: I decided to update my blog's look for the summer..I think it's kinda fun to change things up once in awhile!

Hope you're having a good week! I am praying for all of you!

Blessings and Present Moments,

Candice

Books, Birthdays and Busyness..

Currently on the iPod replay list: My Heart Is Yours: Didrik Solli-Tangen
Book Love: Spoken From the Heart: Laura Bush

It's been a busy couple of days since I last talked with you! A whirlwind of birthday celebrations and getting things together for my next travel adventure that will commence in a week! I got to celebrate my birthday early with a few friends I had not seen in a long time, so we were off to the Cheesecake Factory. We ended up with some amazing salads, pasta and 5 different slices of cheesecake. Needless to say, we were all full when we left..but in a good way! My dad's birthday was this week, and so we had a fun celebration for that at an old fashioned soda shop/restaurant! The waiters were all dressed up in the cute uniforms and they had 50's music playing as we ate surrounded by old license plates, Coca Cola memorabilia and vintage roller skates. Such a fun experience! I've been running a bunch of errands almost everyday trying to get things packed and organized. I am also hoping to make a few changes to my room before I leave next week..whew!

On another note, I picked up Laura Bush's new book from Books A Million the other day, and have been immersing myself in it whenever I have the chance. It's such an intriguing and inspiring story of her humble and sweet beginnings. (I just got to the part when she and George got married! ) Her writing is just so charming and I love the way she paints her relationships with family and friends! Here's a cute excerpt from the book that I wanted to share with you, so read along with me!

"When George and I met, it was as if two parallel lives suddenly converged. Our childhood memories, the places we had known, even many of our friends overlapped. We were like the last two pieces of a puzzle, our similarites and contradictions sized to fit. George was boisterous and loved to talk, while I've always been quieter. And George came from a big family. It was an unexpected answer to my childish wishes on all those stars. On my side, George got to be the only son-in-law. But these layers of connections and commonalities forged a deeper, richer bond. We never worried that any long-buried fact about the other sperson would appear and surprise us. From the start, our marriage was built on a powerful foundation of trust. We had been cut, as it were, from the same solid Permian Basin stone. So we drove and we talked and we laughed and we dreamed in the front seat of George's Oldsmobile." (p 99)

It's also sprinkled with pictures from throughout her life...I am so excited to read more!
Summer is such a wonderful time to get in some great books, as I know you all are doing as well :)

Music Love: Ok, I have to tell you about my newest love when it comes to musical talent. When I was in Europe, my friend told me about the Eurovision contest which is extremely popular with the rest of the world..especially in Europe! The guy that represented Norway in the contest sounds like a Norwegian version of Josh Groban (I love Josh!). Didrik Solli-Tangen sang a lovely ballad that will certainly soothe your ears as it did mine..if you are a ballad lover (I am totally in love with strong, smooth vocals against a magical soundtrack) then I highly suggest checking out My Heart Is Yours.  Here's the link for the YouTube version! My Heart Is Yours: Didrik Solli-Tangen If you're curious, check out some of the other contestants from the Eurovision competition..there's a few other good artists!

I hope you're all enjoying your summer days!

Blessings,

Candice

The First Day

It's the first day of a new month!

Yay! There's a few new things going on around here.. I'd like to take the time to introduce you to the newest addition to my life and the mascot of my blog ;)

Meet Tanner!

He's super friendly, playful and likes to chase his shadow.

Unfortunately, we had to put our other cat down due to health reasons associated with old age, so Tanner is now the new baby of the family.

On another note, I wanted to share with you what I heard in church last Sunday..it was too interesting to not pass it on!

Recipe For Renewed Spiritual Intensity (Luke 6:1-49)

Pastor Michael Landry

1. Adjust your schedule so it reflects your devotion to God. (Luke 6:1-11; Prov 3:5-6; Mark 2:27; Hebrews 4:9-11)

2. Devote yourself to extended times of prayer before making major decisions. (Luke 6:12-16; Psalm 40:1-8; Psalm 61:1-4)

3. Measure spiritual maturity by the level of your intensity and committment to pursue and know God. (Luke 6:12-26)

4. Refuse to allow the negative treatment of others to determine your response. (Luke 6:27-36)

5. Choose the role of an EMT (save lives) over a judge (judging other's lifestyles and actions). (Luke 6:37-42)

6. Live a life of integrity. (Luke 6:43-45)

7. Always do what God says. (Luke 6:46-49)

I don't know about you, but I really enjoyed the message as I gained a reminder to spend more time with God, especially because I have some decisions to make, as I am sure you all do! Well, today is a great start to a fabulous month! Happy June!

Blessings and New Experiences Ahead,

Candice