Happy 12th birthday, Daddy!

I thought since his birthday only comes around once every 4 years, this definitely warrants a blog post. Growing up, I thought it was the coolest thing that my father was born on a leap year and I'd tell anyone who would listen (not sure why I specified that as when I was growing up because I still do this today). We'd make fun of him because he was ONLY 10 or even 9 3/4 quarters. It's great being older than your dad. It's like, "No, you take out the trash...I'm older than you, young man!" hahaha ok, I've never said that to my father and probably would have gotten smacked had I, it but it sure would be funny to see someone ELSE try that on their parent. Anywho, I love the day so much that I want to have a kid on a leap year one year...uh prolly in 8 years, not 4. Haha ;)

Anywho I just wanted to dedicate a post to one of the best men that I have ever had the privilege to meet. I am so blessed to have a father as loving and kind as mine. He is funny and smart and crazy. He sings like a dream. He's been the best example of Christ that I've seen. He loves EVERYONE and really never meets a stranger. He is always giving and serving. He is forgiving and fair. He's a doting and caring husband (although, he spends too much money on Starbucks, which drives my mother nuts haha). He encourages me to reach for more. I can only one day hope to marry a man half as cool as my father :))

Here's my father and I, the last time I saw him about a month ago.

pivot's 10 questions

Read this post, over here on Blake's blog Fearless, and thought I'd answer the questions myself too.

1.     What is your favorite word? 

           Easy...that would be Serendipity.

2.       What is your least favorite word? 

         The F word. One of those vulgar words that I hate to hear.

3.       What turns you on? 

           Gentlemen

4.       What turns you off? 

          Spelling errors and overconfident guys.

5.       What sound or noise do you love? 

           Laughter.

6.       What sound or noise do you hate? 

           Brakes squealing.

7.       What is your favorite curse word? 

           Since I don't curse, I"m gonna go with my favorite byword: Snap (yes, I loved That's so Raven)

8.       What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? 

          Being a  talk show host with my sisters. Yes, we've talked about this once or twice :D

9.       What profession would you not like to do? 

         Plumber. I'd throw up all day, every day.

10.   If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates? 

         Heaven does exist. And I hope to hear, "Well done, thy good and faithful servant".

Love is the new black.

It's been so far so good without the boob tube. I've found myself with a TON of free time. Wednesday, I was able to finish up a book that I borrowed from a friend a looooooooooooong time ago. Thursday, I made myself dinner (breakfast tacos, which for me..is a start!) and practiced the piano and started learning a couple songs. Friday, I baked, went to a housewarming party for my pastor's wife, and helped host an ALL night youth lock-in. Today, I went to work for a couple hours to help with a system release (yes, totally exhausted from the lock-in, I had to go to work). It wasn't too bad though so I really shouldn't complain. I'm allowing myself a moment to post and then I must get off the internet and do something productive, even if that's only taking a nap...haha here's what I wore this week:

Sunday:

Monday - Minus the wrinkles, this was my favorite outfit for the week.

Tuesday:

Wednesday: Okay, this is also in the running for my favorite outfit of the week. Sorry for the messy room.

Thursday: Mixed Prints

Friday: You know you picked a good outfit when the girls at work think it's a dress.

Saturday - 

Lent: NO TV!

So I’m going to fast TV for lent (no, I’m not becoming a Catholic, as Ayanna thought).

Here’s my rules and such, for accountability purposes:

1.       No turning the TV on; whether that’s for TV shows, movies, or video games.

2.       No watching TV shows online and no watching movies on my laptop. L

3.       No getting recaps from people, as that would defeat the purpose (I’m doing it both to free up time and to rid myself of the influence. TV is filthy and if you don't think so, watch it with a Bible next to you...see how much of what you're seeing is unscriptural and then come talk to me. And believe you me, I'm talking to myself on this one)

4.       With that in mind, I am able to go to the movie theater. However contradictory that might be, I’m not passing up the midnight showing of the Hunger Games J

5.       In the free time that I’m sure to have, I cannot just spend it on the Internet (per Olivia), I must practice the piano, guitar, sew, craft, cook (haha, stop laughing), etc, etc. As well as spend more time reading the bible and developing my prayer time.

6.       Added by Olivia, call my family at least once a week...which results in 4 phone calls a week: Mom, Dad, Dehli and Olivia. I think I can do this, hahaha.

Peace and blessings...peace and blessings (hahaa),

Tash

Sunday Scripture Time - 1 Corinthians 13

In thinking about what scripture to use today, one word kept coming back to me: Love. And while there are tons of scriptures about love, this is the one for me. 1 Corinthians 13.

 ¹ If I speak in the tongues^[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ² 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. ³ If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,^[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing. ⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. ⁸ Love never fails.

I truly believe that LOVE can fix any problem, any situation, any division, any hurt, any jealousy, any anything. And for that reason, I want it to be said of me that I love and that I love deeply. I mean this in so much more than a romantic way, although I, one day, hope to be and stay madly, deeply in love with a man who will become my husband. Now that my disclaimer is out of the way...I believe that with love, we can do anything. Love is able forgive sins (1 Peter 4:8 - love covers a multitude of sins), mend relationships (Proverbs 17:9 - he who covers an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats a matter separates close friends) and reveal Jesus to the world (John 13:35 - By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another). With love, we could start a revolution. This world is angry and hurting and full of so much hate. They need to see Christians full of God's love for the sinner and for each other!

I read somewhere once (I don't remember, so please don't ask. lol)  that you can substitute Jesus' name for all the times they say love and it still is 100% truthful. Jesus is patient, Jesus is kind...etc etc. And how true is that! Jesus always protects, always trust, always hopes, always perseveres. Jesus NEVER fails. And if we are to be like Jesus (which we are), I believe that we should also be able to substitute our own name in place for love...It'd go something like this (with your own name, of course lol), Natasha is patient, Natasha is kind. Natasha does not envy. Natasha does not boast, Natasha is not proud...etc etc. Wow! When you look at it that way, you begin to see all the areas that you need to work on. You begin to see that, hey, maybe I'm not loving as well as I think I am!

So I challenge you today to swap LOVE for your name...And then in every instance were it becomes a false statement, pray that God would make you more like him. Take steps to make yourself more patient, kind, humble, trusting, faithful, etc etc. Before you think that I'm trying to bash you and make you feel bad...realize that the beauty in this method is that it doesn't exclude any of us from work because NONE of us are perfect. Yes, maybe you've got kindness down, but you realize that you aren't so patient at times or maybe you're not self-seeking but you're really bad about holding onto past wrongs...

We ALL need to work at being more like Jesus...and since Jesus is love (1 John 4:8 - Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love), love is good place to start!

Life is found in the risks..

Life is found in the risks, not in the safety zones and the crosswalks...

shirt, skirt, boots - thrifted

belt - ross

socks - stolen from Ayanna

Still I rise.

I don't have much to say today, but:

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I'll rise.
You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.

From the lovely, Maya Angelou's poem:

Still I rise

You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.
Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.
Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.
Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.
Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don't you take it awful hard
'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines
Diggin' in my own back yard.
You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I'll rise.
Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I've got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?
Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise

Love Day attire

I woke up this morning...a bit behind schedule because I still needed to bake cookies for our first annual Cookie Swap at work (which was a HUGE success, I'll be eating cookies for days!). Granted being late is nothing new for me, but it was actually nice to have a legitimate reason for once...other than I overslept or I was in the shower for too long or I couldn't find anything to wear or the dog ate my homework (just kidding on the last one, I've never actually used that excuse..then again, has anyone??)?!

To be in line with the "theme of love", you can't go wrong with a red skirt, right?! Right! I've worn this outfit plenty of times before, but I've never paired it with a brown belt and brown shoes...I love breaking the rules: the black and brown looked great together, IMO of course haha! I grabbed a few quick shots since I was already late and since the sun was up just beckoning me to take some "great" outfit pictures..

Shirt & Belt - Ross

Skirt & Shoes - Thrifted

Tights - Wal-mart

Here's a shot of my desk (have I mentioned that I love Valentine's day and sock monkeys, hint hint!?):

Also, read about my parent's anniversay (which is today) over here on my new blog with my 3 sisters! It's just getting started but it looks like it'll be a fun way to stay in touch with each other!

"I will wait for you" by JANETTE...IKZ

Words are hardly needed to describe this amazing video but I'll give it a go anyways. This is such a powerful poem about saving yourself for the one that God has picked for you, for believing that God knows what's best for you. It's about knowing God in the waiting season and also about knowing yourself. Waiting is as much about your future spouse getting ready for you as it is about you preparing yourself for them. We so often say God make sure he has this, this and this that we neglect to make sure that we have that, that and that. We, ladies, should have something to bring to the table, like the ability to pray for and back your husbands no matter what, the ability to take care of your family and keep your home in order, the ability to encourage and love and honor and respect and submit to your husbands. The things we demand from them, we must also be able to give back to them.

That being said, my favorite part in the poem is when she compares her husband to great men of God in the Bible:

And I will know you…because when you speak I will be reminded of Solomon’s wisdom,
Your ability to lead will remind me of Moses,
Your faith will remind me of Abraham,
Your confidence in God’s Word will remind me of Daniel,
Your inspiration will remind me of Paul,
Your heart for God will remind me of David,
Your attention to detail will remind me of Noah,
Your integrity will remind me of Joseph,
And your ability to abandon your own will, will remind me of the disciples,
But Your ability to love selflessly & unconditionally will remind me of Christ.

She, then follows it up with my second favorite part, the description on the women:

And you will know me, and you will find me,
Where… the boldness of Esther meets the warm closeness of Ruth.
Where the hospitality of Lydia is aligned with the submission of Mary,
Which is engulfed in the tears of a praying Hanna.
I will be the one, drenched in Proverbs 31… waiting for you.

And ends by addressing God:

But to my Father, my Father who has known me before I was birthed into this earth
Only if you should see fit…
I desire Your will above mine,
So even if you call me to a life of singleness,
My heart is content with YOU – the One who was sent.
YOU are the greatest love story ever told,
The greatest story ever known
You are forever my judge & I’m forever Your witness
And I pray that I’m always found on a mission about my Father’s business

If you haven't seen this movie, take a few moments and watch it. You won't be disappointed.

I believe...

I believe in love,
and second chances.
I believe in smiling,
and helping strangers.
I believe in God
and his infinite mercy.
I believe in playing dress up
and being creative.
I believe in eating junk food,
and staying up late.
I believe in sleeping in
and having lazy days.
I believe in being happy,
and in making yourself happy.
I believe in celebrity crushes,
and yes, real life ones too.
I believe in being strong
and crying when needed.
I believe in laughing,
laughing until it hurts.
I believe in texting,
and falling accidentally in love.
I believe in shooting stars
and wishing at 11:11.
I believe in fairy tales
and happily ever afters.
I believe in this crazy life
and in the goodness of others.
I believe.

Celebrity Cover-up: Screen Actors Guild Awards

The 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards were held on January 29th of this year. While I'm a little late, I decided to do a Celebrity Cover-up from the red carpet arrivals
Here are a few modest and yet gorgeous gowns that I liked:


I'll start with my favorite, Emilia Clarke. I love the feathers, the shoulders, the collar...basically everything about this dress :D

The ever beautiful, Meryl Streep:

Judy Greer in a stunning wedding dress look-alike:

Penelope Miller in a lovely blue lace dress. I'm in love with lace so it's no surprise that I love this dress! PS: I just discovered that she is the same Penelope Miller who played Brenda in Adventures in Babysitting back in the 80's. If you haven't seen that movie, you need to NOW! It's hilarious...my whole family can quote if from beginning to end!

Zoe Saldana is probably one of my favorite actresses...and not so much for the acting, which is good...but because I think she is so gorgeous! Top on my list of girl crushes...haha 

Octavia Spencer in a silver gown:

And lastly, here is Gretchen Mol in a white and gold dress:

Well, there you have it. Which dress is your favorite?
<3

What she wore - "No-Denim Challenge"

A couple weeks ago, I challenged my baby sister to go a whole week without wearing denim...and while that might be easy for some of you guys, us Pentecostal girls live in our jean skirts (which is something that I'm trying to break...so I joined in on the challenge with her)!

Here are her creative and so adorable outfits. I love her casual - dressy mix of style.

I thought I'd put the outifts in order of dates...until I saw her Jonas Brothers shirt. My sisters and I have been HUGE JB fans ever since they first came out!!! I was even able to see them in concert two years ago...It was amazing. Yes, I am 23. And yes, I am in love with the JoBros. And yes, I will be til the day I die.

Here are the other outfits...my sister, the techie, put some pictures within pictures for a couple of them. She's so talented :D

I really like how she wore the scarf as a "dress-belt-wrap" thingy!

This outfit is probably my second fav after the JoBro one. I really like the button-up with the cowboy boots!

This is probably my favorite shot of them all!

I've really been into blazers lately...so I like how she paired the blazer with the skirt with the belt!

And I want to borrow every part of this outfit!! Knowing my sister that's probably a headband doubling as a belt! So clever!

Well, here you have 'em. What do y'all think? Which is your favorite?

PS: Thanks, Olivia for sticking with the challenge and sending me all the pictures! You're a trooper!

What we wore - Sunday night church

Ayanna is my cousin not my sister...but I filed this under "Sister, sister" because if ever there was a person that was as close as my sisters...that person would be Ayanna. We tell everyone that we're sisters anyways...she's 13. She's beautiful and smart and talented. She's a great writer and has big dreams of being a published author.

I changed up my outfit for Sunday night church by changing my main color from brown to black. Here ya go:

I like both outfits but I'm definitely feeling the brown better.

<3