Sunday, December 27, 2015

#ViralVideo: Christmas Haul Video

I hope you all had an amazing Christmas. I sure did and I made a video compilation to share the whole Christmas day experience with you guys. Yet, I hope it doesn't come out grainy. If it does, I'm sorry. Regardless, the greatest gift we ever got was the baby Jesus but if you got a gift that you really were happy to receive, please share with me what it was in the comments below.

Without further ado, here's the video:


Love times Infinity,
Chelsea
xoxo
God Bless!
~Just Keep Swimming~


Wednesday, December 16, 2015

#WriterWednesday: I'm Under Construction (So Please Give Me A Break) by @ChelseaDeVries

You're 24. Don't you think it's weird that you still live with your parents?

I mostly get this from my younger sisters when they really want to knock me down a few pegs. And sometimes I feel as though people also think its childish that I don't drive. Yet, no one really understands the reasoning behind why I'm at this place in my life. The only one who does is God. 

I really thought by 24 I'd have a car and my own place and be living the true adult life. Yet, I graduated college and instead of being handed the keys to a Porsche or the world on a silver platter, I struggled to find a job.

So, I figured God wanted me to dig deep down into my bag of talents and utilize my gift of writing to help me make money until he guided me toward my next career move. And on July 21, 2015, after a year and a half of unemployment, and many tuition bills to overcome, God blessed me with the coolest gig in the world: getting paid to write. 

Then, more and more writing jobs came and went, despite the fact that close to when I turned 24, my whole world turned black when I lost my best friend and childhood dog of 15 years, Geniveve. 

Following this, I fell for the scheme of all schemes thinking I got a full-time freelance writing job but instead I just got an empty wallet that just collected all my tears, and brought all my trust issues to a head. Like a miracle straight from my best friend's angel wings, I got a random direct message on October 1, 2015 from a guy I met from Orlando during the livestream of my favorite Christian event, Disney's Night of Joy. He wanted to know if I was still looking for work and wanted to hire me to write freelance articles for him. Following this, he asked me to write Bible commentaries for his personal website. 

Then, I started realizing that my freelance writing wasn't a steady source of income, and my internship was on a volunteer basis only so I followed my dad's advice and finally sent in applications to part-time seasonal jobs in my local area. The last place I applied to was a technology and electronics retail store more prominently known in most social circles as Best Buy. I was reluctant that they would even consider me for the job my dad advised me to apply for: merchandise specialist. I mean, a girl who wanted to work in the warehouse and unload the trucks? They would probably laugh at my application. 

Instead, God was faithful and after a year and a half of not having a steady job, my mom sent me a text one Thursday in late October saying that I got a call for a job interview with Best Buy. After two interviews that I honestly didn't put much thought toward, I was offered the job I currently have. And yes, I'm one of the only girls working with a great team of guys who unloads trucks and stocks the merchandise, and gets up at an ungodly early before sunrise hour on Sunday mornings to make sure that the price tags you find in the store match not only the product but the weekly circulatory ad in the Sunday newspaper. 

I'm sure you are wondering why I decided to tell you this. Well, I mostly had to write all that out so I could figure where I want to go with all that but I think I have a point here. No, I know I have a point here.

In Genesis 37: 5-7, the Bible tells the story of Joseph, and Joseph was a dreamer (much like myself), and most like any other person with a dream, Joseph went and told his brothers about his dream. And as per usual, Joseph's brothers hated him for having a dream. Just like my sisters hate on me for being the dreamer I am. And God being the great God that he is, put Joseph through the ringer because before you are raised, you must first be tried. God wants to see what you do with the small (somewhat unimportant) tasks before he puts you as the manager of a company. For example, I work at Best Buy now because God is shaping me with the job at Best Buy, and training me for a much heavier, more important assignment he has in the works for me. Just like with Joseph, his brothers tried to have him killed and God being with Joseph every step of the way, ended up putting him with an official of the Pharoah, Potiphar. Potiphar ended up putting Joseph in charge of his personal affairs. Joseph went from being an Egyptian slave to being in charge of a government official's personal affairs (Genesis 39:2-6). Suddenly, God can cause your dreams to come true. After all, nothing is impossible with him. 

There will be people in this life who become like ants under a magnifying glass in the sunlight when you are around simply because your bright light is just that too bright, and burns too hot for them and their small mind. Click To Tweet This. Don't ever let them fade your light into a burning ember but instead, keep on shining your light in this dark world because someone is looking for just that amount of light to wake them from their mundane life. They need the colors you bleed; they need the brightness you carry. For no other reason than because they need a reason to keep on living. They are hungry for the vividness of the ink you bleed to brighten the canvas of their daily life.

And the greatest thing about surrounding yourself with people who need your light is that you help their light get brighter and the world becomes like the most beautiful vivid double rainbow after a storm, even only for a moment. 

I basically went on a poetic tangent there but I'm serious when I say don't you dare give up on any dream you have, big or small. God knows of them all. Psalm 20:4 says, May he grant your heart's desires and make all your plans succeed. Let him take care of what you think will never happen.

And if your brothers or sisters (sibling or otherwise) are hating on you, let this verse encourage you on days when the hate overwhelms you, and threatens to blow your light out like a strong but unwanted gust of wind:

So we're not giving up! How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. -2 Corinthians 4:16-17.

Until next time, remember: Grace is God's overwhelming desire to treat you as if you have never sinned. -Kenneth Copeland

Love Times Infinity,
Chelsea 
xoxo
God Bless!
~Just Keep Swimming~

P.S. Don't forget to share and support my campaign for a trip to visit California.
Also, you should know I'm still struggling to stay focused with my new smartphone but I know God is working with me on that every day. 

I would love to connect with you:



Twitter: @ChelseaDeVries


Wednesday, December 9, 2015

#WriterWednesday: The Importance of Focus in a Reverse-Lens World

I finally got a smartphone. I got a Samsung Galaxy S6. This all happened because I work at Best Buy. I was stocking near the mobile department before the store opened to customers and had free range to look at the mobile phones. That's when I saw it. The offer of a lifetime.

Since I have AT&T, my payment for the phone would be about $19.50 a month but I would pay $0 down, and in reward for my purchase of that particular phone at Best Buy, I get a $250 Best Buy to buy the things I've spotted while working in the store, and made a secret wishlist inside my head and heart for.

I mean, you can't get any better than that. This promotion is called #WinTheHolidays and I would have to say this is winning if I ever could define it.

I'm not really a materialistic person nor do I consider myself to be someone who takes loads of selfies. I mostly got a smartphone because I know that with my industry goals in public relations, it looks more professional that I have one. Plus, now I'm connected in a whole new way to the world. I mean, my phone is constantly buzzing with activity much the same way a baby continues to cry when it needs something: food, sleep, a diaper change, etc.

The first day I set up my phone I spent the entire day familiarizing myself with it. The entire day. My problem now that I'm more familiar with this phone becomes how each day is another that is less and less productive in some regard.

For example, I really, really wanted to write a blog for you guys last week but instead of writing it, I had to work on my internship assignments, and that was the same day, I purchased my new cell phone.

This was why I'm glad I never owned a smartphone in college because I don't know how anyone gets anything done. It's like the best distraction I've ever owned. Granted, no one would begrudge me if I didn't automatically reply to their snap, their instagram comment, their tweet, or God forbid, all those Tinder messages and notifications but call it first-smartphone blinded bliss, but boy, do I have trouble leaving my new phone in another room.

Another goal I've yet to achieve is to start writing for leisure again. My personal goal for myself was to write 1000 words a day, every day. Yet, like I said, this hasn't manifested outside of my thoughts yet.

And in all this madness of having a smartphone for the first time ever got me thinking about focus and how easy it is to lose sight of what you want out of life, and also how to stay focused on working toward your goals. The only way we really achieve anything is through the act of discipline. Discipline is the tool that God gives us to help us be who we say we want to be and do what we say we want to do. -Joyce Meyer, from The Mind Connection. -Tweet This

The reality is despite all the fun buzzing, the likes, the snaps, the retweets, the mentions, I need to focus on what's important.

For me, the most important thing is to enjoy my new job, my new phone, but also remember that I want to make a career out of being a writer and being a publicist.

Speaking of being a publicist, I'm raising money for an upcoming trip to California. I've never been and have wanted to go for a good 5 years. If you would like to share or support me in this goal, please .Click here.

Before I leave you with a final thought, make sure to follow me at the following sites:

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/165746.Chelsea_DeVries

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wittywriterpoet26/

Snapchat:

Until next time, remember: ...that you may surely learn to sense what is vital, and approve and prize what is excellent and of real value [recognizing the highest and the best...]-Philippians 1:10

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

#CraftsWithChelly: Inspired by @BethanyMota



I really wanted to post a blog with a really inspiring message for #WriterWednesday but I will have to postpone that until next week.

Until then, enjoy this video I did of me doing a Bethany Mota inspired craft.

Love Times Infinity,
Chelsea
xoxo
God Bless!
~Just Keep Swimming~

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