The Month of Blessings

Big noticias to share today...I am now the newest Assignment Editor at NBC6 and Telemundo 51!

It's really humbling how quickly God moved in making this a reality. It still hasn't fully hit me yet...I'm getting paid to do something I love! Whaaatt? When did that happen? Two months ago I was a full-time student and an intern! And now... I'm a full-time NBC employee. Awesomeness.

As far as school goes, I only have 15 credits (about 5 classes!) left, and my original plan was to finish them up in the fall and graduate in December. But, God had other plans (obviously), so for now I'll just be taking two classes (one in person, one online) so that I don't overdo it with school and work. At this pace I should be walking in May (to make my mother happy) and taking one more class in Summer A....aaand I'll officially be DONE! I can't wait for that day. Seriously. I'm so over college. But that's for another blog entry. ;)

The job itself has its stressful moments... I'm still getting used to the different responsibilities, personalities, and schedules I have to work with on a daily basis. It's tough, and I've wanted to curl up in a ball and disappear on more than one occasion. But I know that God placed me here for a reason, and this is really such a great learning experience for me.

Thanks for everyone who prayed and thought of us these last few months! Your continued prayers are very greatly appreciated!

Happy Birthday Gabby!

Today is my hunny's 23rd birthday!

I'm so very blessed to have him in my life. He's so generous and kind, but most of all, he puts up with me on a daily basis (I think he deserves an award for that alone!). He's my #1 supporter and encourager, and has this innate ability to be positive when I'm down or negative. I don't know how he does it, but he does! 

He's also so intelligent. I mean, seriously. He knows all the U.S. Presidents and basically everything about American Colonial History. The man is a walking encyclopedia. Nuff said. 

More than anything, Gabby is my best friend. Over the past six years, he has been my rock in some of the most difficult times of my life. He has hugged me, laughed with me, cried with me, and most importantly, prayed with me. God has done such an extraordinary work in his life, and I am so proud of the Godly man he has become. 

After six years of hopes and dreams, our prayers are finally being answered one by one, and we're starting to grow up little by little. It's so exciting to see your dreams become a reality right before your eyes, and it's so much better to have someone to experience them all with. I can't imagine a better partner to spend my life with. And I can't wait to see what God has in store for us! 

Happy Birthday baby! I love you!

Naples Vacation

For Memorial Day Weekend, my family and I took a much-needed getaway to beautiful Naples. It was just what we needed after a crazy Spring semester! We stayed in my uncle's apartment on Vanderbilt Beach, and did absolutely nothing but lay out by the beach and pool. It was glorious.

Here are some pictures:

my cousin & uncle love gourmet cooking, so for dinner one night they grilled some salmon fillets on cedar planks! So good. :)

As you can see, Naples has some pretty awesome sunsets. On our last night (Sunday), we walked over to the beach to take some photos. It's actually pretty crazy, but you can see the sun moving over the horizon! The coolest part about it, besides the sheer beauty of it, is that after the sun faded over the horizon, everyone on the beach started cheering. It was almost like they were giving a round of applause to God for the marvelous creation He made. The only thing I thought about was this verse from the book of Psalms:

The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

 Day after day they pour forth speech;

night after night they display knowledge.

--Psalm 19:1-6

 

Release

I literally felt my heart break today.

I've felt a terrible sense of loss since Tuesday when I learned about the devastating earthquake in Haiti. I'm not Haitian. I don't really have a lot of Haitian friends. But for some reason this disaster moved me immensely. From the minute I saw the pictures, I felt compelled to go there, not just as a journalist to report, but as a human being to help.

Every time I eat a meal, I think of the little girl who has none. Every time I take a shower, I think of the elderly man who hasn't had one in nearly a week. Every time I hug my mother, I think of the little boy who lost his entire family in a few seconds.

Today at church we sang a song about how there will be no weeping, no hurt or suffering in our final destination, heaven. It was already moving, and at the end a slideshow came up of all the different images I had seen earlier this week. No suffering. No dying. No sick or lame. I looked up and literally sobbed for those people who, right now, are dying or have witnessed some of the most horrific scenes you could ever imagine. I thought of all the suffering they have endured over the last few days, and thought about all that God has in store for us in eternity. And it was so liberating. I know there are amazing things in store for the next life, and they are so much better than all the pain and suffering this world has to offer.

I'm continually praying for all the people of Haiti and for those who might know of someone who was affected, and I hope that God would be with those who were left behind.

Perspective.

This video was shown yesterday at church (click through to the link, because embedding is disabled). It moved me so much that I wanted to share.

The pastor's message today was about getting rid of those worldly things which give us a temporary feeling of happiness and instead focusing on the greatness of God.  This has been an area of weakness for me lately. I've been letting things get in the way of my relationship with Him, and, I have to admit, I've caught myself relying on worldly things rather than on Christ to make me happy.

The video made me realize how perspective can change everything. I mean, here I am, healthy and happy as a clam, and I take God's goodness for granted so often. But for this man, who is facing the reality of death, all he wants to do is praise God. Amazing.