Miss America

Along with lots of other women across the country, I watched Miss America with great expectations and much anticipation.  There are many women who believe that Miss America is outdated and just another to way to objectify women.  I am not one of those women.  Do I think they could reign it in some? Absolutely.  However, I am a total fan of the amount of scholarships that are given and the amount of money and time spent on raising awareness for charitable organizations.

But, last night I did not see the Miss America Organization that I grew up respecting.  Here's a list of reasons...

1. There was entirely too much product placement.  Those Sketchers were ugly.  I do not want Brooke Burke's Body workout.  I watch enough ABC shows.  These are just a few of the plugs made on last night's airing.  It was ridiculous.

2.  Miss America 2012 got jipped.  She had one minute to make her walk and play her plug about the year as Miss America.  No interview.  Not even on stage until the end of the program! The girl probably worked her butt off.  Let her enjoy her last night as Miss America.  Geez.

3. Those bathing suits.  I understand bikinis are a part of American culture, but seriously.  They could use a little more fabric.  Keep it classy.

4. Talent.  Oh my.  Some had it.  Some were trying really hard.

5.  I was somewhat happier about the judges this year, rather than previous years.  However, there can be some variety- Entertainers, Entrepreneurs, Politicians, Noted Authors, etc.  They should be judges because they are experts in their fields, not because they get a boost to their careers or other ABC shows.

6. The opening outfits were awful.

7.  Girls work their butts off to make it to Miss America.  Some want to change the world, while others want some fame.  Either way, they still have to put in time, money and hard work into making it where they do.  They deserve a pat on the back, and some carbs.  I don't think the organization gives them enough credit.

8.  If Miss America is an ambassador for multiple groups, those interview questions needed a little more depth.  Gun Control was a great and relevant topic.  Reality TV and Honey Boo Boo? Not so much.  There are far more important issues- Sex Trafficking, the Economy, International Affairs and the list goes on.  People are hurting and struggling in this country.  Miss America should be educated enough to answer questions about what is happening and show compassion.

9.  Don't let America vote.  They almost never make it to the next round and that's just torture. Be nice.

10.  Most little girls dream of being Miss America, but they shouldn't see it as the ultimate goal.  It should be the stepping stone for accomplishing things us regular people can't.  It should be the stage that allows them to make a difference.

Overall, I love the good that the Miss America Organization is able to do.  However, they shouldn't sacrifice legitimacy for better ratings.

Tell me what you think.  How did you feel about last night?

An Undivided Heart

The summer I met Jonathan, I committed to studying scripture on marriage.  At the time, I wanted to do this so I could pray it over my sister and her then fiancé.  Little did I know, the Lord was preparing my heart for some serious changes.  

In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul talks about marriage and singles.  He writes,

“An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband.”

I wish someone had shown this to me in high school.  For so long, I just wanted to find my future spouse.  I wanted to be settled down, and I missed a lot of precious time with the Lord because he didn’t have a completely devoted heart.  I knew that He was good and faithful, but I was never completely content in his timing and where he wanted me. 

I’ve noticed that lots of women live like this.  We can’t seem to stop dwelling on what we want to happen in our lives.  I think it’s why we’re so focused on living the fairytale- happily ever after.  All the while forgetting Cinderella had to sweep the floors everyday before she found prince charming. 

Now that I’m married, I know what Paul is talking about.  My heart is devoted to the Lord AND how I can please my husband.  I’m completely content in where I am but everything changes when you become one with someone else- Your thoughts, your prayers, your plans, your bathroom habits.  Everything.  And it’s wonderful. 

But single women, hear this- Be completely devoted to the Lord.  Be content with being single.  I know that’s hard to hear.  I hated being told that.  No one ever explained why I should be okay with being single.  You should be okay with it for this one simple reason: If He takes care of the birds; surely He is taking care of you and the spouse you desire!!

Live for Him today.  Without pause.  Completely trusting that He is sovereign over all things.  Believe me when I say there is work to be done by single women, whose hearts are passionately and completely devoted to the Lord.  

Who doesn't love a good doughnut??

I love cooking.  I really love making homemade doughnuts.  I've tried making them different ways but tonight, I've discovered the best! The wonderful part is that this recipe is SO easy!

Preheat canola oil in a deep fryer or pan to 375 degrees.  Make sure it's not too hot (like 380).

Take canned biscuits (homestyle, not flaky layers) and cut them into 4 triangles.  Drop them carefully into the oil.  Give them 10-15 seconds and then flip them.

Once they are a nice golden brown, remove them from the oil and place them on paper towels.

Anyone can tell you that the best part of a doughnut is the glaze, and this glaze is yummy!  I like to top mine off with a little powdered sugar.  I'm rebellious like that.

Recipe for Glaze:

1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar
1/2 t. vanilla
1 tablespoon of milk

Mix together.  If you want a thinner glaze, add more milk! If you're going to use the entire can of biscuits, double the glaze recipe :)

These are a great, not so nutritious breakfast! Perfect for guests and days when you want to stay in!
Or a late night snack.  Or just when you want something yummy.

Try them.

Mr. and Mrs.

All couples are different, but all couples have a story.  Jonathan and I are no different.  Let me warn you now, this is lengthy.  I won't hold it against you if you need to take breaks, get some food or ignore it completely.  

I have always been independent.  Always prepared to make it on my own.  Because of this, I was never really "boy crazy." Sure, there were boys I thought were cute but I was not chasing after them.  I observed from a far, mainly because most of my friends were the sizes of toothpicks.  Not that I had huge self-esteem issues, I just recognized that fifteen year old boys were stupid.  They couldn't see past the next meal.  How could I expect them to see past my size 2 friends?  Therefore, I wasn't obsessed with boys.  

Here's my short history with boys:

5th Grade- First Boyfriend. First boy to hold my hand.  First boy I made cry.  

6th Grade- First "Date."  His mom dropped us off at Cracker Barrel. 

8th Grade- First boy to drive me around by ourselves. First boy to kiss me.  Completely freaked me out.  I broke up with him.

10th Grade- First boy that came between me and a dear friend.  It didn't work out.  Shocker. 

After that, I kept my distance from boys.  Nothing but trouble.  Once I got to college, I went on a few dates with a couple of guys but it was never "right."  They were all great guys, really, but there was always something I couldn't put my finger on.  

Summer after my freshman year, I met Jonathan while working at Pine Cove Christian Camps in Texas.  

Before you think it was love at first sight, let me stop you.  Jonathan and I had one conversation that summer and he doesn’t remember it.  He does remember, however, talking to someone in an Ole Miss shirt, which I was wearing that day, and thinking he didn’t want to be that person’s friend.  I know. Such a terd.

The next summer we both decided to go back to camp.  We went early to work Free Family Day, which was incredible.  That night some Ranch staffers went out to eat and Jonathan ended up hopping in my car.  We had been in the car about five minutes and then he decided he needed to know the person who had his life in her hands, so he introduced himself.

During training that week, we saw each other at meal times and had a few conversations.  One night, I was emailing my mom at picnic table and he came and sat across from me.  I had had an emotional couple of days and that kind of spilled over into our conversation.  As I was getting up to back to my cabin, he asked how he could be praying for me.

To be honest, it completely caught me off guard.  I had never had a guy ask that.  I told him a few things and that night and every night before campers came, I received a bible verse relating to my prayer requests.  It was exactly what I needed when I needed it.

Over the next five weeks, we wrote letters back and forth and hung out during the twenty-four hours we had off each week.  I got to know him and I genuinely enjoyed his company. Despite how much we talked and spent time together, we didn’t talk about a relationship or how we felt about one another.  We simply took the time to get to know one another.

I would be there for another six weeks but Jonathan was leaving after the first half.  The night before he left, he sat me down (thanks to some very encouraging friends) and told me how he felt about me. He told me all about his prior relationships and I told him about mine.  We were honest with one another and it is a sweet memory for us both.

He left the next day with a promise that once I got back to Mississippi he was taking me on a real date.

Over the next six weeks, we talked when we could and wrote a few letters. Let me tell you something, distance does not make the heart grow fonder.  It makes it doubt. A LOT.  There were so many moments where I freaked out and asked the Lord, “What the heck am I doing?”

Thanks to some incredible friends, I was able to use that time to pray for him without being distracted.  I was also able to pray for the Lord’s guidance in making sure I wasn’t interested in him for the wrong reasons.  I learned later that Jonathan used that time to do the same thing.

I hadn’t been in Mississippi one week when Jonathan decided to come see me.  He took me to dinner and a movie and met my mom for the first time.  Don’t worry; they loved him, as I knew they would.  After that, my dad, being a huge Atlanta Braves baseball fan got us tickets for Labor Day weekend.

While we were in Atlanta, he asked me to be his girlfriend.  He was so nervous.  It was precious.  

You should probably know that I made him ask me.  Call me a diva. That’s fine, but I knew that if a man wanted to pursue me and enter into a relationship with me, he had to understand the significance of that.  Being in a relationship with someone is not something you enter into lightly and both people need to understand and fully grasp that.

Over the next four months, we continued to grow and learn more about each other.  Let me just say, the more I learned about him, the more I liked him.  He made me smile and laugh, and always knew the right words to say even if they made no sense.  He understood me and I understood him.

Around thanksgiving we started talking about the future and what we thought that looked like for us.  We prayed about it and knew that we would get married.  It took a little bit more prayer on his side, but we both knew.  After much discussion, the question would then be when we would tie the knot.   We spent days going back and forth.  Ultimately, however, we knew how we felt each other and knew we didn’t want to spend more time a part then absolutely necessary.

He proposed in Nashville on New Years Eve- I'll save the story for another day.

On July 28, 2012, I became his wife and he became my husband.  

I share this with you because I want you to know where I'm coming from and the relationship I'm in.  For those of you wondering when your prince will come, I wanted you to see the Lord's hand at work in us- from the beginning until now.  He is faithful! Trust in His complete and perfect timing! 

New Beginnings

So, I've thought about starting a blog for a while now and I finally decided to do it.  There was a lot of back and forth about it because I feel like everyone has a blog.  But, ultimately, I think I'll enjoy it! Here's why:

1.  I have a passion for walking through life with other women.  The Lord has taught me so much about what it means to be his daughter and to be in community with other believers.  I want to share what the Lord is revealing to me.  I don't want other young women to make the mistakes I have/will make.  I want to celebrate being a daughter of the king!

2.  I'm a newlywed.  I am married to a handsome and loving man.  He teaches me daily what it means to walk with the Lord.  Marriage is no joke.  Seriously.  I love it, but sharing the bed ain't easy when he steals the covers.  I want to share some of the experiences we've had.  I want single women to know that getting married doesn't solve all your problems.  Marriage is two sinful individuals entering into a covenant with an almighty God.  It is not without times of distress and disappointment, but oh, what a beautiful picture of grace it is!

3. I love to cook.  I want to share some of the recipes I've tried and hopefully get some suggestions from readers! (wink wink- hint hint)

I want this to be a place where I can share my life with you.  I'm a sassy, southern woman, and I love me some Jesus.  Needless to say, this should be interesting start to a new year.

Until next time.