Why We Should ALL Be Kneeling on One Knee

I'm not one that's much on debate, or politics even though I do love watching the news, but I've been getting tired of everyone getting their feelings hurt over every little thing. When did everyone become so sensitive? When did everything become about us? Have we forgotten about the important things in life?

Just like everyone else I've got an opinion too. And guess what? My opinion may not be what you think is right, and THAT IS OK. Really, life can go on because we don't agree on a subject. My opinion is something we are all called to do though, which is...

Pray.

The importance and power of prayer is the most pertinent thing we as a community, as a country, need right now. The world is not in a good place: constant bombing's in Syria, the future leader of our nation, murder of innocent people, starving children in our town, and most importantly, people who have never heard the gospel.

That's what we should be talking about right now, not focusing on a Hollywood breakup as the main topic of the day (even though we all knew that relationship was doomed to begin with from the get-go).

I live in a small town where everyone knows everyone else, but did you know there are more unsaved people in our community than there are saved? Regardless of what state our world is in, it's not here to stay. This life is perishable. Every single thing in this life will be over. It will fade and it will end one day for all of us.

No more hurt, no more wrong, no more suffering, no more disease, no more arguing.

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed in us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.
-Romans 8:18-19

It's going to happen, people.. Either you're going to die from this earth or Jesus will come back. We will encounter the creator of the universe one of these days. Sooner rather than later. And if you're not ready then get ready. Regardless of these earthly trials and how much we want to "get back" at those who do wrong here on earth, it is NOT our job. We don't make things right, He does.

So how about this: why don't you get on one knee and instead of protesting start praying. Pray for God to forgive you of all of your sins (because we are human and we do sin), ask for guidance in the possible days to come that you may be a refection of Him, pray for those hurting, those sick, those in need of a roof over their head and food on the table for their families. Pray for our community, that we may come together to help those in need instead of bashing in windows and yelling at each other. Who's that going to help?

Believe it or not, but it is not about us. It IS, on the other hand, about the one who made us. The one who sent his only son to die on a cross for our sins so that we may have eternal life with Him.

It's about the one who sacrificed it all for us.

So let's get on our knees and thank Him for doing so. We don't deserve one bit of it, but He loves us so much that He wants us to spend eternity with Him.

His sacrifice and unfailing love, that was for YOU. Thank Him and praise Him for it.

Why AdvoCare is AWESOME

"Diet" products are very sketchy. Especially if a company guarantees how easy and achievable it is. That's where AdvoCare is different. The products' main target isn't to "lose weight" but to increase overall health and wellness for your body. They have a board of doctors who review each product before it goes out to the public. One of the doctors is Dr. Stanley Dudrick, who pioneered the research and development of TPN (total parenteral nutrition), which is how very sick people survive and get their nutrition. HOW AWESOME IS THAT?! As a nurse, that's pretty cool to me. Not to mention the company has been around as long as I've been alive.

I've got many favorite products, but I wanted to share with you just a few of my top favorites and why.

1. Spark

Spark is the number one seller for AdvoCare. It is a sugar-free energy drink containing over 20 vitamins and minerals. It sharpens mental focus along with increased energy. I drink it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach within 20 minutes. If you've ever had it, it's a life-changer and lifesaver. Order yours here.

2. Herbal Cleanse

It's seriously not what you think. You are not in the bathroom all day long. It's a very gentle cleanse that will make you feel like a whole new person. It's only ten days and consists of a fiber drink, probiotic pills, and herbal cleanse pills. The cleanse is the first part of the 24 Day Challenge and is a great kick start to a healthier, cleaner you. If you've never done a cleanse before, I highly recommend the AdvoCare Herbal Cleanse. I just finished mine and lost 6 inches total and feel like a brand new woman. Order yours here!

3. MNS (Metabolic Nutrition System)

This is the second part of the 24 Day Challenge. So once you go through the cleanse and rid your body of all those toxins, you boost your metabolism with this system and feel even MORE better overall. There are three systems to choose from. The MNS C focus's on appetite control, so if you struggle with snacking or overeating, this is perfect for you. The MNS E focus's on mainly energy, so if you're lacking in staying awake throughout the day, this one is for you. My personal favorite is the MNS 3, which is a combination of energy and control. I need both, and this one is an equal amount. It's a lot of pills and I stink at taking pills (one at a time...) so it's rough at first, but after the first pack you notice the difference. Order your system here!

4. Probiotic Fast Melt

This product is new, and I'm obsessed. It comes in a small pack of powder you just dump in your mouth and it melts away. It's a healthy bacteria (probiotic) that your body needs for a healthy, normal digestive system process. I've had LOTS of stomach problems, and they have got worse since I got my gallbladder removed last year. This product is the probiotic a gastroenterologist would have prescribed me anyway, just not in a pill form. It's got a great taste and is easy to grab and go first thing in the morning. Order yours here.

5. Chews

Like I said before, taking pills just really isn't my thing. My mom has always preached to me about taking my vitamins, but I've really been missing my Flintstone chewable. AdvoCare granted my wish and developed all chewable vitamins. There are three different kinds: green (immune system health), tropical (overall multivitamin), and purple (brain, eyes, and nervous system development). They all taste amazing. I keep the green ones at work because we are around sick people all the time so as nurses we've got to have a strong immune system. Order yours here.

I've been a distributor with AdvoCare since I was in nursing school. I bought in just to get the 20% discount on Spark every order. It turned out to be a little extra gas money here and there and then developed into a small side business. They have a new preferred customer program you can read about here that allows you 20-30% discounts on your orders. As a distributor, there are never any quotas you have to meet and never any reorders required. If you just order one time or a million, that's fine. You don't have to sell or buy a certain amount of products. Unlike other wellness companies, AdvoCare has been around since 1993. The leaders are some of the nicest most encouraging people you'll ever meet. You can be extremely involved in promoting or selling a product or you don't have to do much work at all, it's up to you. You get out of it what you put into it. The easy thing with AdvoCare is you don't really have to sell the product, it sells itself. It's a product people of all ages can use, and it's the best company to be a part of.

Sign up to start your product discount and become a distributor here!

Being a Foster Dog Mom--Fostering Bud

Bud is foster dog number four. He has also been the hardest. He came to us terrified--wouldn't let me touch him for the first two days and anytime I would come near, he would snap at me. This dog had me stressing big time. Not to mention he came without a name and the only thing I could think to call him was Bud.

He warmed up after two to three days and would not stop following me around! I've learned his favorite thing to do is just cuddle. He wants to be beside me constantly, and I don't mind at all because he is just as sweet as can be!

We originally planned on only doing short term fostering, but after 12 weeks Bud still hadn't found a home. We were worried about him getting around people to begin with because he's not the friendliest dog like Ralph. We didn't want him to snap and growl at his potential new adopted parents. So we kept him close. Maybe too close as you can see from the dog carrier I got below. I couldn't help myself considering he LOVES to be right beside me.

Bud loves to give kisses and sleep. He loves it at our house, we could tell. Nick and I talked the other day and decided it would be devastating to Bud to have to start over. He has already done so well here and has adapted great, so we decided it would be best that we are going to put an end to Bud's foster journey and adopt him! We weren't expecting to adopt any of our fosters, and I had done so well before, but Bud has already been with us so long and he really does love it with us. And we love him just as much.

I would HIGHLY recommend fostering animals to anyone interested. I foster through Ruff Tales K-9 ResQ through Huntsville Animal Services. They provide all the shots, vaccinations, food, blankets, toys, etc. All you have to provide is the home. You are making a HUGE difference in the lives of these animals and providing them with the upmost love possible. The animals appreciate it and so does the shelter, because if an animal is in your home, that means there is a spot available for another animal to come in at the shelter. If you're thinking of getting a dog/cat, please go see your local shelter!

Being a Foster Dog Mom - Fostering Hale

I absolutely love being a foster dog mom. It is very rewarding to know you are getting these dogs out of the shelter and into a forever home. Our first foster was Luna, and she found her forever home pretty quickly, which is the goal! 

(Read up on my last blog post to learn more about Luna's story.)

After we found Luna her forever home, there was another dog in need of a foster through Huntsville Animal Services. Their shelter was at it's max and they were about to get a transport of new dogs. Hale had been at the shelter a couple of weeks and ended up developing kennel cough. It's very common in shelter dogs. It's just like humans developing the common cold. Not a very big deal, but if a dog stays at the shelter with kennel cough, ALL the dogs get it. They needed him out first before all 184 dogs got it. That's where we come in. I was nervous at first since we have Ralphie already and he's obviously our number one priority. But we do have an outside gated area in the shade that's perfect for dogs, and we thought it was very important to help this poor pup and get him out of the shelter before he gets all the dogs sick and what better place than our secluded outside area? Ralphie stays inside mostly except when he's playing so we weren't really worried about Ralphie getting sick.

So here comes Hale. This is a picture of him right before he left the shelter. Look at that FACE!

Hale was about the size of Ralphie, just a little longer. He barked about the first 30 minutes upon arriving at our house then got a little more comfortable. He would growl and snap at Nick but learned very quickly that was not right. He stayed separated from Ralph for the first couple days due to the sickness. He did great on a leash, loved long walks, and enjoyed his separated space in his outside kennel (anytime Ralph would try to go in Hale would growl).

After a few days, Hale and Ralph clicked and LOVED to play.

You could tell after the first few days of being at our house that Hale was really enjoying his stay!

As I always do, I posted a picture of Hale and a little bit of his description and after a few shares Hale found his new family. Facebook can sure be good for some things!

The last day Hale was at our house I brought him inside for the first time, and he instantly jumped on the couch, so I figured he was an inside dog. I planned on giving him a bath and bringing him in that night, but it was time to say good-bye. Just like that, Hale was off to his new home.

He looks terrified in the picture above, but I promise he hopped up in my lab and was loving it.

I enjoy sharing love with my foster dogs. Even though they're only with us a short time, and YES I want to keep them all but it's just impossible, this is such a rewarding blessing and I'm so happy to help find these dogs their forever home!

Our Short Time with Luna as Dog Foster Parents

I have always had a love for animals, dogs especially. I had one special dog when I was a little girl but she died when I was six and we never really got to have dogs after that. So when I got married and became a grown up, the first thing I wanted was to get my own dog. I have fallen in love with my Ralphie. He is spoiled but also disciplined and I couldn't imagine life without him.

I wanted to help other dogs, but I didn't want to actually GET any more dogs right now. Nick said I should donate money to our local shelter, but I wanted to do something more. I saw Huntsville Animal Shelter advertise on the local news how they needed foster homes for the animals in their shelter. Perfect! We have trained Ralphie all by ourselves and we have a great living location for a dog to run. I contacted the shelter and they linked me up with a foster program for dogs called Ruff Tales K9 ResQ. All I had to do was fill out an application and specify the type/size of the dog I am willing to take in. Since Ralphie is only 20lbs, I didn't want anything bigger than him. After a few weeks, I got notification on a Friday night that a small dog needed a place to stay for 2 weeks, and we picked her up that next Saturday morning. Just like that!

Her name is Luna. She is a small chihuahua who is house and kennel trained and loves to cuddle. All she wants to do is lay next to you. She appears to be an older dog, does well on a leash, and is content wherever she goes. She was taken out of Huntsville Animal Shelter into this foster program in the hopes of finding her forever home.

Luna came with everything: her kennel, food, water, toys, blankets, leash, and her collar. All we had to do was provide the home. She seemed scared at first but warmed up pretty quickly.

She was pretty exhausted her first day. She had a big move and a big environment adjustment, so all she really wanted to do was lay around.

She would growl around Ralph at first. I think it was because she was so scared of him. As a little dog, I'm sure she felt like she couldn't defend herself, so that was her defense mechanism. After day one, she did much better and even started playing with Ralph!

I posted her picture and description on my Facebook page, had a couple "likes" and "shares" and BOOM, someone messaged me saying they wanted her! Luna is going to a perfect family too who is already in love with her. Once the adoption paperwork is complete through the foster program, she will be off to her forever home.

Goal achieved!

What a blessing it has been to be a part of Luna's life for this short time. The best thing about fostering dogs is knowing you are saving two lives: the life of the dog you're fostering and the life of a dog able to go into the shelter since you took a dog out of the shelter into your home.  Helpless dogs are killed every day because there is just simply not enough room in the shelter. Ruff Tales K9 ResQ is in need of short term foster homes (1-4 weeks). You can fill out an application on their website or message them on their Facebook page to find out more information. I know I can't save every dog, but I can at least try to save a few and hopefully impact the lives of these dogs and show them that they are a blessing and they are LOVED!

Can't wait for our next foster!

When You Fall in Love with A Dog

When I was 7, my favorite dog in the whole world die. Her name was Sue-Sue, and she had been with me since I was a baby. She was a puppy whenever my sister was born, so she was around forever. Sue was one of those dogs who knew everyone in the neighborhood and everyone knew her. She would go door to door to get her daily treats, and she would even look both ways before crossing the street. Sue stole my heart at a young age, and ever since then I've been a dog lover. We buried her under the dogwood tree in our backyard.

After Sue passed, we had a couple other dogs here and there, but none could compare to Sue. When my sister and I would get home and one of our dogs after Sue wasn't there, Mom would always say they ran away, but I'm pretty sure she gave them away. No dog could amount to Sue.

Seventeen years later I'm now married and don't have any parents at home to tell me that I can't get a dog... :] So at the time I was working at the hospital and one of my friends' Toy Australian Shepherds mated with a blue healer and made THE CUTEST little puppies. I couldn't resist. It was almost Christmas time so there wasn't a more perfect time to bring a sweet puppy into our family. Nick didn't really want a dog, but of course I talked him into it. We went to look at all the puppies one evening. I was set on getting a girl, but when we got there, I fell in love with this sweet soul pictured below.

How can that face not melt your heart! Like I said, it was almost Christmas time and my favorite Christmas movie is The Christmas Story, where the kid, Ralphie, almost shoots his eye out and gets a black eye. That's where I got the name Ralphie. Plus he literally looks like he has a black eye.

He was soooooo little! And too cute not to dress up in a Christmas sweater.

 This was the first day we brought him home. Tee-tiny next to Nick!

Look at that face!

Nick and Ralph's birthday's are two days apart, so what a better way to celebrate than with a Ralph cake?

Ralphie is my first love after Sue. I never realized how much you can actually love a pet. Ralph is more than just a pet, though. He is my baby. Since he's half Toy Australian Shepherd half blue healer, he is SO DARN SMART. Literally. He can sit, speak, lay down, roll over, high five, play dead, play fetch, go get his ball and his toy (and know the difference between the two), give kisses on command, come, stay, and anything else I tell him to do. He loves learning new tricks and he picks up so fast. It amazes me at literally how smart he is. I could never imagine loving another dog as much as I love Ralphie. He's perfect, minus all the dog hair around the house. He knows when he's not supposed to be doing something and gets in trouble, and he knows when we are about to leave or go to work. He knows where home is, and he knows his dog buddies live right next door. He doesn't have the urge to adventure off into the woods, he stays very close to home. He stays awake and full of energy all day, and at night he knows when bed time is and he sleeps all night. He might be the best thing to ever happen to me. Ralph has shown me what selfless love is and true devotion and loyalty to another. He's unique. I don't think he could be any cuter, and I don't think you ever know what true love is until you love a dog, and he loves you back.

Living Life with Headaches

Woah, it sure has been a while since I've posted. I guess I've been busy!

Anywho, today's post is about me (go figure) and my struggle with headaches. If you don't know me, here's a little recap of what I've been going through lately.

I started having a horrible toothache one day. I have a lot of mouth problems, believe it or not. Everyone says I have a pretty smile, but man have my teeth caused me LOTS of problems. My toothache got a lot worse, so I waited until I couldn't stand it any longer and called the dentist. He worked me in that day and started poking around. Then he put down those horrible sharp utensils and started feeling around on my jaw muscle. He asked me if I had headaches and I told him everyday. He noticed my jaw popped every time I opened my mouth and every time I closed it. He came to the conclusion I have a dysfunctional jaw muscle. It has been overworked every time I chew. My teeth don't line up when I bite down on my food, so every time I do chew my jaw is going in a zig-zag motion.

My dentist told me I needed to only eat soft foods. I also didn't need to open my mouth all the way or close it all the way either. Very difficult considering one of my favorite hobbies is singing in the choir. He said I need to alternate ice and heat, usually heat being the best, and take anti-inflammatory pills and muscle relaxers. Well, nurses don't like to take medications, so that option was out, and no matter what I did take, my headaches won't go away.

I went back for another appointment and they did a TON of molds, pictures, xrays, etc. After about 45 minutes of molds and stuff, my dentist came in a massaged my main jaw muscle points to figure out which ones were hurting the worst, and then he made me open and close slowly to figure out which tooth hits first and where. My dentist is an expert at this because he said his daughter started having this problems a few years ago so he did a lot of studies on it. He couldn't fix his daughters problem until recently because he said you have to complete growing before he tries to fix the problem. He is still looking at my molds to figure out if he can actually fix my problem or not with a mouth piece, and if he can't, he will have to refer me back to my orthodontist for braces..... OMG NOT AGAIN!

My dentist said once we get my jaw problems fixed, my headaches will go away completely. I sure hope so. Until then, seriously nothing works on getting rid of my headaches. I have a headaches everyday usually. Most of the time I go to bed with a headache. One of the WORST feelings in the world is going to bed with a headache and waking up with one. The struggle is real.Getting a massage helps me relax but that's just temporarily. I can still function with these headaches, but it is very difficult too. I do have migraines too so I know the difference pretty well. I would much rather stay in bed and just lay there, but I've realized whether I'm laying in bed or working out or going to work or whatever, I'm still going to have a headache. So I just suffer through.

It's hard. Some days are better than others. When I don't wake up with a headache, it's an awesome feeling, but then later throughout the day I usually develop one. The left side of my head has been pounding lately, but it's not like a headache pain, it's like a brain spasm or something. Really. It makes my left eye twitch and my neck just tucks down in pain. I'm just hoping these headaches are nothing serious and my dentist can just fix my problem.

I find out this week whether my dentist is going to be able to make my mouth piece or not. All prayers are very appreciated. I really don't want braces again, but if that will fix these headaches, I might be okay with it. Also pray it is just my jaw and nothing more serious.

Thanks everyone! I hope y'all have a great week!