Greatly Blessed and Highly Favored: The long story short of how my bill got paid off♥

Happiness is a form of courage...YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THAT BIG FAT BUTT?! Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle. Oh sorry, right. I'm writing a blog not twiggling. (white girl version of twerking). In case you want to join the dance party later or listen to the song that I'm currently jamming out to: Check out Wiggle by Jason Derulo ft. Snoop Dogg. That song is dope and it's the song he premiered for us at the concert back in February.

Anyway, since I last spoke to you, I finished another semester at Leoland. This one was plenty fruitful because I got straight B's except for the F I ended up getting in my Marketing Communications class. Long story short, that professor falsified my midterm grades, made the whole class about group work, waited until the beginning of April to give us the rubric for our final project, and the night before I was scheduled to present my final group project, the girl who came up with the idea of us selling a teleportation device decided to bitch me out over text message so I decided I wasn't going to show up. This is basically why I failed the class but it also had to do with the fact that I was against taking this class on campus from the beginning of the semester but they denied my request of taking it online. I do so much better in my online classes because they are based off independent study so all I have to do is read the chapters, answer a discussion question during each of the eight weeks, do a quiz, a paper or a case (depending on the class) and take a midterm and/or a final. For me, it's a lot like what I went through when I was back in the IB program. A little bit of a thorn in my side but mostly simple if you are studious and smart, like myself. That's why I'm so excited for this coming semester. Other than my internship or job (hopefully at Starbucks), I don't have to even leave my house because all my classes will be online. I just have to do two classes the first eight weeks which are Marketing Research and Business Law II (I won't be able to finish my IHT minor so I'm taking another elective and I loved my first Business Law course.) Then, the second eight weeks, in the middle of October, I will take Marketing Communications and Marketing policies. Then, by God's grace, as of December 14, 2014, I will graduate with my Bachelor's in Marketing. After that happens, this will be what I will say to that school:

So, as most of you know, it really looked like I was going to have to become a stripper in order to pay off the bill I owed for Spring semester. All semester I confessed: Where God gives vision, he provides provision.  Then, out of nowhere, last Friday, I got a call from the financial aid support team manager and at first, he made it seem like he was going to tell me my financial aid appeal application was denied like they originally told me it might but then he goes, "it looks like we gave you the wrong amount on your stafford loans and we owe you up to $3295 of additional aid." After he said that, my hand holding the phone literally started shaking because I felt God's favor making a shift. It turned out on Monday that I got $3261 of additional stafford loans (boo, I have to pay that back) and $500 from the financial aid appeal application. 

I only had to pay $27.59 toward the entire bill. God is so good to me. 

The only thing that was extremely stressful for me was that on Tuesday, I signed into my student account and saw this:

I was really confused and instead of stressing, I just asked some friends to share my GoFundMe page and prayed that Saint Leo had made a mistake. The next day, my balance was $27.59. After I paid it, my account looked like this when I signed in on Wednesday:

I have never seen that before so I feel extremely blessed. Now waiting to get a new advisor (My previous advisor was the professor of the marketing communications class). I no longer trust his advice and feel he never advised me well, especially after I told him I wanted to be a publicist. Then, I have to have an internship lined up by September 2 if not before, and I can register for my four online classes.

 So far no emails or calls. Yet, I know now, when it looks like nothing is happening, that's when God is working the most. He's going to show me favor in my job/internship search and provide me one that will be a divine appointment and help me learn skills that will one day make me a successful publicist.

Right now, I'm ok with having time off. I wrote so many religion papers this past semester, it's nice only having to write my novel lately. If only someone could pay me in advance for this book but since I'm not well-known as a writer (more importantly, my work isn't well-known), I'm just sitting on a wallet full of dreams. 

If anyone is looking to hire a writer, send me an email at wittywriterpoet26@yahoo.com.

Thanks, and also thank you to everyone that prayed for me about this bill and shared my GoFundMe link. 

Shoutout to Lizzy Follese on Twitter who I've never met but not only retweeted my tweet but posted this in support of me: 

After all the sass I got from Christian ministers, it meant so much. To see what I mean, read http://chellyzlife.blogspot.com/2014/03/something-on-my-mind-lately-that-needs.html

I appreciate it so much. And if you need any prayers yourself, never hesitate to let me know.

Meanwhile, I would appreciate it if you support some of my friends in their endeavors:

My friend Carrie wants to be a professional wrestler

My friend Chelsea needs help paying off her student loans.  

Donate and/or share the links.

Until next time, remember: All you need to remember is that God will never let you down, he'll never let you be pushed past your limit, he'll always be there to help you come through it. -1 Corinthians 10:13 ♥

Love Times Infinity,

Chelsea

xoxo

God Bless!

~Just Keep Swimming~

Looking at a flaw but feeling flawless

Happiness is a form of courage...So, I stayed up late last night. Until 12:30 a.m. to be exact. I know what you're thinking, "Wow, look at you taking the rebellious road." Oh yeah, you know me. Yeah, well the point isn't that I stayed up late on a school night but because of something I discovered that late at night.

   I took my first two novels out of my closet and looked at them for the first time in three years. It was weird. I actually was repulsed by how juvenile and immature the writing in these books was. If you haven't bought my books, that's ok. You aren't missing anything.

I actually am quite embarrassed by them now because my writing style has changed so much. I think it just changed with age and the things I've experienced but I'm going to work on what those books were missing which was included in every (well, most) YA books I've read in my lifetime. Something that makes the story withstand time, and maybe even gets the attention of movie producers who can't come up with their own ideas. (Hey, I'm not against books being made into movies. That's the marketing machine for any author).

As some of you may know, I recently read the book The Fault In Our Stars  by John Green and it really made me re-evaluate my YA writing style. Yes, it's admirable that at 15 I decided to become a writer even though no one was behind me, I understand that I published those books for the wrong reasons. (Plus, at 15, I was obsessed with Ryan Sheckler, I was going to marry him, and I thought becoming an author would not only make me stand out but make everyone want to be my friend.)  I'm going to work on a new novel as soon as my memoir is finished and in the process of publication that has the same characters but adds depth to the story line which is what TFIOS had.

It kind of made me feel like I let the world down because I published such a weak piece of literature. It was an underdeveloped project and I put it out there for everyone to see. It's like I told the world at a backyard barbecue that I was going to grill the hamburgers and served them to everyone raw and said, "Ta-Da."

Yet, I feel like the reason I decided to write a blog about this moment in my life is to let you know that I won't be hurt if you decide not to purchase my two novels because from every standpoint used to critique literature I can see that my novels lack important pieces of timeless literature and I am working on something more compelling than those two stories now and in the future.

It's very life-changing, ultimately, to be able to look at a flaw but feel flawless. I'm completely imperfect and that's ok. Why? Well, when I am weak, He is strong. And not I, but the Grace of God.♥

Love Times Infinity,

Chelsea

xoxo

God Bless!

~Just Keep Swimming~

 Happy Easter from Katrina and I. :)

 It's finally here! My graduation picture. 

Be The Change You Wish To See In The World (Healthy Lifestyle choices)

Happiness is a form of courage... I don't know about you but I'm not a big fan of the word diet. Why? Well, it has the word "die" in it. I don't like to talk death. The Bible says to speak life so that is what I work towards. I'm writing a book about overcoming death so that is the only place I really speak about death. Other than that, I try to choose words that will bring blessing, success, and longevity to my life.

     I've been meaning to write this post on healthy choices for a good month because I was going to include a video where my sister talked about how she's lost 40 + pounds since December of last year but I can always add the video later on so I decided it was time to talk about being healthy. I'm not an expert on health but I am interested in living a long life that is free from daily sickness and illnesses. If you are interested in that too, then  read on.

     Let me start with my nine tips to a healthier, happier you.
1. Don't weigh yourself every day. Instead, weigh yourself once a week at the same time. They say the best time to get an accurate picture of your body weight is by weighing yourself first thing in the morning before you eat or drink anything. Personally, I weigh myself every Sunday morning.
2. Don't eat anything after eight.  Try not to eat after eight because studies have shown that your body takes longer to digest food around this time meaning it won't process fats and nutrients properly leading to further weight gain. I've started doing this as part of my 2014 healthy choice and I do it from S-Th. I noticed weight loss of four to five pounds per week. It's small but it's a start. Personally, I'm not trying to lose that much; I just want to be healthy and also try to cut the size of my waist down. Instead of eating after eight, if you get hungry, drink water. At first, it may be difficult. It's extremely weird to my friends but I feel better and just make sure to eat a big breakfast when I wake up. It also is beneficial for me since I have to take my thyroid medicine on an empty stomach.
3. Drink at least 32 ounces of water a day. This is pretty self-explanatory but I do know that your body is 70% water and uses it for everything so stay hydrated and have a glass of water.
4. Limit your sweet intake to one day a week This one I'm still working toward because I have a huge sweet tooth and enjoy lots of desserts plus, Saint Leo's cafe doesn't help me here. They always have cake and desserts at every meal. Even at breakfast now, they have a huge assortment of pastries and donuts. It's such a temptation. It's not always easy to walk away without grabbing a glazed donut. (FYI, glazed donuts and bagels are my weakness). Yet, a few times this semester, I've been able to walk away knowing my self-control is greater than a measly empty calorie donut or bagel. As I said, this is my work in progress.
5. Stay Away from Fried Food This is impossible to do in college since the cafeteria usually doesn't always have good food available to eat but you must limit your intake of fried food because it leads to clogged arteries and heart attacks. As someone who almost had a heart attack at age 21, I can honestly say nothing about it is fun. Just think of open heart surgery every time you look at a french fry and I promise it will get you to wean off that fried food habit.
6. Exercise. Get moving! In case you didn't know, laziness leads to slow death. Your body was made for activity so buy some cute work out clothes or if you're a guy, some new Nikes, and start making working out a habit. As a college student, access to a gym is easy and included in my housing but for most people, they can't afford it and if you are like me, you probably feel awkward going to work out in a public place. My sister just bought a treadmill which I look forward to using when I'm home for good but I really want to invest in a stationary bike because I like bike riding but don't like to ride a real bike.
     You should aim at starting with 30 minutes of cardio and then eventually increasing it to 45 minutes. I like to do 30 minutes of cardio and then a strength training workout that targets my abs, arms, and legs. Sometimes, I do workouts that target my butt, my legs, my arms, or just my abs. I also am a Pilates lover because it makes me feel good all-around as well as leaner and stronger. I also eventually want to start bench pressing again because I liked taking weightlifting in high school because knowing I could lift more and more made me feel like a badass. I aim to workout at least 3 times a week and sometimes even do an extra day of cardio on Sundays.

Chelsea's Workout Playlist

1. Ball by T.I. ft. Lil Wayne

2. Good Feeling by Florida

3. Anything by Karmin

4. Most of Britney Spears new and old hits

5. Can't Believe It by Florida ft. Pitbull (Good for squats)

6. Fergalicious by Fergie

7. I Know by Lecrae

8. Dum Dum by Tedashii ft. Lecrae

9. One More by Superchick

10. Feeling Myself by Will I Am ft. Miley Cyrus

These are ten songs to get you started but from there you can add your own jams. These songs are upbeat and some of them are motivating. Just get moving! I promise you, you will feel better and sleep better because of it.

7. Snack Smart

 Since I have a sensitive stomach, I can't eat everything that is healthy but I try to eat healthy snacks. My faves are cereal (it's the only thing that makes my stomach happy without making me sick) which I eat with lactose-free milk. I also like fruit and oatmeal. The trick is to aim for a snack with a lot of fiber so you feel full and stay full for longer. You can also eat nuts, yogurt, and cottage cheese, or even cheese. (These options don't work for me because I'm lactose intolerant and nuts make my stomach sick).

8. Avoid Caffeine after 4 p.m. if possible

This doesn't work for me since I need caffeine like all the time in order to be alert and study and work on papers and what not but if you can avoid it, it will allow you to get to sleep easier at night. 

9. Take Vitamins

Personally, I recommend you take a mult-vitamin no matter who you are. It's a great way to start taking supplements. I also take the following: 

Calcium- Bone Density (Plus, if I don't take this, eventually my thyroid medicine will weaken my bones). Plus, I don't drink much milk so it's important for me to take this.

Vitamin B6- I read that this can help with fatigue (especially fatigue associated with your menstrual cycle) so I take it. It also helps with PMS irritability so it's double important for me to take this. lol.

Dong Quai- If I don't take this as PMS settles in (days 10-28) then I basically am the biggest sack of sadness and self-doubt you will ever meet. Dong quai is used for menstrual cramps, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), and menopausal symptoms. It is also used orally as a ”blood purifier”; to manage hypertension, infertility, joint pain, ulcers, “tired blood” (anemia), and constipation; and in the prevention and treatment of allergic attacks. Dong quai is also used orally for the treatment of loss of skin color (depigmentation) and psoriasis (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/936.html). By taking it, I can deal with life. 

St. John's Wort- When I found out I had depression because it is a side effect of hypothyroidism, I read a book called the Bible Cure for Depression by Don Colbert. In it, Dr. Colbert mentioned taking St. John's Wort for Depression. He prescribed 300 mg per day. I've been taking this and I really can tell that it helps avoid "dark days" for me. It doesn't completely make me happy and upbeat 24 hours a day but it helps me avoid sleeping away my life.

Melatonin- I take this every night 30 minutes before going to sleep and it really helps me have more REM sleep which is important for your body's overall health. Plus, my dreams are crazy vivid when I take it so I love it (Unless I'm having a nightmare).

Biotin- I think I'm going to start taking this in order to make my nails and hair thicker because with my thyroid disorder, my skin is dry, my nails are brittle and break easily, and my hair is thin and falls out easier.

I also wrote a blog about healthy hair almost a year ago that you can check out here.

Tips for having Clearer Skin

I think I should be a spokesperson for acne because I've tried everything and still had bad acne up until I turned 22. Now that I've followed this regime and learned what works and what doesn't, I feel like I should share it with you.

1. Only wash your face at night; Just rinse your face with cold water in the morning. 

I found this tip in Seventeen and it has really helped me have less acne.

The products I use twice a day on my face are: 

Palmer's skin success deep cleansing facial astringent with Vitamin E. -This is like a face wash within itself. My skin feels so clean after I use this. ( You can buy 4 bottles at a time for $17.96 on Amazon).

After using this, I follow with Equate Moisturizing Lotion. I found this big bottle at Walmart for $5.00 by the skin-care stuff and it's moisturizer for all skin-types so no matter if you have oily or dry skin, you can use it.

After moisturizing, I use an acne cream:

In the morning, I use: Nature's Cure Vanishing Cream which contains 5% Benzoyl Peroxide. I'm almost out of this so I will just look for an acne cream with 5% Benzoyl Peroxide to substitute or I may eliminate it from my routine.

In the evening: I use Acnevir Adult Formula - I found an advertisement in Cosmopolitan and decided to look it up. I bought it to try it and I will use this until I die because it really is a miracle worker.

I also use Dove soap each night when I wash my face (It's gentle, contains moisturizers, and doesn't clog pores.) followed by toner, moisturizer, and Acnevir.

Once a week, I use Noxema's Deep Cleansing Cream Plus Moisturizers in order to deep clean my pores. I also do a Baking Soda mask in order to deep clean my pores and prevent blackheads. (Baking soda +water; leave on for 20 minutes, wash off).

If I pop a pimple and it bleeds, after I put acne cream on it, before I go to bed, I put a dot of honey on it because it has anti-bacterial properties and heals the pimple without leaving a scar.

Make-up wise, I've found that foundation actually clogs your pores and causes acne so I don't wear it anymore. I wear N.Y. Color Concealer in Fair,  Tinted Moisturizer (I use Covergirl Smoothers BB Cream in Light/Medium) and Pressed Powder (Almay Smart Shade Pressed Powder in Light/Medium). Pressed powder helps to rid your skin of excess oil and tinted moisturizer contains sunscreen and benefits skin unlike heavy foundation. I also wear Nivea A Kiss of Smoothness chapstick and it keeps my lips smooth and healthy, never chapped.

Sorry for name dropping all these brands but you should know what really has worked for me and what doesn't. 

I hope this blog benefits you in some way and gets you on the path to a healthier, happier life.

If this blog is helpful at all, please leave me a comment and let me know.

Until next time, remember: Doubt is a pain too lonely to know that faith is his twin brother.-Kahlil Gibran 

Love Times Infinity,

Chelsea

xoxo

God Bless!

~Just Keep Swimming~

Something on my mind lately that needs to be addressed

Happiness is a form of courage...
In case you aren't aware, I have another bill for Saint Leo. This probably is not surprising news to you since probably to my readers and most people that know me know that losing my Bright Futures Scholarship my freshman year really made me have to work harder during the years that followed. When I say work harder, I really mean I've struggled financially in order to put myself through school. Yes, you read that right. Other than the 40,000 plus I now have accrued in student loans and the small scholarships for being a Florida resident, I've had to come up with $3500 on my own. Personally, I've never seen $3500 in the flesh (if you have want to be my friend lol). I was raised in a humble home. I was raised by working for your keep. My parents have never given me anything beside the basics freely. Some people may think that was harsh but I'm here to tell you and give a shoutout to my parents (mostly because my mom is reading this. Hey Mom and Dad, love you♥) that they really raised me right. I have a select group of friends that all were given cars at sixteen and had everything paid for. This is not what irks me. These same sixteen year old's did not have to have jobs and really have been handed the world on a silver platter. In my opinion, this is bad parenting. Granted, I didn't have a job at sixteen other than being a published author because that was all I had time for because I was enrolled in the IB program (I never got to be a teenager in the normal sense of the word. In other words, I've been in college since the age of 14.) but still, I wasn't given allowance unless I did my chores. There was no advance. You earned your week's pay by showing some form of responsibility.

Character is formed through difficulty. Some suffering is ok. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. I am living proof that this saying is true. I'm glad I've had to work to put myself through school and constantly lean on God for provision because it's really taught me that a salary is not the source. The Source of all provision is God and I'm glad I got to learn this at a young age because the lessons I've learned in my financial struggle will be ones I will carry with me the rest of my life.

Aside from this rather verbose reason of no surprise that I have a bill, let me just say that this time I am surprised. Mostly because for once I thought I was going to be all caught up with my balance and I would be issued a refund with the rest. Yet, instead, I have a bill for being a part-time student for half the semester (8 weeks) and it totals 3788.59.
I've made a GoFundMe page to help me pay some of it off. It has to be down to $500 by July 1st otherwise I can't register for Fall 2014 during which I have a total of 9 credits left. I was hoping to do my internship during the summer and only have my two remaining classes to do in the fall but that plan is shot to hell as of right now.

With this GoFundMe page, I've started doing some direct marketing with the link and asking people to retweet it (you know me, just doing my marketing thang). Some of the well-known people that follow me, some of my friends, and some Christian people I connect with on Twitter. What surprised me is that the worst offenders of my direct marketing ventures have been the Christians. I always assume that worldly people are selfish so when they ignore me, I don't let it get me down. Yet, I felt completely slapped in the face with a wet rag when I realized that there are too many lip service Christians out there. They tweet all the right things but when I ask them to tweet a simple link to help me finish school, you would think I asked them for the answer to world hunger. (The answer here is Jesus and may I also suggest a Zac Efron kissing booth).

If you are one of those people who has ignored me with a request to share my link and you are reading this right now, please understand that I have judged you as one of my fellow brother(s) or sister(s) in Christ. If you are to be like Jesus, you are to rush to be loving and helpful toward the poor and needy. I will never call myself poor because I currently still have a house and a bed to sleep on, food to eat inside that house, and money left over to be generous with, yet, I am in need currently. I pride myself on being someone who goes out of her way to help a stranger. I'm also someone who has gone above and beyond to help her friends achieve their dreams in what little way I can. I'm not saying this in order for you to think a certain way about me (good or bad) yet I'm saying that it is a crying shame that Christians let theology get in the way of simply doing what Jesus called the only true commandments: Love God with all your heart, mind, body, and soul. Then, Love your neighbor as yourself. (Maybe these people don't actually love themselves and felt threatened to cast the spotlight on to someone else who loves Jesus and is asking for financial support. There's a theory that really would take another whole blog to discuss.)


Mostly, this blog isn't to point fingers or to say how mad I am with this person or that person but it is to bring attention that if you call yourself a Christian, you need to act more like Christ. Don't think just because you post Christian messages on Twitter that you yourself are holier than thou. For instance, I myself post Christian tweets and I myself can admit that I don't always act like Christ. I'm not expecting perfection here. I'm only asking that if you want to represent Jesus, then your actions need to match your words at least 90% of the time.

Please if you are reading this blog right now, I ask that you share this link Make My Dreams Come True.

It takes two seconds of your time to post the link to your social media accounts. That's all I'm asking for.

Yes, I would love it even more if at least 5 out of every 10 people that share the link donate ten or twenty dollars but I'm not going to ask that of you. Giving needs to be from the heart and if your heart is not affected by my near graduation and my future career then that's fine, I understand. I'm not the only person in the world with financial problems. Yet, on that note, remember the widow in the book of Mark 12:41-44 who gave all she had and what Jesus said after watching her give her tithe:  Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” When you give no matter how much you have, it shows you trust God to give you back what you gave plus more. It shows genuine faith. That's why I find people who say, "Sorry I have bills to pay, I can't help you" as an excuse. You are supposed to give the first 10% of your income to God (ie through a church, a missions group, a ministry, etc). Malachi 3:10. After that, your money is yours to do  with as you wish. 

I just want people to be aware of my page because the more people that see it, the more chance I have of raising the money I need in order to finish my degree. Plus, beside the GoFundMe page, I am working on another appeal for additional financial aid. I feel like the last bill taught me so much of where to go and who to talk to. Some may call it street smarts; I call it God's favor.

Because of this bill, I have stopped going to class ( I missed 3 consecutive classes) and it has really caused me to fall into a bit of self-pity. Yet, I know just like last time that "I will believe God and see His glory."
I've decided, from this day forward, that I'm wasting time (and money) by being depressed regarding this. I have 31 days left on this campus (32 if you count the day I move out) and I've really got to make them count. So this is what I plan to do. I'm going to be like the Apostle Paul says in Philippians 4:11, I can be content in whatever state I am. (For those of you who aren't studying the Apostle Paul like I am or are unfamiliar with his life and writings, just know he wrote that statement and the subsequent letter from a jail cell.) He was knee deep in sewage and he declared that statement so I think I can equally (if not a little more so) be content despite this raging storm of financial difficulty. 

If anyone (family, friends, or acquaintance) catches me being sad these last 31 or 32 days, please remind me of the Apostle Paul's statement and also tell me to listen to Lead Me To the Cross by Francesca Batistelli. I will think of Jesus and again be reacquainted with the Prince of Peace.  

Before I leave you with a final thought, please let me apologize for this blog turning out looking like a religion paper ( I've been writing so many lately that it's just become habit to back everything I say with a suitable source.) Literally in the middle of this blog, I had to stop and re-read what I had written because I was going off on a whole other tangent regarding theology. The thought of me as a religious theologian just makes me want to barf. The word religion literally makes my pulse quicken that's how sick it makes me. I consider myself a deeply spiritual and faithful Christian. I am not religious.

Until next time remember, These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold...- 1 Peter 1:7, NLT♥

Love Times Infinity,

Chelsea

xoxo

God Bless!

~Just Keep Swimming~

P.S. If my mom is the only one that reads this at least I got this off my chest and Mom, you are so awesome! :)

Thank you to the select few that have shared the link. Feel free to share the link as much as you want but aim for at least once a week. My goal is that if you are annoying as possible about something, people suddenly just want to get rid of you so someone will just donate say, $500. Hey, God only knows. Here's to hoping. Again, thank you so so much.♥

My promotion on Twitter currently looks like this: 

Why Mandy Hale is Officially One of my Heroes and You Should Buy Her New Book♥

Happiness is a form of courage...As most of you know, I am a huge fan of Mandy Hale aka The Single Woman because of her message that it's ok to be single, and loving it. Recently, I was picked out of multiple applicants to be part of her Single Woman Crew and be a part of her Never Been To Vegas book launch. This blog is basically the culmination of three weeks of socializing with women of all different ages from all different walks of life that all share one thing in common with me: We are single woman who are inspired by Mandy Hale.

       When I started reading Never Been To Vegas, I was so excited to get to read the book before it hit store shelves but I didn't know what to expect. Mandy's first book, Life, Love, and a Dash of Sass, really keeps me going. I read it most nights right before going to sleep in order to meditate on a new perspective from Mandy. Mandy to me isn't some 34 year old blogger who now writes book on the single life, but because I've followed her journey since 2012, I've come to think of her as a long lost older sister who's lessons I can learn from, and to me that's exciting because it takes a little pressure off me being the oldest and the role model for my two younger sisters and focuses the attention on what I can do to better myself for no one else but me and God.

     Yet, I started reading it while watching The Bachelor which wasn't the smartest idea because well, I wasn't immediately hooked. (I mean, have you seen Juan Pablo?). Yet, once I finished watching The Bachelor, and stopped daydreaming about Juan Pablo, I gave the first chapter a second read and finally realized that it was a genius way to start the book because it pretty thoroughly summed up the book's overall theme: It's not about the destination; it's about the journey. Appreciate your journey for what it is, the good, the bad, the ugly, the awkward, the really awkward, the passion, the fire, the rain, the mud, and even take a few minutes to sit and soak up a little sun.

    Mandy starts the book by talking about why she's never been to Vegas but her luggage has, and what a funny story that is. It actually sounded a lot like something that would have happened to me so immediately Mandy and I started her journey on common ground. As a writer myself, I find that it's important to start a book in a way that both hooks your reader and leaves them relating to you or in the case of fiction, the main character.

    Moving on to Chapter 2, I found it quite funny that Mandy and I had another similarity. We both had our first love at the age of 18. In Mandy's case, she dated hers and what a sweet couple her and Matt were. My favorite quote from this chapter came from the beginning where she talks about high school: " I can remember feeling like I never quite fit in with anyone. Now I can look back on it and see that I never quite fit in because I was never meant to. I never knew how to be a follower, and I never succumbed to the temptations of cigarettes or alcohol or drugs in high school like so many teenagers do. I was far from perfect, but I think I felt God tugging on my heart, even then, to live my life by a different standard than most. Hindsight is twenty-twenty, and I can look back at those days now and see that I was being prepared for a different sort of journey than the majority of my counterparts. At the time, more often than not, it just felt lonely."

     The first chapter that really knocked my socks off and I really related to was Chapter 4 because it talked about the beginning of Mandy's walk with God, and how she learned to lean on God instead of focusing on her relationship status. Plus, Pastor Dan's prophecy gave me goosebumps. "Mandy, there is something about you that is very precious to the Lord. I feel like He is saying, "Even in your mother's womb, I knew you." There have been seasons that you drifted away from God, but He always pulls you back. He's never been very far from you. I see you one day speaking into the lives of many young women. I see you on airplanes. I see you going...the sky is the limit!" When he said the part about speaking into the lives of young women, every hair on my arms and legs stood up. Crazy. I'm now one of those young women and it's amazing how God thought of me even while he was giving Mandy hope for her future. What a loving God we serve.

   Chapter five was very amusing because it talked about Mandy's journey after college. How she basically did a lot of "character work" before she went on to work for CMT. God even restored her hope by allowing her the chance to be an extra on Dawson's Creek. So, so cool!

    Chapter six and seven really spoke to me. Chapter seven made me a little bug eyed when I found out that Mandy's academic advisor was also a Dr. B. Her's was Dr. Berg; Mine is Dr. Baglione. Sorry, if I sound a little bit like a fan girl right there. Please allow me to continue.

     Chapter seven talked about Mandy's battle with depression upon losing her job at CMT. As someone who has suffered much of her life from depression and recently have overcome my battle with it, I can emulate with Mandy in understanding how much it's not easy living with it. Everyone you know doesn't understand why you stop talking to them and shut the world out but it's only because you don't know how to communicate how low you feel into words. 

    Mandy's story really gets interesting after this because she overcomes her depression and anxiety issues by taking dance classes. Then, Mr. E gets introduced to us, and Mandy. Soon after, Mandy gets a job in PR for a technology company, and ends up in a relationship where she completely gets battered, bruised, and broken, but due to God's grace, not damaged. She finds the strength to walk away and Mr. E and her reunite, only for him to disappear again.

   Chapter 17 had a quote that really spoke to me because of something that happened to me this week. This week, I faced my fears and basicallyasked the guy I've liked for five months within another question if he saw things between us going anywhere and he gave me a straight very nose-dive worthy no. Well, that night, he seemed that way. I started crying because well, sometimes it really hurts to see yourself one way and have someone reject you (or think they reject you) only to watch them go for a girl who is completely everything you aren't (and yes, I mean that in the immoral way). I talked to my fellow women in the Single Women Crew and a lot of them were shocked that I've never had a boyfriend, and just by telling me that, my hope was restored. I realized that there are people in this world who will see my worth and wonder why I'm still single. And eventually, there will be a guy who comes along and wants to change that but not because he wants to complete me but because he knows we can equally benefit on this journey of life together. Plus, I had a moment of bittersweet tears because I realized that all these women in the crew all around the world are so beautiful and have so much greatness inside them and they face the same dilemma I do: they too have never had a boyfriend. The next day and the sequential days thereafter, I seen this guy and it's obvious that something good is happening here. Maybe a crush but ultimately I can tell that God's ultimate plan at this time  was to get me to see how far I've come. A year ago, I was in a broken, battered, bruised place just like Mandy had been, and I thought I would never feel genuine feelings for another boy as long as I lived but thanks be to my Heavenly Father, I found the strength and allowed his grace to envelop me and I am here, a year later with genuine feelings for another member of the male species all the while, I've been attending all my classes and doing really well this semester. I've even started overcoming my fear of talking in front of people. (Yes, you read that right.) I guess the other night, I just did what I always do. I tried to rush God's perfect plan but with God's grace, I am able to realize that maybe something will come of these mutual feelings eventually but right now, because we are both graduating and relocating to different areas, it is not the proper time for us. If something is meant to happen, it will eventually, in God's perfect, beautiful timing. Plus, right now, I'm grateful that I can be friends with this boy and be myself around him. That for me is enough right now.

  Also, I've recently said goodbye or stopped talking to a few people I deemed close friends because I found that they no longer benefited my life and my ultimate destiny. I am so very grateful for the part they played in my story but they are only a small piece of the bigger picture. I've started doing this because it's all a part of growing up.  You start realizing who truly values YOU, and who only values you for WHAT YOU CAN DO so you walk away. Then, this quote from Chapter 17 spoke to me regarding all that I've been dealing with lately regarding relationships and love: "Maybe at the end of the day, all we can do is cling to what completes us (like our best friends) and release what depletes us ( like a guy who can't see the crown jewel standing right in front of him)." There is also more to this quote but that part I'm going to use in my upcoming novel One Last Breath.

   By the time, I finished Never Been To Vegas, I was so into Mandy's story that I was legit invested. So much so that the ending she wrote basically made me cry. Why? Well, they may have been Mandy's words but I heard them in Jesus's voice: "You lose the job because it wasn't your destination, but merely a step along the way. God knows that you were never meant for a cubicle even though you don't yet realize it. You lose the love because to cling to it would hold you back from everything else you're meant to experience. Your arms are now free to grab on to life. You get sidetracked because God knows the only way to get you off the stubborn path you're on is to allow you to run smack dab into a detour. You get discouraged because you're human, and fallible. and sometimes you need those down moments to rest, regroup, and prepare for the up moments. You get blindsided by bad news and beat up by life because this is life and bad things happen, but the beautiful flip side of your present struggle is that it prepares you for your future success. You lose everything you think is so vital to your very existence because God longs for you not just to see but to truly grasp that all you really need in this life is Him. You wander the planet alone for a longer time than you would have liked because you have a destiny that's so special, and so important, and so far beyond anything you could have ever imagined for yourself, a relationship before it's time would only distract you from fulfilling it." I'm sure you're wondering why I gave you the most beautifully written ending to any book ever when I'm trying to convince you to buy it. Well, if that quote doesn't make you want to buy and prove why Mandy Hale is officially one of my heroes, I don't know what will. 

   If you've been moved by this synopsis review of Never Been To Vegas and would like to pre-order it, please visit the following link: Buy This Book; you won't regret it. Matter of fact, I'm going to order a copy despite having already read it because a book is more fun to have and read, once it's bound and you can literally turn the pages correctly. 

For a book trailer that may also persuade you that you need to order this book, please click becoming your own happily ever after.

Thank you Mandy, The Single Women Crew, and everyone at Thomas Nelson, who allowed me this opportunity to help Mandy's message reach more people. I've enjoyed every minute of it.

Until next time, remember, 

Love Times Infinity,

Chelsea

xoxo

God Bless!

~Just Keep Swimming~

You've Got to Be In It to Win It♥

Happiness is a form of courage...Hey there. I know it's been a while but I have quite the story for you so let me get started by having you watch a video:
This VLOG depicts what I'll be talking about in this blog :)

Ok, now that you've watched that...let's begin.

As you all know, I'm back at Leo. I was not happy to have to go back and was a little ungrateful. So ungrateful in fact, that I spent the second week of school literally doing the same thing I did last Spring: skipping class. Going to work but skipping class. Why would I do that? Don't worry, I'll get to that.

Finally, after a week of self-pity and spending a week focused on my strengths, my talents, and my insecurities with myself, I said ENOUGH! I focused on Jesus and trusted him and he told me to step out in faith.

On February 1st, I wrote out goals for this month that I vowed I would stick with and they are:

1. Workout 3 times a week 
2. Don't miss any class except on Feb. 21 (thyroid check-up)
3. Write Ch.10-12 of One Last Breath
4. Finish Fifty Shades triology
5. Start preparing research for Sales Presentation (Personal Selling)

I have been reading Demi Lovato's Staying Strong book and that was what it said to do for February 1st. I'm going to do that every month from now on. It really helps you set your most important priorities and the rest becomes white noise.

Anyway, Monday I returned to my classes and I actually enjoyed them. I no longer focused on me going to class, talking in front of the class, doing the assignments, as I was doing all of that alone. Now me and Jesus were together in this. A funny thing happened. I started liking the me that God can see. I've finally begun to love myself.

As some of you may know, I posted a VLOG asking for creative handwritten or hand-drawn Valentines just to use as decoration for my walls. I was trying to inspire creativity. Yet, I didn't expect anything from it. I simply just let God take care of it and guess what? Shocker. He actually did.

In the last blog, you may remember how I said I wanted chocolate for Valentines. I didn't want it for romantic purposes, I just wanted chocolate because I'm a girl. Do I need a real reason for chocolate? :P

On Monday night, the guy I was working with was leaving and I was busy helping a patron find a book they needed for a class assignment. I was so busy with the patron, I didn't even see him walk over to my book and place a Hershey's bar on top. When I was done with the patron, I walked over to go back to my hw and found the gift just sitting there. Since the patron had been a guy and he was still there and talking with the guy I work with, I thought at first that he put it there, or that one of my friends had walked in and placed it on my book and left. So being the bold Leo that I am I spoke up, "Who gave me this?" Sure enough. The guy I worked with slowly raised his hand. It made my day! As you can tell, I was off to a good start for the entire week. Remember how the fortune in my VLOG said: You will soon receive an unexpected gift from an acquaintance. Yes, that happened.

Tuesday was really good because Tuesdays and Thursdays are usually good because I don't have class but I work early in the morning and  then have the rest of the day to just do my hw and laundry and work out.

Wednesday and Thursday were equally good, mostly because I started eliminating people from my life that I feel only weigh me down.

Friday I wasn't really awake when I went to breakfast but as I was leaving the cafe, I followed this girl out of the doorway and something told me to look down. I did and all of a sudden, money was sprawled all along the doorway. I asked the girl if it was her's because I seen that her bookbag was open but she claimed she didn't carry money in her bag. No one else was around except for me. So, I knew then what God did. He rained provision down for me. I picked it up and it turned out it was $28 total. I was a month behind in paying my phone bill money to my mom and this was enough to cover what I owed. Praise God! Remember how the fortune in my VLOG said: new financial resources will soon become available to you. Again, that happened.

Saturday, I went to see Jason Derulo in concert (included in park admission). His show was amazeballs. Below are some pictures: (Provided by my sister's camera phone since I don't have a camera.)

He sang all of my faves of his: It Girl, Talk Dirty, Riding Solo, and the Other Side. His dancers were crazy good. He even let us hear a two day old song he just made in the studio called Wiggle Wiggle. It's going to be a definite hit. You will be turning up to that shit.

As you can see, we (My family and I) were very close to the stage. So close in fact that Sunday, I was surprised when I logged into Facebook and thanks to my sister tagging me, found myself in a picture posted on 933 FLZ's fb page. 

 Yeah, it's only the back of my head but still, the paparazzi caught me. ;-)

Then this week started out good but of course you can't have a trial free life. This week my trial came in the form of an assignment for my marketing class where I was originally assigned to sing and dance in front of the class. The assignment was called Be Creative. I was really stressing it big time. Since I used up all my skips for that class, I knew I had no choice but to face the music (haha no pun intended) and grow a freaking pair. So I prayed that morning and planned on going to class half an hour early to talk to my professor. 

  As I was walking to class, my professor was also walking back from lunch so he met me at the front of the school of business. I met up with him and chatted to him about general things and then told him I was very confused as to the assignment and the girl I was assigned to work with contributed nothing so I honestly told him I had nothing prepared. He goes, "Chelsea, you at least have to give me something." So, I asked if I could write a poem about model airplanes (since that's what we were trying to advertise), and he said sure.

He goes, "You have 20 minutes so go get started." I ran to the library and this was the poem I wrote (which I later shared with the class):

I lost my heart to a model airplane

I watched my heart soar

Like a model airplane

Soaring,

Gliding,

Unexpected crash landing.

If only I wouldn’t have left

My heart’s remote

In the wrong hands.

You shouldn’t either;

Give height to your own dreams

 And watch them take flight

With the purchase of the

Boeing 747.

This poem gave me an idea for a poem that sums up my "love thyself" message pretty nicely. You can view it Model Airplane Heart

    Friday was also Valentine's Day but it turned out I had a very blessed day. I got unexpected Valentine's from two of my friends when I thought I wasn't going to get any this year. You can hear more about my Valentine's day: Happy Valentine's Day 

(And yes, I am aware that I wore the same thing in both of my Valentine's Day videos. I did that purposefully.) 

I've finally started appreciating the love I do have instead of ignoring it for the love I don't have. Being grateful really changes your view on life. For more on being grateful and who was my Valentine this year, read my previous blog A Letter To My Valentine♥

Anyway, today I watched a bunch of Bible teachings and they all talked about not running from the plans of God just because they may make you uncomfortable and I realized I finally overcame my biggest fear: publicly sharing my creativity with the world, face to face. See, I have this great gift of being creative and I write blogs, books, and even poetry but I don't like to read my writing in public for fear of not being accepted for sharing such an intimate part of myself. This is why I hate public speaking so much. It makes me uncomfortable. Yet on Friday, I received the greatest Valentine's day gift of all: I overcame my fear and I've realized that when you stop begging for attention is when you actually get it. 

Mandy Hale explains this better than I do so my final thought will be from her book, Life, Love, and a Dash of Sass. 

Before I get there, let me go ahead and tell you about something sort of poetic the Lord just revealed to me. When I started writing this blog, I was hungry. I mean, famished because I hadn't eaten anything since brunch and I also barely ate anything at brunch. I decided to wait until dinner to eat again so I could really eat my heart out (if you know what I mean). I went and God had prepared a feast for me. There was nachos at the main station, bacon cheeseburgers at the grill, the salad bar was chock full of good toppings, and they even had chocolate pudding out by the yogurt. Usually on the weekends, the cafe disappoints but not today. I was eating alone because I just wanted to get back to blogging and everyone that walked by my table kept looking at me because I had three plates and one bowl in front of me. It looked like I had a four course meal in front of me enough for two people. I left the cafe actually full and satisfied and happy (mostly because of the chocolate pudding). Then God said to me, "This is what I want life to feel like for you every day, Chels. Full and complete, and satisfactory."  Whoa man. 

Conclusively, as long as you focus on what you can't do, you will never do it or you will constantly go around and around struggling with it. As long as you focus on what Jesus can do in you, nothing is impossible. Jesus is the key to life. And not just any life, but a full, complete, and satisfactorily peaceful life. Trust me, I'm living it right now. Not every day is easy because some days you wake up and you still want to sleep. You are sore from that workout you started yesterday or you did an extra set so your muscles ache. You are a little angry at yourself because you gave someone too much credit and yourself not enough. Yet, every morning now, I wake up and expect good things to happen to me. I get up and get ready and run that thought over and over in my head: Something good is going to happen to me today and every day, it does. It's not always big enough for me to share on Facebook but it's big enough that I notice it, and look up and smile at Jesus, and say, "Thanks Handsome." ♥

My next blog will be about what I've been doing in order to maintain a healthier lifestyle and will feature a video of my sister Jamie explaining her weight loss journey. (Jamie if you are reading this, yeah, I forgot to ask you about that. Hope you're ok with it.)

Until next time, remember this: "Here's a little secret that's going to save you a lot of unnecessary grief in life. Are you ready? Your worth is not tied to any person. Life will be a miserable experience if you spend it worrying about others' disapproval rather than letting your light shine without fear. I'm learning that not everyone is meant to understand us, approve of us, or join us on our journeys. Some would slow us. Others would deter us. Some would jump in the car and take off without us! And some are giant roadblocks that would keep us from the destiny that God has for us. So trust that the people who strayed from your path don't belong there anyway. Not everybody can go where you're going. 

An amazing thing happens when you stop seeking approval and validation: you find it. People are naturally drawn like magnets to those who know who they are and cannot be shaken! Looking to someone else for the things you should be giving yourself only serves to water down the person you were born to be. It is vital to be so rooted in who you are that you're not yanked off your feet by someone else's opinion or disapproval. 

The bottom line: the ones who are meant to get you will get you, and the ones who aren't will be mystified by you. And that's okay. It's not your place to try to please everyone or earn everyone's approval. After all, you're not here to fit nicely inside anyone's mold. You're here to break it." -Mandy Hale, exerpt from Life, Love, and a Dash of Sass.

Love Times Infinity,

Chelsea

xoxo

God Bless!

~Just Keep Swimming~

A Letter to my Valentine♥

Happiness is a form of courage...
It appears I always did. Either way, this one is for my Valentine.

 Jesus, thank you for being the only man in this life that has never let me down. I love that you are always there for me even when I don't understand why I'm upset. You are and sometimes you come and don't say a word, and just hold me. It is there that I am home. In your arms, I am home. I love you♥