Dove Chocolate Challenge Day # 125 "Chocolate therapy is oh so good." PROMISES Messages

Mmmm...I agree!!!

Chocolate therapy is most certainly "oh so good!" As well as bath therapy, tea therapy, and sleep therapy. Definitely sleep therapy! Uh huh! I love me some good ol' sleep! :)

I am so stuffed right now, we ended the day with a trip to Denny's with Leah, Stacy, Brian, Alex, Walter, and John. It was fun. John, Walter, and Alex left to go watch a movie so grabbed some to-go plates (although they still ended up eating with us and they left their junk for us! LOL!). And then it was just me, Leah, Stacy, and Brian. We finished off the night and just had a good time.

The day started off early for me cause I went to Door of Hope to learn how to make coffee for work with Nick! He was a pretty good teacher. And I made a mean mocha! It was good! So, I am proud of myself! Whaaa-hooo! I now know how to make good coffee!

The day ended with The Well, music, food, and of course Dennys. And now...I am going to fall over and fall asleep. I am tired.

Well,

Gotsta go!

You know, I didn't do as much relaxing as I would have liked today, but it was a good day anyway!


Too - da - loo!

-Love Your Fellow Chocolatier

P.S., I also went to the UAF library and studied! I had some reading assingments that I had to read. So today was kind of a busy dizzy day. BED!

Dove Chocolate Challenge Day # 124 "Close your eyes and relax." PROMISES Messages

Hey ya'll!

 I'm watching Bible stories with Brian. The t.v. ones. :)

Today has been a pretty good day. Went on a little shopping spree to Old Navy with my cousin, and afterwards she took me out to "AJMI Shushi." And it was gooooood!!! It's a new little only Sushi restauraunt! And it's delicious! I've never been to a strictly shushi joint, so it was fun! I just finished off my left over shushi! Yum! I've learned that I like the plain shushi best, you know, like the California rolls (which are probably my favorite). I ordered some spicy/crunchy sushi rolls, they were good but a bit too spicy. So Nina and I ended up trading dishes. :) Nonetheless, it was all pretty tasty!

After lunch, I picked up Brian and drove him to work, we got into a little tiff, but all is well now. :)

Because I almost overworked my 40 hour work week, I had to take a break, so my friend / co-worker and I drove to Chartreuse and took pictures of my artwork before it was taken down! That was fun! And I bought a pair of $25 dollar earrings there which I have been eye-ballin' since about August! They are beautiful! Very Hawaiian I might add, which is exactly what we need in this cold Alaskan winter! =P

Anyway, we took pics of my artwork and I'll post them up soon as promised! I was kinda bummed that one of my paintings was sold (the hummingbird one), because I didn't get a chance to take a picture of it, but I was happy that it got sold!

Anyway, I took a little break today. We just got a super comfy couch at work in the upstairs office, so after my 40 hours were up, I totally crashed on it, and it was niiiiiiiiiiiiicccce! :) I definitely took advantage of some relax time. :) That's the way to do it! :) You have to take a break once in awhile, I know I've gotta!

And I ended the day by rocking out with John on the stage! We were awesome! It was amazing!

And of course, Brian took me out to Ichiban, our favorite restaurant in town. It  was the perfect way to end the day!

The day went well, except for the tiff we had earlier, but we won't let that put a damper to our spirits!

Well, off to bed, early morning tomorrow (learning to make coffee from Nick). Learning to use the espresso machine for work!

LOVE YA'LL!!!

-Love Your Fellow Chocolatier

Dove Chocolate Challenge Day # 123 "Do not waste a moment. Love Life." Deb / Helena, MT

Hey guy!

 Today was a great night!

The birthday party was so much fun! I had a blast! And my most favorite thing about the night was hearing everybody at there laugh. I had to step out to the ladies room, and on my way back, I heard a bunch of roaring laughter coming out of the main room and I saw a bunch of red faces and a bunch of smiles! That made my day! Knowing that everybody had a good time made me happy! I loved it! Although we didn't have much food (or variety of food, it was a smorgesboard of cakes and chips and salsa), I think that all had fun enjoying each
other's presence and sharing the laughter. Afterall, laughter is good for the heart! :) 

We had a lot of inside jokes come out of tonight, and I was just super happy to see everyone's faces. I felt loved. Knowing that I had so many friends that cared and seeing them there to celebrate my 22nd trip around the earth (my birthday), was just a big huge blessing. I definitely feel loved. I loved being around everyone. :)

Well guys,

I definitely loved life today, and I hope to say this about every single day for the rest of my life, no matter how crappy or how great!

AND I had a bunch of facebook birthday wishes written on my wall and I saved a bunch of fun birthday messages on my phone. I still have some saved from last year on my phone! LOL! They are precious! And they make me smile!

Well ya'll, have a good night!

Blessing to all!

-Love Your Fellow Chocolatier

P.S., for dinner tonight, at work, I made tuna melts and grilled cheese! The kids loved it!

Dove Chocolate Challenge Day # 122 "Chocolate brings good things to life." PROMISES Messages

Hey ya'll!!!

 I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!! GUESS WHAT?!? In half an hour, at the stroke of midnight, I will no longer be 21 years old!!! I'm going to be an old fart! Hah! :) Actually, I'm pretty young, the older I get, the more convinced I am that 30 is actually quite young yet.

And forty isn't all that bad either, neither is 50, I guess I'm one of those, "love every season" type of people. :) I am like that with age, moments, and actual weather seasons.

I think that life is a beautiful thing, so you gotta take a day at a time and a moment at a time.

You know, I've always said that I want to be the type of grandma that can run and play with her kids. I definitely want to keep up a fit regime so that I can be healthy! I want to be an active parent and an active grandma! I don't want to sit on my butt! Although, we'll see where life takes me right? I hope for the best! :)

The ballet class that I'm taking is quite amazing by the way! I'm lovin' it! :)

Well guys...today has been a pretty good day but the night was kinda rocky. I work from 2-9pm, and I am the cafe manager, so we had a bunch of oranges and lemons that we picked up from the food bank last week, and they were starting to go bad, so today we made real lemonade (yum!), and we made orange juice...except...we did that all by hand, the lemons were easier cause we only had to cutt them once, but the oranges took about an hour and a half to squeeze the juice out of. They were a bit tricky because we had to cutt them a few times and pitt them. So two kids decided to volunteer their time to help me. They volunteered an entire hour to juicing the oranges...and when we were about 3 cups of juice away from done...one of the kids named Lee decided to be a bit obnoxious by purposefully pouring his cup of water that he was drinking into our almost finished oragne juice....and so...we had to throw the orange juice down the drange...and you pretty much can guess how the rest of the night went down. All the kids that were around including those that were jucicing were mad a Lee, and Lee got kicked out for tonight and all day tomorrow. It was quite the stupid thing...but that's what happened.

I wasn't so much upset with the fact that he poured his water/spit/backwash into our orange juice as I was upset about how much work was put into juicing the oranges by the kids. That's what upset me, the disrespect.

Well...guys...I am going to bed!!! Well...maybe I'll drink some tea first! :)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!! (I'm counting down for the next 8 minutes!!!) Crazy!!!! I will be double trouble now! Twenty-two! Craziness!

***Thank you God for letting me live!!!

Goodnight ya'll!!!

-Love Your Fellow Chocolatier

P.S., Today, I indulged in a bit of chocolate for breakfast lol! Chocolate does bring good things to life!

Dove Chocolate Challenge Day # 121 "Celebrate what you want to see more of." PROMISES Messages

Hey!

Awww man, my eyes hurt so bad! My computer screen doesn't light up very well, so I have to squint my eyes to type pretty much everyday. I feel like I'm ruininng my eyes by constantly straining them, you know what I mean?

Well anyhow, today has been a pretty normal day I suppose. Very chill.

Ah! But wait! The exciting part of my day was that I had my very first Beginners Ballet class today! And it was a BLAST! I had so much fun! I felt very at peace, and strong! You know, although ballet doesn't require sweating moves such as Insanity or P90X or Karate, it is a slow stretching, muscle building, strength building type of sport. I mean, wow! I did have a lot of fun today, and I love all of the crazy fun classical music we listen to while we do ballet! I felt like I was in France today because of it! Haha!

Well, and of course, another interesting part of my day was that I made sloppy joes for the very first time and they were delish! Yay me! I was super happy! A couple of kids came back for 2nds, and one kid came back for thirds! It was funny! You know, I've come to the conclusion that kids like messy foods, simple foods, and pasta-rich foods. They also love tomato rich foods! A good example of all of that is "spahgetti," which I am making tomorrow! One kid even mentioned it after I thought of it! He's allergic to wheat, so he saw some rice noodles in the cabinet, and his eyes got all big and wide-eyed, and he said to me, "you know, you can use those noodles for spaghetti for me next time you make spaghetti for everybody. I like rice noodles." And he was super happy when he told me that too! It was sweet! And so then I looked at him and smiled and said, "well guess what, I'm making spaghetti tomorrow!" And he told me that he would try to be there! LOL! It was a fun moment. :)

Well...lately I've been a little more patient, and I also have been able to somehow miraculosly laugh at life's imperfections, usually I get upset and shut down for a bit, but lately, I've just been laughing everything off. And not just like a little laugh, but a full blown, that's hilarious type of laughter! And it's been great! I've gone from one extreme to the other. Not sure if that's good or not, but is feels good. It feels good to laugh rather than shlump! :) I feel so much more light-hearted and playful nowawdays! I don't know, but lately, in these past couple of days, especially yesterday (although I had a pretty crappy night yesterday), I have seen a positive change in myself. It's been kind of a liberating, freeing, a good kind of careless type of change. Like a no-fear of man type of change. You get what I mean? I feel more confident in just being myself! And that is something I would like to see myself doing more often. I am celebrating myself, the process of accepting myself, and liking myself. I thought I liked myself, but now I realize that I was kind of in the side lines, I wasn't really all that kind to the person of who I am, at least, not really. I've just been finding out more about myself lately, and I have been accepting of myself more than I have ever before, and it feels great. I'm learning things about myself, what I like, what I don't, who I am, what I stand for, what matters, what doesn't, what things I need to shrug my shoulders to and let go of, what and who I need to forgive, including myself. I am not perfect, but I am perfectly me, and this year, I hope to celebrate that even more, and I hope to celebrate that by lots of laughter! I love laughter! So I hope I experience it much more often!

I am excited! ARe you? :)

Well, night night guys!

Sweet dreams! Too-da-loo! :)

-Love Your newly acquainted with oneself Fellow Chocolatier

P.S., I challenge you to stand up in front of the mirror sometime very soon and say Hi to yourself, and notice yourself outside yourself! Notice you from an outsider's point of view, as a person. :) Be kind. :) In fact, I dare you to that right now! Turn your computer off, and go find a mirror and wave hi to yourself! (You might want to do this in the bathroom, by yourself, so it won't appear as though you have an imaginary friend, lol, or you can, whatever...sometimes, imaginary friends are cool too! lol)

Well guys!

Have at it! ***NOtice yourself from another's eyes***, some say, *Look at yourself through God's eyes."

So, take a look! And tell me, what do you see?



I was looking for eye pictures and I found this on somebody's page; "God wants you to know… that when you feel down, look at yourself through God’s eyes. There are times when no matter how hard you try, you just cannot accept yourself as you are. During such times, think of how you look to God’s eyes. In God’s eyes, there is no judgment, there is only acceptance. God sees your light when all that you can see are your shadows. God loves you more than anyone could ever love you as you really are."

Dove Chocolate Challenge Day # 120 "All the world's a stage, be a star!" PROMISES Messages

Tell you what!

I definitely don't feel like a star right now! I'm having a pretty crappy night!

GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so freakin' frustrated right now!!!! BAHHHH!!!!

Well...I guess this writing is semi-theraputic. I think sleep will be even more theraputic. Everybody has pretty crappy days and nights though right? I know that I am. And you know what the funny thing is? Is that I am the culprit of my own problems. I see myself creating a super storm of problems and my attitude runs to home base with them. If only I could control my thoughts and actions. I used to be able to easily, but somehow...over the course of the last couple of months, my nerves and patience has run short. Its sucks. Gahhhhh!!!!


WEll...I guess I am a work in progress, and I am working on getting back to the healthier, more balanced, patience part of me. Lord knows I am definitely a work in progress. LOL! Ay-ya-yai!

Well...Today was day numero uno of my acting class. It went pretty well. We went over the class syllabus, learned each others' names through silly ice breaker games, and got out early. Which reminds me since I'm typing about my class that I need to go buy my acting books. Yes. We have assigned reading, and quite a bit actually, but I don't mind much at all because it's all about acting, and lately I've been trying to get my hands on any acting material that I could possibly find.

Well guys,

I better get to bed. I am plain cranky. Just ask my husband. You know...it's a wonder of families and spouses stay together when they get to see the best AND the worst sides of a person. It's really quite a miracle I should say.

Anyway...I should probably go ask for forgiveness and probably forgive myself and go to bed with a peaceful conscience and mind, and heart including.

Well peeps,

I am off to bed.

-Love Your Fellow Chocolatier

P.S., never take vengeance into your own hands, it belongs to God and God alone.

Dove Chocolate Challenge Day # 119 "A chain is only as strong as it's weakest link." PROMISES Messages

Huh!

I did not get today's quote! My husband man had to explain it to me! Don't make fun of me! =D

It took me a little while to get it too. Haha.

Hmm...this makes me think of community. The chain concept reminds me of the word community which is among some of my most favorite words. Community is a beautiful thing / idea. When people come together for a common purpose, it creates a co-unity, which is community! And it's amazing when everybody works together to create a safe, strong, and healthy community! I love it! I love that the entire world centers around some sort of community! One or another, a community is a part of our daily lives, in fact, that's what makes up our lives, is the relationships that we are in. We live for each other, we serve each other, we celebrate our birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, and we comfort each other at funerals and tragic events. We co-habitate. We live in a community. The entire world is made up of communities. It's just SO BEAUTIFUL! I'd have to call it "All the peoples of the World." Infact, I think I might just plaint a painting called exactly that! "Light bulb!" :)

Well, I believe in empowerment, encouragement, enablement, and healing, and I favor love. :) I enjoy human relationships and think that they are among the most beautiful things that exist on this planet. Sometimes, we become weak, and when we're weak, we break, just like the link on the chain. And when the link breaks, that link affects the entire chain. And so it is in our lives. Each life is like an individual link connected in a big chain, and when a link breaks or is weakened, the entire chain (community) weakens. When we lose a loved one, our chain is broken, and all of the other individual links are affected and are not as strong as they used to be, they no longer make up the same chain. And so we are. Each of us has a beautiful mission in life. YOU ARE BORN WITH REASON AND PURPOSE. AND YOUR LIFE IS IMPORTANT. YOUR ARE NOT A PROBLEM, YOU ARE A SOLUTION TO THIS WORLD, OUR WORLD. AND WE NEED YOU. YOU ARE A LINK, AND WITHOUT YOU, THE CHAIN IS WEAKEND.

So don't give up. Whatever you are going through, know that you are loved, and you live in a community of people, a chain. And you were born into a chain called family. And you add more links as you go along, called friends. So when you break or weaken, the rest of us are affected and we are no longer as strong as we used to be. You are needed and wanted, because without you, the entire chain is affected like a ripple effect. You are an important link. You bring a uniqueness and strength to the chain, so if you need any help, let someone in your family or let one of your friends know what is going on. Let us help you. Let us love you. And let us ask you for forgiveness if we need to. But don't give up, because you are needed and loved. YOU, my dear friend, are a link, and together, we make a strong and beautiful chain. Don't give up friend, keep pressing on.

Well, that's all I have to say.

-Love Your Fellow Chocolatier

Dove Chocolate Challenge Day # 118 "Carve out a little moment for yourself." PROMISES Messages

Hey guys!

 Boy am I fighting sleepiness right now to blog! It was EXTREMELY tempting not to blog again tonight. But I really dislike procrastinating, so despite my sleepiness, I think that this is good. It's one day that I'm less behind.

Well anyway, since I started the Cafe Manager position, I've been extremely tired because unlike my other front desk job which was mentally challenging, this cafe job is more physically challenging. The first day I didn't take a break at all, my feet are so swollen and my neck and back hurt. Ouch. That's definitely a negative for this job. I need to invest in a great pair of shoes. And my hands are super dry from over-washing, since I work in a kitchen all day. But other then all of that, I like the job because I love cooking and I love getting the kids involved in the cooking process. So far we've baked some goodies every night after dinner. And I've had lots of kids volunteer to help cook and even clean! Yeah! How cool is that? LOL! It's awesome!

Well guys, I'm going to bed. And today I made sure I had at least a half an hour sitting break, that's something that I carved a little moment out for myself. While the community service chick was washing the floor and the other community service kid was doing the dishes and singing outloud in the most gorgeous voice ever (I told him he should try out for American Idol, gotta represent!! We need an Alaskan out there!), I took a nice little seat and just took the time to R E L A X...and guess what? It was exactly what I needed because then I was able to take on the rest of the day! PERFECT!

All in all, it was a pretty gosh darn good day!


We made Mini - Philly Cheese Stakes on toasted kaiser rolls, french fries, mozzarella sticks, salad, coconut cake, and peanut butter chocolate bars & vanilla pudding left overs from yesterday! It was yummy! And we also made lemonade! A couple of girls helped me out. We were rockin' it!!! :) We had a handful of kids come back for seconds. One kid said, "Can I have more? That was bomb!" LOL!!! :)

Well, I am going to bed!

-Love Your Fellow Chocolatier

P.S., Today I kicked a kid out because he was saying inappropriate things and I caught him! And I mean, it was an inappropriate joke, but a life - threatening one! He kept repeating it to one of the girls, I tracked him down, told him to call his parents, told the front desk to keep any eye on him and for him not to slip out until his parents got there so I could talk with them, and then I talked with him heart to heart. He's mostly a good kid, and I let him know that he is, but I also let him know that what he did was intolerable and if it was any other kid, I would have done the same exact thing to that kid too. He understood, he apologized, and he even apologized to the girl that he was threatening!

Well...after three years of working at Joel's Place...that was definitely a first for me! Kicking a kid out! Hopefully it won't happen too often! I love all of them, and I hope they know that!

Dove Chocolate Challenge Day # 117 "Liberate yourself from your secrets." Patricia / Southaven, MS

Today was day number one of my new job, and I had a pretty good time, except that I was standing on my feet the entire time. I didn't really like that. But it'll have to do for now. I cooked a lot!

Well anyway...lately, I've been re-visiting the past...which I probably shouldn't do, but it's actually been a healing process because if I talk about my past, then I am able to get healed. So, I've been talkin'.

Short blog. Tired.

Love ya'll

Goodnight

-Love Your Fellow Chocolatier

P.S., I just took a green tea bath..so relaxing. Just what I needed.

Dove Chocolate Challenge Day # 116 "Be playful with your love." PROMISES Messages

Hey guys...

 Today has been one heck of a day. One heck of a depressing day. I was super down today, right now my eyes are all swollen from crying and I have an ear splitting headache. I haven't been this depressed in almost 5 years. It brought back a lot of memories and feelings going through that today...

I feel lots better right now, all thanks to my encouraging husband.

So, things are looking better now. I hate the feeling of hopelessness. I am not a fan.

Well guys,

I think I'm going to bed soon, classes start tomorrow.

So, I think I'm going to mess with my husband, you know, pull a few pranks here and there, we have a very playful relationship that way, when we prank each other. :) He calls me turkey butt and I call him boogie. I know, quite endearing terms aren't they? Haha.

On the other hand...I might just go straight to bed, that's super tempting. But I think I need a good laugh. He hates it when I pinch him. So I might have to start a war...  :)

Goodnight guys!

-Love Your Fellow Chocolatier

P.S., I hope you've had or are having a much better day than I had!

Dove Chocolate Challenge Day # 115 "Believe the best in others." PROMISES Messages

Hah!

 That's amazing! I was just thinking exactly about this quote before I opened it! (I was pondering over the concept). Lately I have been opening my Dove Chocolates right before I blog, I really should start opening them up in the beginning of the day like I used to, that way I can reflect on the quote throughout the day.

But so far, this is how it's been working out, late night.

Anyway, last night I didn't blog because I spent the night at my grandma's house in Delta! I found out that my cousin hooked up the internet over there late last night, but I was already too tired. But that's good to know! No more "no blogging" excuses right? Right! :)

So, I'm switching jobs, still working at the same place, but now I am going to be the Cafe Manager and I'm going to be cookin' dinner everyday! Cool huh? :) I'm pretty excited! Tomorrow is my last normal day for my front desk job, and then off to cookin' I go!!! Yeah! I'm pretty excited about messing with food! I find it quite fun. :)

Well anyway, Monday and Tuesday (today), was pretty much my last days off for awhile because I have to train others to take over the front desk and I'll be busy getting into the swing of things with this new job, and on top of that, school starts this Thursday! Crazy, huh? :) I'm pretty excited, I'm taking beginners ballet and acting 101!!! And I might throw in an art class...we shall see. Hummm... :)

Well, the reason I drove down to Delta is to get a free haircut! My auntie owns a hair salon in Delta and she is A M A Z I N G!!! She is such a great hair stylist! I got a haircut and extensions, I didn't get my hair dyed like I planned (cause I dropped by last minute and we kept missing each other's phone calls), but my hair look great anyway! At first I wasn't quite so sure about my hair, cause usually she cuts it dry, but this time around she cutt it wet, so I think she may have cutt more than expected. So basically, I got what you would call a "modern mullet." At first, I was kind of not sure about it. But that's how it always is with me, anything new takes me awhile to get used to and then I end up loving the change a hole lot. :) I actually love my modern mullet, it has such great punk rock personality and it's very versatile. It wasn't what I was expecting to get, but now I have it. It looks kinda Anyway, I'll try to post a pic of my new hair on here so you can be the judge for yourself! How about that? :) Which reminds me, I need to go to the Chartreuse tomorrow to take pictures of my painting before they get taken down! They've almost been hanging up there for an entire month! Cool! :) A couple of people have come up to me and they have encouraged me to keep pursuing art because they say I have a talent. That was definitely very encouraging! :) Now I just gotta figure out how to get painting canvases for cheap!

Speaking of cheap...we hung out (Brian & I) with our friends Stacy & Tyler tonight and we had a blast! (Besides Brian choking on his rock star which was super scary by the way), we deifnitely had a great time playing Phase 10 (which took FOREVER), we ended up quiting early and then started a movie and ate some Moose Tracks ice cream! Speaking of Moose, on the way to get my hair cut this morning I saw 24 Moose hanging out in a field! At first I thought they were horses or bulls, and then I realized it was an open field and when I looked closer, it was a bunch of Moose! CRAZY!!! A whole 24 of 'em!!! Wow! You know, I don't think that Moose herd together like that, so it was definitely an interesting sight! Anyway, back to the story...we ate some super yummy white sauce pizza, some fresh cutt veggie salad, and sunchips! We just had a blast tonight! And we finished the night with a movie, we watched "Double Jeapardy!" It was fun! I forgot about a love scene in the movie, so while that was going on the screen, Stacy said "mommy is killing daddy" and when she said that, Brian busted out laughing with his mouth full of the rock start energy drink, which he ended up inhailing in the wrong way...and it was scary, at first we thought he choked lightly and was following with laughter, so we were laughing along with him, and then we soon came to realize that he was actually heaving and choking. He later told me that he was about to tell us to call an ambulance. It was bad, and it freaked the heck out of all of us. But thankfully he recovered and we ended the night in a fun way. :)

So...back to what I started with, tonight Stacy introduced me to this super cool website called, http://www.eyeslipsface.com/ and it's a website for cheap priced, great quality make up!!! It's amazing!!!!! They sell stuff for a dollar on there! I would stronly recommend this site! P.S., they also have a FREE SHIPPING deal going on 'till the 24th of January! Anyway, this site is great! I'm going to start ordering stuff from there! She showed me the make up she bought from there, and it's pretty great stuff! I am most definitely converted! Me, I am a bare minerals type of gal, and a little jar of bare minerals usually costs me $25.00, well, on http://www.eyselipsface.com/ they have mineral make up for $5 dollars a jar! And it's the same stuff and has even been compared to bare minerals! AND, I felt their make up brushes, and they are sooooooo much more softer than the ones bare minerals has! I am definitely converted!!!

Well guys, lately I've been reminding myself of something that my grandpa used to say all the time, he used to say, "look for the good in people, because there's already so much bad in the world, and we had so much bad in us, so whenever your around somebody, always look for the good in them."

And that quote has defintely stuck with me. We really do have enough bad, and you know what? I really don't want to nor do I have the time to focus on the bad stuff in life. So I really do try to look for the bright side. So I will believe you and give you the benefit of the doubt before I doubt you, atleast I try.

So, I was thinking about all of the women in my life, and how strong each and every one of them are, they possess their own unique strengths, and I am just thankful for them, I am thankful for their beautiful lives, and for their specific strengths and abilities, and I can list a bunch of women on here, my friends, my aunts, my cousins, my grandma, my mom, and I can list all of the positive and admirable things about them on here...and there is just SO much!!! :) I am grateful for knowing such women.

Anyway...I believe the best in others, and lately, I've been makinga it a point to do so.

Well guys,

I am going to drink some more tea, maybe snack on a little somethin' somethin' and then head off to bed because guess what?! I have an orthodontist appointment for my braces in the early morn at 9:30 am!!!

I am excited about getting braces! :)

Well guys

Goodnight!

-Love Your Fellow Chocolatier

P.S., When I was coming home from Delta today, I decided to stop mid-way to go to the bathroom because I had to pee really bad so I pulled into the "Salcha Market & Gas Station," and on pulling in, I pulled in slowly too, I don't know what happened but my car ran into the ditch. Now it wasn't a deep ditch, about 4 feet deep, but not like 10 feet or anything, but it was definitely shocking, because it felt like the ditch jumped out of nowhere. I think what happened is that it was getting dark and unusually foggy around that area because it was a bit hard to see so I ended up overestimating how wide the turn was, and I ended up in the ditch. So it took me around 10 minutes to get out, I was reving my car up in front of a trailer that was next to the gas station. Next thing I know a man walks up to me and asks me what happened, turns out it was the owner of the gas station, and I was tearing up his yard, (his trailer), but he was joking about it. So he asked me if I needed help getting the car out of there and if I had four-wheel drive, and so he drove the car out. I told him I was sorry all of that, he said, "oh no problem, it actually happens about once a day." So that made me feel a lot better knowing that!! LOL!!! It's just a steep turn, and if you overestimate it, you'll be in the ditch. It was good to get help! :) And then of course I used their bathroom, thanked them again, and was on my way driving carefully from there on out. :)

Dove Chocolate Challenge Day # 114 "Take care of your wonderful body." Sheila / Winston-Salem, NC

Hey ya'll!!!

 Today has been a gosh darn pretty good day.

I tell ya what though, I am tired, and am about to fall asleep, but I don't want to cause Mark is here and I LOVE hanging out with Mark! :) But that's okay, if I REALLY want to go to bed, I'll just go to bed. Brian and Mark can hang out in the living room. :)
One of the messages that's been hitting me up lately or one that I've been hearing lately is to "take care of my body." And you know, I've been making an effort to do so! It's been fun!

I bought a book called "The World's Best-Kept Beauty Secrets." -What Really Works in Beauty, Diet and Fashion." By Diane Irons. And you know what? This book has some pretty good stuff!

Here's an excerpt from the book; (I've been following this, I do the milk stuff, you'll know what I mean in a minute)

"Cleansing"

"The first rule of beautiful skin is to stop overcleansing it. This is an unneccessary habit, especially true of owmen in this country. Unless you've been up all night digging ditches (you poor dear!), your face is not dirty. Your morning routine should be nothing more than reactivating last night's moisturizer with a splash of warm water or milk. Why milk? Milk is a lactic acid and will allow your face to receive a natural acid treatment.

Please be aware that many of the acids on the market today are synthetic acids that have caused problems with some women. There have been reports of everything from sensitivity rashes to permanent scarring. Be careful of the chemical acids you use, and when you can, substitue nature's acids in your cleansing routine. In addition to milk, consider these natural acids:

1. Pineapple juice
2. Lemon juice
3. Tomatoes
4. Most citrus fruits

So yeah...the whole milk thing is something I've been doing lately (except I'm outta milk right now, ran out yesterday), and it's been working great! My face feels sooo soft and supple afterwards! And it takes about 2 minutes for it to dry, but there is not sticky residue left over afterwards! It works great! I'm lovin' it! :)
Well guys,

I think I headed off to dream land!

G'night!

-Love Your Fellow Chocolatier

P.S., I cleaned the entire living room today! Score! And I spoke at The Well tonight! That was fun! And Mark came over afterwards and hung out with me and Brian! Double score! :) Yah!!!

Goodnight! :)

Dove Chocolate Challenge Day # 113 "Close out the world for just a moment." PROMISES Messages

 Ahhh, BIG sigh of relief.

...This is just the perfect and exact quote that I needed to hear. It's actually kinda of quite wonderful. Today has been somewhat of a stressful day, lots to do, lots of commotion, just a lot of stuff. Work was crazy to  say the least. We probably had over 50 kids today, definitely around 35-40 at one time. And there were only  3 staff people for atleast half the day, and then we got more help gradually as the day went on. But today was definitely crazy. So right now, I just want to close the world and it's expectations out for a moment, take a few deep breaths, and actually R E L A X.

I might just go ahead and drink a cup of dark hot chocolate.

Well guys,

I am getting off this computer. I am going to close the world out for a moment. I think I need it.

Have a restful night full of sweet and wonderful and adventurous dreams!

-Love Your Fellow Chocolatier

P.S., So happy that it's the weekend! :)

Dove Chocolate Challenge Day # 112 "Be good to yourself today." PROMISES Messages

Hi guys,

 I'm going to keep this short. I am super pissed off right now. I've had a somewhat stupid day and to top it all off, my blood is boiling from an argument I had with my husband.

Anyway...I am just extremely frustrated.

And I just want everyone to leave me alone. I need some me time.

So I'm going to get off and go have some me time, I'm not quite sure what I'll do, but I need to relax. I am highly stressed out right now. I think I might go take a warm bath or something, or drink some tea and go to bed.

...Also...yesterday I had some heart problems...I had what felt like a mild heart attack. IT WAS SCARY. I was laying down resting when it happened. It was extremely painful and I have never experienced anything like it before. It wasn't growing pains or anything like that. But it came suddenly, I was completely relaxed and trying to take a nap when it happened. And it was sooo painful.  =(  My chest and should hurt and were full of tension too. I scheduled a clinic appointment, and they said that they weren't sure what it was. And if it happens again..I will have to get an EKG...so me being stressed out right now is not a good idea. It might be acid from gas or food...or it might actually be something a lot more serious. So we will find out.

I am going to go to another room...I am being highly bothered right now.

Goodnight

-Love Your Fellow Chocolatier

Dove Chocolate Challenge Day # 111 "Every moment is part of your precious life - live!" Elizabeth / Raleigh, NC

Hey loves!

 Wow, today's quote just kind of struck me. Every moment is definitely a precious part of your life, my life, so let's live! This quote just kind of sets me back, and by that I mean that it takes me out of the here an now, and makes me realize a bigger a better picture. I mean, each human only has about 80-100 years on their life. We're not here by accident, and we're not here forever...so really, every little moment, every minute, and every second is something that we shouldn't take for granted. These things matter. Life matters. Crap happens, but it's important to remember to live. Because it's your life, and it's you, and time is precious.

...So what are you giving your time to? Because one day it will run out...

Is what your living for worth dying for? What are you spending your time on? Are you getting caught up on stupid stuff, or do you keep the important things in life in focus? I'll let you decide what those are. But I'll give you a hint, they have to do with relationships. ;) Families, husbands, kids...you fill in the blanks. There are a few more then what I listed too.

Well guys,

I love ya'll!!

Sweet dreams!

-Love Your Fellow Chocolatier :)
P.S., I'm bought this book from Barnes today and I just can't put it down!!! It's such a fun read! I'm a sucker for at-home remedies and nutritional facts! Boy oh boy! There are some fun facts in this!

But anyway, this is probably a well-known fact or one that you've probably heard of before, but I love it.
For a natural tooth cleaner use; 3 tablespoons of baking soda and 2 table spoons of sea salt, mix 'em together and you've got yourself some inexpensive natural toothpaste! Cool eh? Just don't swallow it!

I've made myself the mix and am going to test it out for a week. But so far, so good! I tried it tonight and I like it. A bit salty, yes. But cleanses good. I got me some pearly whites! :) Oh, and another good tip is to dip your floss in peroxide and floss your teeth with it. Discoloration begins in the cracks between your teeth first, and doing the whole peroxide things whitens that specific area. Cool, eh? :)

Anyway,

Goodnight!

Dove Chocolate Challenge Day # 110 "Take chancesand risks - they are worth it." Robin / Mount Holly, TX

Hey guys!

Today's quote is my number 1 repeat quote! And I thought that it was very timely. :)

I'm thinking of switching jobs. I mean, I'll still be working at the same place, but instead of being the administrator, I will be the Cafe Manager. And you know what, I'm really considering doing this. I think I will like it. I think it's timely and opportune. So I think I'm going to take the risk! :)

The position pays more and will allow me to get creative with food (which is what I love to do!)

So, I better march right up and take it. At least through the Summer.

But I'm actually pretty excited! I think that this will be great!

Well, say a prayer to me if you think of me. There's lots of decisions that I need to make in the next upcoming week. Lots of change.

Well guys,

Hope you have a restful night

-Love Your Fellow Chocolatier

P.S., What chances and risks have you taken lately? :)

P.P.S., Brian and I are watching "Laugh Your Way To a Better Marriage." IT'S GREAT!!! WE LOVE IT!!!

Dove Chocolate Challenge Day # 109 "Calories only exist if you count them." PROMISES Message

Craziness! Craziness!! CRazineSs!!!

Hi guys!

 Today has been a stay at home kind of day. That's what Brian and I ended up doing. I stayed at home 'cause I'm sick and I don't feel well. He stayed at home because he wanted to hang out with me. I've got myself a pretty nice husband. Most days. ;) Just playin'. He's a good one.

Well..I told myself that I was going to go to sleep more than an hour ago...but now it's 10 minutes away from 5am...and I am tired, but not  quite sleepy yet. Boy..today has been miserable. I've been sneezing right and left and have had snot running down my nose the entire day. I don't even remember much of what I did today, but I do remember drinking a whole lotta tea. I guess my memory doesn't serve me too well while sick.

Brian and I had a little tiff and then worked it out. (I guess that's bound to happen when you're stuck together in a tiny space for around 24/7 hours). But all is good. And we pretty much ended the night with Gin Rummy (not sure if that's spelled correctly or not). Yeah. Brian taught me how to play. I didn't think that I would like it, but I actually thoroughly enjoyed it. I wouldn't mind playing again. Fun game. :)

But man! Today's quote is probably by far my most favorite one so far!! Ha! :) "Calories ONLY exist IF you count them." Notice I what words I capatalized. ;)  I couldn't agree even more. This little quote wins the nobel prize with me. Hah! :)

Actually...I remember that around my 8th grade year, calorie counting had become this huge fad...and well...it was splattered all over the place. Celebs were doing it, the news was speaking it, and school health class was teaching it. It basically freaked everybody out. Everyone was consumed by counting those little bits of energy that food gives. It was crazy. Why the heck would you count? Just eat it! If you like it. Eat it. That's my theory. If you like it, eat it because if you don't, then there's really not need in eating it. Come people, food is an enjoyment. And I'm not saying go binge of cookies and ice cream for an entire week straight, I'm talking about moderation. Yes. Healthy moderation. The key is balance. If you eat foods that are good for you, and that are healthy, and you balance out the goods from the bads, then you're in good hands. And something sweet once a day, not too big, is perfectly okay to eat. Just a portion. I mean, reward yourself. Ya know? :) Or once a week, it's all up to you.

Me, I am on the Sea Food diet ...I SEE food and I eat it. :) Well, I don't eat EVERYTHING. "Cause I don't like everything, I like the foods that I like, and I keep a balance between healthy, moderate, and tasty but not the best for you. :) But mostly I eat very healthy and that's because I LOVE eating healthy food. It tastes better to me. So I eat what I like. Between the calories you burn throughout the day, and sleeping at night, you end up burning quite a bit. And if you exercsise, you have to supplement the energy (calories) lost with more energy. Yes guys, calories = energy. In fact, every time you think calories, just erase that word from your memory and put energy. 'Cause that's what it is. So...now since calories mean energy, then your body is like a fuel tank. And the calories are it's fuel. It's what you live on. Think of your body as a car and food is gas / fuel. Now, you don't want to put cheap fuel in your car all the time...cause it will mess / break down easily. But if you give it the good stuff, then you'll keep it running longer. So, same with your body. Good food full of nutrients will keep your body healthy longer (keep your car runnin' longer). So, treat your body right. Eat. And eat whatever you like, and eat in moderation. The whole enjoyment in food is taste. So why eat something you don't like, right? I mean, ya, you can go all vegan (nothing against vegans),  and forego your taste buds, but then you're kinda missing out on a big chunk of life. So...I guess it's all up to you. But calories only exist if you count them. You know, you even burn calories while sitting on the couch just watching t.v. Your body runs on calories. Without them, you won't be alive.

K. I think I've lectured you enough. Probably partially to my sleepiness. I tend to ramble when I'm tired. So sorry about that. :)

Love you guys!

God bless you!

-Love Your Fellow Chocolatier

Dove Chocolate Challenge Day # 108 "Act on your dreams." PROMISES Message

Hey guys!

 GUESS WHAT?!? I had my very first "First Friday" event tonight! I had 10 art pieces (paintings) hanging up in the gallery. Whoo-hooo! Yeah! I'm happy.

It was a whole lotta fun! I enjoyed it. Four of my 10 paintings sold! Yeah! And that was in the first 2 hours of the event! How cool is that!? My paintings will be hanging up at Chartreuse for the rest of the month. I think I might do another First Friday next month. I don't know, but I'm suddenly excited to create, create, and create. :)

@ Mark; THANKS FOR BUYING ONE OF MY PAINTINGS! THAT WAS SUPER COOL!

Well, for the entire year of 2010, I had 'have my own "First Friday Art Gallery" written down as a goal / dream / to - do. So it was finally cool to have one. And I totally did not expect to be the featured artist! I'm what you call a "closet artist." Man! That was a blessing! To have an entire gallery all to myself! Wow! That was definitely unexpected! Good things I had 10 paintings handy! :)

Well anyway, today was a pretty great day full of great opportunities.

I guess it's time for me to go to bed. I am cranky, tired, and sick.

I might be coming down with a virus. Hopefully not. Hopefully this soar throat will go away.


Well,

Goodnight lollies and jellyspoons. :)

-Love Your Fellow Chocolatier

P.S., My high school teacher was art my art show and she bought one of my paintings! (I missed her by an hour, usually there's a small crowd in the beginning (5 o'clock), but when I showed up at 6, the place was hoppin!' So I missed her by an hour, but she let the other girls know that she "had to buy a painting."  :) Cool huh?

Dove Chocolate Challenge Day # 107 "Courage is grace under pressure." PROMISES Message

Hey guys!

 Long time no see! (Or blog!)  :)

Sorry about not blogging, it's been crazy busy the last two days. One day I was busy, the other I was sick and slept through blogging. Gee, the 365 days in a row isn't quite working out as I thought it would be. But that's okay! As long as I am not purposefully and willingly procrastinating, then we're all good, right? I guess I'll just leave it at that. You know, it even feels weird not blogging for a whole 48 hours! It's weird! It's just so much a part of my life you know? It's crazy. I feel like I can't express myself. It's sorta like every night, before bed, I spill my guts out on through typing up this blog and I just let out the thoughts bouncing around in my head for that day. And after I blog, I feel a sort of freedom to start with a fresh slate of thoughts the next day. :) Ever had one of those nights where your body is telling you to go to sleep but your mind races with thoughts one after another? I've seldom had that problem since starting this blog! It's just exactly as I said, it's like spitting everything out and starting a new slate every night. It works quite well, actually. :)

So, today has been crazy busy at work. Not our regular youth center busy, but cleaning busy. You see, tomorrow the governor of Alaska, Sean Parnell, is going to visit our youth center! How cool is that, eh? Very! So he'll get to see what we're all about and what we do everyday, and we might get funded! So that's very neat! And I've been scurrying to get my paintings done. This Friday for "First Friday," (city wide art event on every first Friday of the month when different local shops and galleries open up their store and let local artists hang their paintings / art there and do consignment where the store / shop / gallery gets 50% off of your painting if someone gets it, and you get the other 50%), I am going to have 10 of my paintings hanging up at Chartreuse! Yah! How cool is that?! And guess what?!!!? I'm going to have the entire store to myself! That means that I am the only featured artist! WHAT?! I had no clue! I thought there were going to be other art pieces up along mine. I guess not! Well, that's pretty exciting! So now I can say that I am truly going to have my own art gallery! That is wayyy cool! I am excited and a bit nervous! I hope that people will like my paintings! I am a new up and coming artist. As soon as I get pictures of all my paintings, I'll post them up here for you guys to see! :)

Well, that's that. I probably should get to bed. Very soon. It's 5:25am. Yes, I know, late, (or early? Depending on how you look at it!) =P

Well...

Tonight, Brian and I stopped by subway. And while we were in subway, I saw a man limping and he had a cast / bandage around is knee. And when he sat down to eat his sandwich, you could tell that it hurt to move his leg. So as Brian and I were sitting there. I had heard that still small voice that said, "go pray for that man over there, lay your hand  on his knee and pray for him." I was like...ahahaha. REaLLy? ...and of course, even thought it took me five minutes to get up...I went over to the man and asked him if I could pray for his knee. And he said yes. And so I did. And afterward, he said thank you.

And then Brian and I walked back to the car and drove home.

You know, I don't know the outcome of what happened, don't know if his knee was healed on the spot or if he felt any better or anything really. But I knew that that's what I needed to do. And so I did.

Who knows? Maybe I'll run into him one day. And I guess we'll see won't we now? But I believe that his knee is going to be / or was healed!

All I know is that I walked away feeling blessed and happy. I'm glad I didn't run away from this opportunity. Sometimes, even though it's kinda weird, strange, and awkward, it pays to listen to that still small voice. :) Ya'll know what I'm talking about. Hint hint. :)

Well, I am off to bed.

-Love Your Fellow Chocolatier! :)

P.S., COURAGE IS GRACE UNDER PRESSURE!!! Boy is that the truth!! :)

Dove Chocolate Challenge Day # 106 "Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it." PROMISES Message

Hey guys!

 Today has been an good day but an unexpected day. Brian and I woke up and went to Door of Hope church, it was pretty good. I like that church it's very chill and family like. And then we came back home and slept until 5:30...then we woke up and went to the Well. :) Yeah, our sleeping schedule is all messed up. Thank goodness it's winter vacation! Haha! :)

Well, I ended up sharing some personal things at The Well that I wasn't expecting to share, but I did, and you know, when you share things that are hard and when you are vulnerable with others, a beautiful thing happens, it's called healing. I love it. When you let others know you open up the opportunity to let others help you thourgh your tough times. And that is ghe beauty of it. You are never alone in what you are going through, take comfort in knowing that others are going through the same thing as you if not worse, and that there are people out there waiting with open arms to love on you and accept you in your messy-ness.

Well guys,

 Today has definitely been a day of boldness for me. And the result is pretty magical.

I hope you guys are having a great day, and I hope that if you're having a tough time, that you'll let others close to you know what you're going through that way you don't have to face the world alone. :) Be bold. It's magical.

-Love Your Fellow Chocolatier :)

Dove Chocolate Challenge Day # 105 "A hundred men may make an encampment, but it takes a woman to make a home." PROMISES Message

Hey guys!

 Today has been a pretty special day! I stayed home, (day off) and pretty much just honestly relaxed all day. I actually feel truly rested. That in itself is a very rare thing. I just feel rested and happy. Granted I didn't finish all that I had set out to do today, I had a pretty fantastic day. Brian was at Ice Alaska teaching other fellow volunteers how to work stuff on the computer, so I didn't see him for more than half of the day. And when he came home, he surprised me by wanting to take me out to Denny's. But I just ate right before he came home, so instead, we decided to go to Cold Stone's, eat some yummy ice cream, and then catch a movie with the free tickets we got as Christmas presents. Originally I had not planned anything for today except for a little cleaning here and there such as laundry, so today was a treat. I liked going out. It was fun. And of course, after Cold Stone we stopped by Taco King because we had some time to kill, and we decided to call Mark and see if he would like to come to the movie with us. And so we snagged him to watch the movie with us. All three of us had a blast. It was just a lot of fun. We love hanging out with Mark. Hey, anythin with movies or food, I'm definitely there. One person was missing however, and that would be Heather. Next time, we'll have to snag her along too. :) We'll just have to kidnap her and take her away from her busy-ness. :)

Well, today has definitely been a great start to a great New Year! I am excited! How about you?

You know, I've been thinking about homes and the atmospheres that homes bring, and you know, I've been thinking a lot about family and relationships (trust me, I'm going somewhere with this). I've come to the conclusion that relationships are what make a home. Because you can come into a nice and rich home but if the family relationships / dynamic stink, then you're not gonna feel very welcome and it's not gonna feel very home-like. The atmoshpere will feel cold, stiff, and un-inviting. And vicer versa, if you come into a home that's shabby and doesn't have the richest of riches, but the hosts of the home are kind, warm and inviting, then you'll never want to leave. It's funny how relationships bring or break atmosphere when it comes to homes. Sure, decor is nice and may have a little influnece, but honestly, decor doesn't really matter, it's the atmosphere that comes from the way that people treat each other. A kind host will have a kind atmosphere. :) So, that's one of my hopes and prayers for this year and for the rest of my life, that my house will will be a house of peace and welcome. That when anybody comes over, that they feel peacefulness and warmth. And for my house to be a warm and welcoming place, I have to be warm and welcoming. :) And so I hope to be exactly that. I hope to be a woman that makes a home, not an encampment. :)

Well guys,

I'm going to eat a little snack and maybe drink a bit of tea, and then I will be off to bed. :)

Nighty night guys!

And have a happy and blessed New Year ahead of you!

-Love Your Fellow Chocolatier

P.S., What kind of home atmosphere do you hope to bring / have? :)