Walk by Faith

I attended a women's tea gathering at a local church with my mother. It was a lovely brunch where I got to meet some wonderful women and fellowship about family, life and everything in between. After we ate, we heard a message from Janelle Webster and these are her notes. I will also add some of my own personal thoughts that came to me as she spoke.
Janelle started off by showing us a group of shoes. She said most women have many pairs of shoes ( I know I do!) and she shared some of the shoes she has in her own closet and how they can be related to our relationship with God:

Slippers- slippers are comfortable, slippers feel great. When you wear slippers you normally don't go out, you just stay in one place because it's comfortable. Our relationship with God can grow comfortable. You want to go out but what for? You are comfortable with where you are so why not just stay there? Even if you are told you need to change, you don't because it's too comfy right here.

Army boots- These boots are tough, hard, they symbolize discipline and routine. You wear these boots to get the job done, they are extremely durable. Our relationship with God can become routine like, where our relationship is a check list. Prayer: check Devotion: Check Worship: Check and it's almost like your relationship is a duty rather than a......relationship.

Flip flops- These shoes are very casual. I have a pair of flip flops that I personally go to even when it's a cold day. If I can't find them I think, "Oh man I have to put on real shoes." But at times, we put on flip flops so casually without even thinking about it and our relationship with God becomes so casual that we do things without thinking ( I went through that earlier where I started to loose focus and sight and almost fell off and God had to bring me back on)

Stiletto- These shoes are some of my favorite shoes, they are so colorful and big and shiny, they are just so good looking. But boy they can be a pain to wear! I love heels but after awhile they just flat out hurt my feet, it's difficult to wear them but man do they look good. And often our relationship with God becomes so painful and hard to deal with it, but we don't want to face truths of what is happening so we put on this image that on the outside we have it all together, we look all good and shiny on the outside but on the inside we are in pain. We are crying, hurting ad just wanting to get rid of it all but we don't want anyone to know it so we continue to act like we are doing ok, we keep up that "It's all good" image.

Rain boots- When storms come we pull out the good 'ol rain boot. Now these are not boots we put on often, only when a storm comes. God at times become our protection only during the storms because we feel that we do a pretty good job at protecting ourselves during everyday life that we only wear God during the storms. For me, I took it as I only run to God and make Him my protection and source of comfort when things get difficult, much like a rain boot, God is seasonal.

Shoes that are falling apart- We all have that one pair of shoe that we have worn so much that it's falling apart, it's like wearing a rag ( for me it was a pair of heels that the heel was worn down to the tip) With this shoe we are wearing, our relationship with God is barely a relationship at all, we are so worn down and falling apart that it's on the brink of being thrown out.

Athletic shoes- These are really good shoes. These shoes represent that we are active! We are moving, pushing hard, moving forward towards what God has for us. We are on the go and that's a great place to be - on the move!  I always wear my best athletic shoes when I'm about to go on my longest and most enduring hikes. Janelle said and I agree that this is good place to be in with God, when you are moving with Him.

Nurse shoes- I don't have a pair of these shoes but I have seen them often out and about. Nurse shoes are white, they are clean and they can symbolize purity. With God, we can get to a place where we are pure at heart. My mom took the nurse shoes, you are healing with God, you are getting comfort. God is helping you heal and is nursing you.


Now of ALL of these shoes Janelle said a great combination to be at in our walk with God is to become the white tennies shoe.


White tennis shoe- these shoes are comfortable, durable, reliable, keeps us moving, they are ( like the nurse shoe) are pure and clean. We move into a place with God where our relationship is not about us but about loving God and loving others. We are moving with God, we are going and we are also examining ourselves along the way as we pursue him.


Yet often in life, circumstances will cause us to change our shoes - we have on our white tennis shoes but then circumstances happen and we change shoes. I can honestly say that in the year 2014 I have put on every single pair of shoes listed and it's only April so I clearly have some ground to cover and stability to gain. As circumstances in life happen, God wants us to keep our shoes on and keep going - don't let your faith change. God is constant so our faith in Him should remain constant. He's not to change His love for us and we need to walk by faith and keep going with Him.


As a reminder to walk by faith - all of the women received tiny shoe key chains. Mine is green ( favorite color!)

WonderCon 2014

WonderCon took place place at the Anaheim convention Center in Anaheim California. It was Easter weekend which is really interesting because it's a holiday weekend but whatever I still love to go to conventions and so I went my best friend Geneva and my dad. This was my dad's first convention and he was really excited to go! His first cosplay was Neo from The Matrix and I thought he looked amazing!

Getting ready at my house, Geneva was a smashing Ezio Auditore da Firenze from Assassins Creed and I was Hipster Slave Leia with my hipster Jabba 

We decided not to attend panels but just stick to the convention floor. It was so large this year, it took is almost six hours to walk the entire floor. We saw comics of course and I picked up a great read X-Men: God Lives Man Kills.

I ran into this really interesting dancing bear I think? But I took a picture and got a free button 👍

I can easily say the best part of WonderCon was meeting Alison MacInnis Power Rangers Lightspeed 

As we walked by the voice actors section, I got a pic of Lou Ferrigno

I also got a funny pic of Cas Anvar as he was talking, he was very sweet! 

Me being the Back the Future fanatic I am, I got a great shot of Claudia Wells and the replica on her booth table

I was able to stop by and say Hello to the beautiful Winner Twins. I love this picture of them holding two super heros, children cosplayers are the greatest!!

photo by WinnerTwins

I was very happy to see my friend Justin Orr and I got not one but TWO of his Ducktales print 

I felt SO accomplished when I got to Frank Beddors booth and purchased his Looking Glass Wars trilogy! He even signed them for me!! I also got yo be featured in his portal - when that picture comes through I will update this blog - but the show overall was great fun! My best friend got amazing art work and my dad was the happiest I have seen him in a long time! 

Oh I want to throw this in there: my awesome nerdy friend Sean Long got engaged at WonderCon and I am so happy for him!!! You can click here for the video. 

I want to get engaged at a Con! But anyways, until next time ✌️

Be like the little children

My mother told me to go to work and observe the behavior of children. Why? I was in depression and dwelling on past mistakes AGAIN and fallen into anxiety, worry, shame, regret, anger - should I go on? 

So I went to work and observed my students behavior and this is what I saw and will compare it to the Bible. 

1. Children don't dwell on mistakes or getting hurt

 Philippians 3:13 "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended it, but this one thing I do: forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before." 

I watched a child run towards a yellow bouncy ball but she tripped and fell down. She made a sad face briefly but then got up and ran and picked up the yellow ball. She didn't sit and dwell on the fact that she fell down and say over and over, "I fell down! I can't believe I fell down. I can't have that yellow ball now because I fell down." Nope. She got up and picked up the ball and kept going. Which is what we need to do.

2. Children live in the moment

Matthew 6:31-34  "So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

 

Each time I went into work to play with children, they never mentioned anything from the day before but anticipated what the day would bring. They also never asked about tomorrow. Each child I would play with just played, lived in that present moment. As each minute went by they just continued to anticipate the day. They never once said, "I had a bad day yesterday so I'm going to be sad today." or "I'm worried I will get hurt tomorrow so I will not play today, I will just sit and worry about tomorrow." I saw those eyes roll but adults do it all the time. Live in worry.Fear. Regret.

3. Children hear the teachers and TRUST

John 10:27 "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me."

I talk to my children all day, all the time. I never stop talking in my classroom which is why my throat hurts at the end of each day. But when I tell my children, "We are going to have snack today", a child has never once asked me, "Are you sure we're having snack today?" or "Are you really going to give me snack today?" Sounds silly right? But we do it all the time, I have done it. Even when God has clearly told me He would provide for me, or give me something I have been needing I still worry in my head, "Is it really going to happen? Are you sure God?" Yet children, they hear something and they believe it and they know it will happen. It never comes as a worry, a question or a concern. They just accept and TRUST.

4. Children enjoy the day by doing things that make them happy

Proverbs 17:22 "A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."

Nehemiah 8:10 "Nehemiah said, "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."

When I come into work, I ask my children what do they want to play with. As they play with their toys, draw with crayons, play with puzzles, dance to music, the expressions on their face shows that they are truly enjoying what they are doing. I understand that not everyone was dealt a decent hand in life, but no one in this world can mentally and physically force myself or anyone to NOT enjoy life. As I stated in a previous blog, I have the liberty and freedom to truly enjoy my life and do what I love and anyone else can to.

I had a child once sit outside and just look at the sky, he told me the sky was pretty blue and told me what shapes the clouds were making. He simply was enjoying the sky itself, nothing else. If all else around you is failing, just see the sky and see all the beauty God has made for us to enjoy. It's free. And feels the gust of wind blowing all around you as if it's hugging your body and bringing you a moment of peace.

Life is simple but humans.......we complicate the hell out of it. And we shouldn't have to.

Emy Ruth Reviews: Mole Removal with Apple Cider Vinagar

I have a mole on my leg that has always bothered me. I would nick it when I shaved, or accidentally cut it with my fingernails when I would scratch my leg, it was just a pain to have this mole on my leg. I had gone to a surgeon to have it removed but the cost would've been $300. No thank you!

So I took to the internet, saw a plethora or reviews that apple cider vinegar would remove my mole and so I decided to give it a go. This is my mole prior to the treatment done to it:

 The items I used were:

• apple cider vinegar
• band aids ( large and small)
• cotton balls
• vaseline

 The procedure goes as follows:

1.  Soak the cotton ball in apple cider vinegar and ring out the access
2. Place the cotton ball on the mole
3. Place a large band-aid and cover the mole. Use smaller band aids to "outline" the larger band-aid to keep it secure *
4. Try to sleep on your back or in a position that won't take the bandage off your mole
5. Place Vaseline around your skin if your skin turns red and shows signs of irritation ( I noticed irritation by day 3 so I started the Vaseline that day)
6. Continue procedure until the mole falls off

*The first two days I tried to cover the mole, I used just small band-aids to hold the cotton ball and it kept falling off so I "traded up" to larger band-aids to keep it more secure and it stayed in place.



 This is what my mole looked like each day I covered it:

Day 2

 I saw a change the second day when I observed redness and the mole began to turn black, it felt crusty too.

Day 3

 I saw a lot of change on the third day, an increase in redness, the mole turned solid black but also flattened - it was no longer raised. I touched it gently and it was sore so I left it alone.

Day5

 I will note that by Day 4 my skin was very irritated so I stopped covering it and the next day the mole fell off. I immediately started to cover it with Neosporin to let it heal. During the day I covered it with Neosporin, but at night I left in uncovered and placed Vitamin E oil on it. I did this for two weeks.

The final result:

Good luck!

It's Okay to be Happy

How can I begin to describe where I am now to where I have come from? This moment in time, this chapter of life God has written for me is unlike any other I have known. My life has been a roller coaster of good times and bad times, sometimes I was so unsure of what would happen to me because things would turn for the worse and I felt I had no way out. One of the biggest lies the enemy ever told me is that because I was a sinner and made wrong choices that I was not allowed to be happy anymore. I was not allowed to enjoy life and anything that made me happy or brought a smile to my face, I had to stop immediately. I felt I deserved to be sad and couldn't be free to live life fully. I was so broken.

But as I stood in my room, I caught the a glimpse of the breeze blowing over the trees and leaves bearing the colors of orange and brown hit the ground as I got ready to spend the evening with my family. I got dressed while listening to Moonrise by Brain Crain and playfully danced as I got dressed, the music made my soul joyful. I was happy. Not just emotions and feelings happy but a different kind - it was joy. Joy had finally come and was here to stay.

I have been attending CR for almost 11 months now and the freedom of God healing my past and bringing me into greatness and building me up to be the woman of God I was called to be, I am declaring freedom. Freedom from anger. Freedom from depression. Freedom from the abuse and neglect and ridicule I had endured most of my life. Freedom to be me and to enjoy what I loved. God had opened my eyes to show me that it was OKAY to be happy and enjoy the things I love.

I go on morning hikes and admire the mountains and neverending landscapes, I watch my Star Wars and Harry Potter movies, I listen to my Lord of the Rings and Twilight movie scores, I enjoy my comic books as well as my fantasy filled books such as "The Neverending Story" and "A Wrinkle in Time", I drive to work while blasting Backstreet Boys ( since 1997 baby!) and sometimes the Sound of Music. I go to church and work and love my toddlers as if they were mine. I hug my friends and leaders and enjoy the worship music. I live.


Although I continue to work on myself and my walk with God, I allow God to break barriers down and show me what must change. Step study has been HARD! I'm not even exaggerating, it has been intense but God is pulling it all out of me. I'm actually glad that God is having me work part-time closer to home because He is truly having me focus on recovery now more than ever. It feels uncomfortable and painful, sometimes I see no hope but God is moving wonders in me. I am excited for my breakthrough! I'm thrilled that God has amazing things for me!!! My future looks BRIGHT ❤️

Emy Ruth Reads: The Land of Stories:The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer

I was very curious to read that a Glee actor wrote a children's book, the fact that it is a children's book is what stuck out to me more because I am a pre-school teacher and any literature for children grabs my attention. I purchased the book at Barnes and Noble for $20, I got a discount because I have a Teacher Educator card.

The books starts off introducing two young children, twins a boy and a girl. Conner Baily, whom I really like because he is sarcastic and smart mouthy which is A LOT like me, and Alex Baily who is a book worm with Hermione-like characteristics (i.e. knows all the facts, wants to be right, etc.) Both characters are relatable but not necessarily predictable. They had good moments, bad moments, and you can see the contrast of how different they are but yet they tend to also think a lot in some cases. I won't give away too much, you just have to read the book and find out.

 A Map of all the kingdoms

What I liked most about this book is that the author didn't make the fairy tales to be so a-typical and keep the whole "happily ever after, we never have problems" illusion. The author brought reality in a humorous way to each of the fairy tales. I did laugh at Cinderella being pregnant and feeling tired rather than her gracefully singing with mice while scrubbing stairs ( who does that anyways?) I also thought it was funny that Red Riding Hood was this snobbish girl longing for attention, going after a man who doesn't want her but then when I found out what she did with Goldilocks (read to find out), I thought that was harsh but also relatable because people do do cruel things to get what they want. I did laugh when I read about the Big Bad Wolf pack who act sort of the police, I thought that name was simple but just clever.


I really enjoyed getting to know all the fairy tale characters in the "after fact." Like how Cinderella adapted to being married and soon to be a mother, Goldilocks after she broke into the three bears home, how Sleeping Beauty is running a kingdom now that she is actually awake, each seemed to be facing troubles but getting through it all. Also each chapter has simple picture illustrating what's to come in the chapter.

One of my favorite chapters

 
Each "task" that the twins were asked to go on, you learned something new about their family and the twins personality. I did feel it was a bit slow in some parts, or I would read on and think, "Oh my gosh, it's still not over yet?" but what made me laugh is what I was thinking while reading the book, Conner would say it. At one part of the book when they thought they completed all their tasks to go home, they still had more to do I thought, "What? They still have to keep going??" and Conner said something so similar in the next line! Conner's humor and sarcastic remarks made him my favorite because I most likely would've acted/said most of the things he said in the book. I understand his annoyance. Alex, I can relate to her in the sense that it's important to keep your head in the game and use knowledge to help get you through life, I too can be a know-it-all and I do enjoy reading books ( obviously, I'm writing about a book I read) but despite how different they were, Conner and Alex did grow in character along their journey and it made their relationship stronger.

The book took me about a week to read, it was fairly quick but the book just kept me guessing about their father, the missing prince, you read it and think you have the answers but you don't. The ending did take me by surprise because it was very unexpected and I love the unexpected! The author ends the book knowing there will be a sequel and leaves you wondering, what is next for Conner and Alex?

Have an open mind and allow your inner child to come out, don;t be so shut off thinking it's too simple or not original because it is. Chris Colfer takes our known basic fairy tale characters and turns them upside down.

Get it. It's worth the read.

Emy Ruth Reviews: Aveeno Clear Complexion Daily Moisturizer

Aveeno is very well-known and for someone with sensitive skin ( such as myself) can appreciate that the products are:

• Oil-Free
• Hypoallergenic
• Noncomedogenic

The moisturizer I've chosen to use and review is Aveeno Clear Complexion Daily Moisturizer 4 fl oz (120 ml). This product was purchased at Target for $15. I am using this product twice a day, once when I first wake up and right before I go to bed. 

An appreciation I had for this product is that the cream was soft and didn't have a harsh smell to it. It glided on very well to my skin and didn't leave any oily traces. 

What's nice about this cream is the amount you see in my hand is really all you need - it doesn't require much which is a nice bonus. I've been using this cream for about two months and I do notice my skin tone is more even, I had discoloration around my eyes and cheeks due to sun damage but it's mostly evened out now. I also have less break-outs on my skin, the small bumps that I used to get on my forehead are no longer there. 

I do recommend this product not just for helping with acne but to also help even your skin tone and give your skin the nice moisture touch.

Enjoy!