UMMM Burritos!

Since my first tasting of the beautiful Chipotle burrito I've been hooked. To the point where when I moved to Florida one of the first things I did was google where the closest Chipotle restaurant was? To my dismay it was in another town south of where I live in Boynton:( I was soo sad until I learned that it was really only 20 minutes away. And believe it or not in no time I had boyfriend that lived their to help support my habit. Though the relationship was short lived it did not taint my devotion to Chipotle, however it did put a damper my frequency of the restaurant....Not long after that though a new one popped up north of me. A little bit closer to me but I go north even less than I drive south. So my burrito intake has slowed down to a depressing no more than once a month:(
Alas....literally around the corner from my house...not even a 5 minute drive, Chipotle Wellington is about to open this week!!! In fact during my last visit to the Chipotle north of here I made friends with one of the managers and struck up a conversation of my love for the restaurant. I took the opportunity to get the "dish" on the Wellington Chipotle, I was dying to know details that no one else would know. When I shared an interest in getting the word out about the opening he gave me the business card of the marketing manager for the south Florida Chipotle restaurants. I made the call, and boy did it pay... Not only did I find out that on Wednesday they are giving out FREE burritos all day, but I was also given the opportunity to help her pass out flyers in the mall! Out of the deal I got coffee, and I'll be receiving a "Chipotle backpack!!!", in addition Wednesday I will go and get my FREE burrito. The greatest gift for me in all this though is Chipotle as my neighbor....I can once again enjoy them as often as I can afford them! :)

Linden Paige-

Linden Paige, is my best friends daughter. She is yet to be born, but I look forward to her arrival with great anticipation! Many times just the mere thought of Linden coming into my life has stopped me, and when I really think about her I get very emotional.
You see I've known my best friend since the 6th grade...though I'm not that old most friendships don't span that long and have the kind of history that we do. Don't get me wrong we have a few other girls that we've known equal amounts time and are still close to, but this chick and have leaned on each other through a lot. And in edition to that the last year and a half her husband Ryan and I have worked together. Having a friendship that close with her husband has strengthened our friendship, and given me an even greater reason to rejoice with them in the coming of Linden.
I want to take a second to make some predictions of who Linden Paige will be. . .
First and foremost this girl will be Loved!!! Between her parents, and being the first grandchild on both sides of the family she wins hands down on the loved and yet-to-be-born child of the year category.
Second she is gonna be smart....probably smarter then me by the time she's 6, no lie. Ryan and Kim and very intelligent and pretty driven that way.
Third thing I'm predicting is that Linden will look like her mom, but have her dad's coloring and height. Total guess but I did say these are just predictions.
Fourth prediction is that she will love children's board games!! And most of the time will beat me at them, refer to 2nd prediction.
Fifth prediction is that she will potty train and walk sooner than most babies????
Sixth and final prediction for today is that she will like Asian food, no real reason for this one just a hunch?
While Linden's due date is still at least a month and a half away, I'll have to be honest and say that I really just can't wait for her to be here. I can't wait to see my best friend become the mom that she has always wanted to be, (well once she decided she didn't want to become President of the United States so at least that long).

Busy Changing

So its been a very busy week. Who hasn't had crazy week? I'm sitting at home by myself and I feel like this is the first time since the new year, though I know that is not true. In the last week to week and a half life has begun to show the effects being ever-changing. I'm all about it (change) until it zeros in on the things that I'm not ready to change....we've all had those experiences where we knew it (change) was comin and then when it finally arrives you resist it and pretend to be blind-sided. Ok maybe not everyone but I know that I am a flawed person and just because I do what I think is "right" doesn't mean that those around me won't be effected in a negative way. You never know?
Anyway the challenges of change are real. Lots of things change constantly; the price of gold, the open field down the street thats gonna become a Kohl's, I mean even Starbucks serves a different blend of coffee every week, and especially pop culture changes.
While in the 3rd grade a hip hop song was VERY popular, you may remember it "Ice Ice baby." (Do not even pretend that you don't know it). So I was a huge fan...I even recall making up a dance routine to the song with a friend at recess, yes I did happen to have all the words memorized. But after just a few short months (that at the time felt like years) Vanilla Ice was virtually off the scene. With the exception of the 2nd Ninja Turtles movie where he made a cameo. He was my favorite, I even watched a motorcycle movie that he starred in, that I am sure got less than great reviews...if any at all? So last week I'm working and in walks Rob VanWinkle (aka. Vanilla Ice). Of course the oh so young employees working with me didn't really have a clue when I got excited. I got his autograph, and we had a very pleasant 15 minute conversation. He was a very nice guy.
My point being that even the people we idolize and look up to change, as well as the perceptions that we have of them. So I'm thinking that the same goes with any person in our lives. As I ponder the people and things changing around me, I'm forced now to look at myself and how I'm changing. Its very hard to look at others while your changing yourself because you begin to think that your in the wrong, though sometimes true I'm finding it better instead to look at Jesus. He is the example that I am to follow and look to for true affirmation in my life. So as I change in the sanctifying ways that He desires its challenging and rewarding but the hardest part is that most people around me never really understand what God is doing in my life. Nor do I understand what He's doing in the lives of them. All I know is right now God is the one changing me and the extent of it is yet to be seen. Hard but good, big and small changes happen all around me and even in me!

Support

OK, so the real reason I started this blog was in keep my friends informed of my life and mission. Many don't know but I'm getting ready to raise support to become a full-time missionary with Youth for Christ (YFC). This is an incredible opportunity for me and very personal as 12 years ago came to know Christ through a Campus Life club ran by YFC! This endeavor is very personal to me as well as humbling. God has called me to step out on faith and do this. However raising support isn't going to be easy.
Obviously the "biggest" support that I can receive is financial, and although that is important as I have begun this process I'm learning that spiritual encouragement, and prayer are actually the hardest to come by.
Over a month ago when I first began to pray for God to open doors in my life most everyone agreed that it might be time for me to change up life a bit. Not to mention it would be great to know and be right where God would want me to be. After a series of meetings and different interviews God clearly has directed me to YFC. I'm sooo very excited. And as I write (type) this my letters are sitting in my room ready to go out. I'm quite nervous about this step as it makes everything real. There is no stopping once those letters go out. Either my support comes in or it doesn't?
I know God will provide and make a way for me to do this. My prayer is that by sometime in June I will have all the money I need. I want to be on staff with YFC before July. So please pray with me that that will happen! Its soo cool to see God answer prayers specifically!
Spiritual encouragement and supporters have been hard to find? I can only pray that more people will see my call and my heart for this ministry. Since I made the decision to follow God in this step I feel that I have lost "friend" support. In the last week I've felt very attacked. I know that satan attacks when we move closer to God and His will for our lives, but I really just want people to rejoice with me in what God is doing in my life.
God has blessed me with many friends who are doing just that, but I am struggling right now to focus on that with a few negative situations going on. Support is a very important yet illusive word. For support in life most people look to their family and closest friends, but even that isn't always enough. I'm truly in the process of learning that in ALL aspects of life God is my support, whether is be financial, emotional, or especially spiritual. My dependency must increase in the Lord, and decrease in those situations and people around me.


"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Psalm 73:26

My blogging beginnings

Today is the day....I have something to share with the world, kinda. I started this blog last night with the help of my friends Ryan and Kim (round of applause please, it looks great?).
So my adventure for today is to hang out with my friends Kelly and Ezra, were taking there boat out on the ocean! And I'm pretty sure I will be talked into wake-boarding, whatever that means? But the real adventure today will be to disguise my burned skin from the sun. You see I went to the beach yesterday and stupidly didn't put any sunscreen on my back section. Yes folks this means that not just my back but my booty as well as the back of my legs will suffer from my stupidity. I don't know how do you hide that "large" of a section of my body from the sun when I'm out on a boat? Anyone with actually tips will just have to call me before 11am.
The bright side to this is that finally after living in West Palm Beach for a year and a half, after this burn goes away I will have a...tan!!! Yes this is very exciting news as I am white...with the exception of my back which right now is red. I'm really looking forward to this today, it makes me feel like I am how I wish I was.
Silly way to put something I know, but what I mean by that is, I like to view myself as an outdoors, active type person. However life is busy and we many times have to trade our "want to do" for the "right thing to do". Its a challenging to tell people that you like outdoor activities when you are white as snow and the last "outdoor activity" you participated in was eating, which in fact involves very little activity. I am still adjusting to the culture of activities here in south Florida, and I try to get out to enjoy as many as I can, but time is limited. So I will be very thankful for today and the time I'm given to do something that I want to do (even if my backside suffers a bit).
So on goes the adventures of Emily.....remember to put on your sunscreen!!