Show Me The Love!

Since Valentine's Day is coming up, I thought I would write a little about love. The kind of love that people don't think about on Valentine's Day, and maybe just a little about what love is. I hope you enjoy this, cause I really enjoyed looking all this stuff up. It's amazing what a little time with the Bible can do for you.

God's Love

Jeremiah 31:3
The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying:
“I have loved you with an everlasting love;
 I have drawn you with unfailing kindness."

Romans 5:8
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.


John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Romans 8:35-37
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

1 John 3:1
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
 
Ephesians 2:4-7
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

Loving Enemies


Matthew 5:43-48
You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Romans 12:9-16
Let love be without hypocrisy. Denounce what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.  Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.

James 1:2-4
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.


Colossians 3:12-14
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

And finally the Bible verse that tops them all(in my opinion).

1 Corinthians 13
If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.          

                          
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
 
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
                                    

                       
All pictures provided courtesy of Google search.             

Weight Loss

Today I would like to talk about losing weight and all of the challenges that come with it. I am trying to lose weight right now, and I am using an online tool called myfitnesspal.com. It is a very helpful tool for a low calorie diet. It helps you keep a food diary, an exercise diary and it adds up all the calories for you. Not only that but if you exercise, it tells you how many calories you burned. You don't have to add anything, it does it all for you. 

This tool has been very helpful to me. It's been making it easy for me to do this and it helps me exercise. some times I can't wait to exercise just to see how many calories I can burn.I have only been doing this for 12 days, so there aren't many results yet, however I am feeling better physically. My muscles are starting to feel worked, in a good way, and my digestion is improving. You would be amazed at how much you can improve your digestion just by making a few small changes. I love it. I feel healthier. 

I know that I got discouraged when I stepped on the scale and hadn't lost any weight, but then a great group of ladies started encouraging me. It's not necessarily what on the scale, I could be losing inches and not lose any weight, I could be putting on muscle that weighs more than fat does. So the point is, don't go by what's on the scale, go by how you feel and what you are losing, maybe inches, may be gaining muscle. Just don't quit, because you are not losing as fast as you want to. 

There are also lots of healthy snacks out there that actually taste good. I know that a lot of people see the words "diet" or "fat free" and automatically think "tasteless". That is not always the case. I am just now getting to the point that if it's not diet, or fat free, I'm not buying it. Of course not everything is diet or fat free, so I have to make exceptions, but that doesn't mean that I'm not going to give this my all and cut out what I can. Like popcorn, I love it! but now I don't get the extra butter, I get the 98% fat free and it tastes almost as good. It just doesn't taste like it's coated in butter, which is fine by me. I don't need all that butter clogging up my arteries and giving me a heart attack. I also like to snack on fruits and veggies. Nutella is also good, but you have to limit it. So if you like Nutella, you can always dip some veggies or fruits in it. 

There is always something you can do to succeed at this. It is never hopeless, and you should never give up. I almost did twice and still I hung on with everything I had, and told myself that I can do this. I do have the strength to accomplish this. It won't be easy, but I can do it! Also, don't be discouraged if you are doing this with a spouse or partner and the man starts losing more weight than the woman does. This happens all the time! It is not you, men just lose weight faster and easier than women do. It's not fair in my opinion, but it is what it is. Do not lose hope and stay strong! You can do this! 

I hope you enjoyed what I wrote, for I so enjoyed writing it. Have fun, and be healthy!

All pictures in this post provided courtesy of Google.

The Power of 3

Time to talk about my nieces. They are the most beautiful little girls I have ever laid eyes on.I think you will understand when you see this picture, however they are beautiful on the inside and out. They bring me joy just by looking at them and hugging them. I can feel their love when they are in my arms and I can see their love just by looking in their eyes. 

From left to right, we have Hermione, Juliana, and Samira. I think I am the luckiest aunt in the entire world. They are great, but of course each in their own way. They are very much alike but so different. So here's who they are and what they like. 

Hermione, age 8 (9 in October). She is, I think the most unique of the 3. In her own way she challenges the other two to try different things, like riding a skateboard. Yes she is a bit of a tomboy. She enjoys playing outside and getting dirty, more than playing dress up, or doing girly things. 

She is very smart and she devotes a lot of her time to learning (even when school is out) and trying to improve and ready herself for the next year of school. She is beautiful, quirky, a little weird (in a good way), wonderful, and she has lots of energy. She is very loving and she loves to laugh and make other people laugh. She is outgoing and doesn't care what anyone else thinks of her, she just goes on being herself. I admire that about her. She is very much like my sister (her aunt) Jenny. Yes I love this little girl more than words can say, and she brings a certain light to people's lives whenever she's around. That's my Nene.

Samira, age 7. She is the girliest girl I have ever met in my entire life. She loves anything and everything that has to do with Disney Princesses or just princesses. She is like a princess that just popped out of a storybook. She loves pink and loves to dress up, and put makeup on. She reminds me of that poem Sugar and Spice:

Sugar and spice,
and everything nice,
that's what little girls are made of. Sunshine and rainbows,
and ribbons for hair bows,
that's what little girls are made of. Tea parties, laces,
and baby doll faces,
that's what little girls are made of.

She is very much like my sister (her mother) Rachell. Yes, that's my Mira. She is beautiful, bright, sweet, loving, loves to laugh, and be silly. She can make us think that any girl, no matter what, can be a princess, and deserves to be treated as such. Mira, Mira on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?

Now for Juliana, age 7. The youngest of the 3. She is kind, caring, loving. Her personality is all her own and she has the best imagination. She can play by herself for hours (she is an only child) and she can play with her very lovable dog Daeday. She treats him like her brother and he treats her like his puppy. She can be happy alone or with a group of people. She loves to make people laugh.

 Did I mention that she thinks she's a professional model? And a dancer. She can dance better than me and a lot of other people I know. She is very daring and surprises people when she goes into a Japanese restaurant and orders sushi. She tries lots of different things, being daring and carefree. She is beautiful, unique, and she has a mind of her own. She loves to dress up, in dresses, cowboy attire, Mexican clothes, it doesn't matter. She is very proud of her Mexican heritage, and makes me laugh when she corrects people on how to pronounce Spanish words. Yes, she is definitely different (in a good way) and confident in herself. 

Well these are my nieces. Beautiful, loving, caring, and funny. I love them more than anything. I treasure our time together, and pray that I can spend more time with them. They make me proud, and I know that they will grow up to be strong, beautiful (inside and out) women. Hopefully that day doesn't come too soon. I like them being little. :)

All photos in this post provided by Jennifer Rivera and Rivera Artistry.

We Are Family!

Time to talk about my wonderful, colorful family. I am so blessed to be surrounded by these loving, caring, beautiful people. Sometimes I wonder what I did to deserve these people who share the same blood as me and are loyal to me. Then I remember, God loves me and will give me the best of everything if I only have faith. They truly are the best people and I am proud to call them my family. I'm going to go from oldest to youngest so here we go. 

My dad, Woody, is the greatest father I have ever known to be on this earth. He is someone I can talk to about anything, I talk to him the way I used to talk to my mom, which means a lot. I am also very happy to say that he is my friend. He is also the coolest dad I could ever hope for. He has a Harley and takes me for rides, which is the most freeing thing I have ever experienced. He would do anything to make any one of us happy, and I'm not sure if he realizes all he has to do is be there, and love us. I can count on him for anything, a laugh, protection, a kind word, even sarcasm is welcome. I think he mastered sarcasm, he knows just how to use it without making us feel stupid. He knows how to use it for good, unless he doesn't like you. I am so very blessed to have this man, the only man I will ever want, as my father.

Now for my mother, Arvella. She was a wonderful woman. She had rough hands from doing so much work around and on the house, but when she needed to comfort her hands were like silk. When I was a teenager, she stuck by me no matter what. I was quite a pain back then. After I grew up I would talk to her about everything. She was my best friend. We loved to dance together, teaching each other our own personal dance moves and melding them into one unique style of dance. We loved music. She was the biggest Elvis Presley fan I know. She has rubbed that off onto me. She loved angels and butterflies. She was known as the Angel Lady. She prayed for everyone and she could spout off a Bible verse right off the top of her head, and it would be just the one you needed to hear. She loved using the Bible to help people. She is the one who inspires me to keep looking for God in all things, and knowing she is looking down on me, on all of us, makes me want to be a better person.

Now for my eldest sister Rachell. We never really had too much in common, with her being 8 years older than me.  She has always had an interest in Native Americans and she has always collected them ever since I can remember. As kids, we never played too much together as I was a kid and she a teenager off with friends or her boyfriend. As I grew older she and I would find little things here and there to talk about, or do together. I remember her trying to teach me how to dance when I was very little. I remember doing Bible studies with her. Then even a little older than that, before she got married I would spend the night at her house and we would watch movies and discuss our boyfriends and give each other advice. I think those are the days I miss the most. We aren't too close now, though I want to be. I think she is just too busy working and being a mom to 2 beautiful little girls, Hermione and Samira, who aren't so little anymore. She is also the Godmother of my other niece Juliana.

My sister Jenny. My best friend, my confidant, my adviser. She lives in Virginia now, but that could never extinguish our closeness. Although it was not always this way.  When we were younger we fought 24/7. I admit I was a spoiled brat who wanted nothing more than to get her in trouble for everything. Now I know that we had to fight in order to gain the respect we now have for each other. We have so much in common, we should be twins. When we are together, we act really stupid and I am so glad that I have someone with whom I can act like an idiot in front of and she understands every little bit of it. We laugh together, we cry together, we do everything together, when we can. She is the strong one in the family. She almost comes off as if she doesn't care about you because she is so brutally honest. However I have learned that she is this way because she does care. I wouldn't have her any other way. She is a wonderful mother of my niece Juliana. I want so much to be the kind of woman she is. Strong, independent, loving, caring, a wonderful wife and mother. I pray that I can be all of those things too.

Well this is my family. I know that I mentioned my nieces in there and you are probably wondering why I haven't written about them here. Well the reason for that is because they are so special to me I think they deserve a post of their own. I will write about them soon. I hope you liked getting to know my family because I have thoroughly enjoyed writing about them.  


All pictures in this post courtesy of Jennifer Rivera and Rivera Artistry.

It's My Life!

This blog is probably going to be like a lot of other blogs out there, and I hope you like this one. It is very personal for me and I hope to accomplish through this being better at expressing myself. I don't really know where to start as this is my very first blog, but here it goes. 

I am a very religious person who likes to share the word of God, however I'm not one of those people who try to shove my beliefs down any one's throat. I love to read all kinds of books and I love music and dancing. I have 3 beautiful nieces, and 1 handsome nephew.

Unfortunately you won't get to see my nephew, but that's another story. I love my family, which consists of 2 older sister's and a wonderful father, my mother is up in heaven smiling down on all of us.
 

I have the best fiance in the entire world and he means more to me than I could ever express in words. He treats me like a princess and I try to treat him like my Prince Charming, for that is exactly what he is to me. He has saved me from a lifetime of loneliness and I thank God for him everyday. We have been together for 6 years, and plan on marrying in 2014, with a honeymoon in Disney World.We are like 2 big kids ourselves, so what better place to be on our honeymoon than The Most Magical Place on Earth?

 





















Well that is my story for now, I hope that you all join me on my many adventures of life, planning a wedding, reading books, and my many travels to Virginia. Have fun, reading because I know I will have fun writing about all of it!

All pictures in this post courtesy of Jennifer Rivera and Rivera Artistry.