The journey of friendships, saving the best for last.

Deena and Melinda are two of the most impact full and important friends I have in my life. And they were two individuals I never thought would ever become one of my friends. A great surprise from the Lord.

I met Deena when I started going to the 18 and older bible study her and her husband Doug hosted at their house. But it wasn't until she was the female chaperone on a retreat that I went on did we really form our friendship.  I was going through a nasty on again off again relationship that lead to me having a eating disorder. I thought if I was skinny it would fix everything that was wrong in that relationship. But as my body started to look worn and tired my emotional judgement went out the window. I was a all over the place emotionally and the stress along with the games both me and my ex were playing had me near a break down, but Deena stepped in with grace and love. She so lovely gave me advice and would with/for me. And most importantly she had my back when no one else did. She has had my back so many times over the years but she never fails to tell me the things I need to hear. And that leads me to Melinda. She is like deena in a lot of ways. Always there and with many wise and completely honest words. She also became my friend after a hard break up. One Sunday after church she came up to me and handed her number and told me to call her if I ever needed anyone to talk to. The support these two have given me over the years and still give me to this day shows me the kind of friend we all need in our lives and we all need to be. One that is honest, loving and has your back. Even when I'm wrong they love me. And I want to show the same love and grace to those around my life and in my life.

So thank you ladies I couldn't have asked for better people to have my back and call friend. I hope one day I can return the love and support!

The journey of friendships part 2...

I believe to have better relationships with others you need to first be your own best friend. To know ones self and love yourself is a hard journey for some, myself included. But now that I'm 27 I want to stop with the comparison to others and really take time to get to know me. I want to truly enjoy who iam as a person. I want to get to know the woman God made me to be and fall in love with her. And I think we all need to take time to the same with ones self. Take time away from the distractions in life and get to know you! You are the only person you can never get away from, so why love yourself and become the friendship you have always wanted. So below I have listed 5 things you can do to start a new relationship with you. As funny as this sounds I believe when you learn to be yourself and love it others around you will treat you better and have more fun with you because you will treat you better and have more fun in life.

So here are your 5 steps to being your best friend!

1, take time to be alone.
I love drives in the country and lucky for me I live in a small town that has plenty of back roads. When I take this time for myself I can clear my head and see what really matters at the time. And learn more about how I feel when it comes to life issues.

2, talk to yourself
Who is going to want to talk to you if you don't even want to hear what you have to say. And I don't mean walking around town full on speaking out loud,but keep your inner voice going all day. Say positive things to yourself when you are having a down moment. Put a quote on your bathroom mirror and say it aloud every day. Becoming comfortable with saying how you feel will pay off in moments that would normally bother you.

3,try new things
For me I can get caught up in the day to day stuff but if you set aside 10 to 15 to play a new game, try new make up. Or even set a new goal to work towards then you see yourself in a totally different light. Do something you are comfortable doing, something that will push all comfort zones aside. For me that means tranning for a body comp. I'm taking year to do. But I want to do something I know will be hard for me to learn more about how strong God really made me. It's going to be a hard road but I'm excited to see what I will learn along the way.

4, eat by yourself
Going to a restaurant alone is one of the biggest no's to a woman. But it will get you in the practice of enjoying being alone. Food is always enjoyable so why not start with something yummy!

5 start a journal
Keeping a journal will start the habit of really seeing your thoughts and emotions for what they are. Often we let these two things rule our lives,but if we have a time of reflection every day we will learn to stop and use this new skill in every day moments. Which will help in better decision making. And better more true to yourself decisions will lead to a happier you!

I hope you enjoyed these tips and have a blessed day!

National best friend day 2015...

I woke up this morning and saw that it was National best friend day. What a great thing to celebrate in my opinion. Friends and best friends are some of life's greatest blessings. And how awesome is it that it's during our journey of friendships! God is full of wonderful surprises in his plan. Because to be honest exploring my friendships is not something I wanted to do but it was something God wanted me to do. And I tried to talk him out of it, especially when he told what friendships I was to write on. But he knows best. And this week I get to write two blogs, And I love writing! So this week is already blessed. But let's take a look at best friends since today we celebrate them.

In my life iam abundantly blessed with 3 best friends. My husband Alex, my sister Jessica and my Becca. They all bring beautiful and unique things to my life. And Best friends should bring beauty to your life. To have these wonderful people in my life and to have very different relationships with them shows me alot about the different types of friendships one can have. So let's take a moment to look at all 3.

Let's start with my husband. A man like no other. Smart, strong and true to his beliefs. God has told me that he will be like jacob. And he loves me the way jacob loved Rachel. He is also smart like jacob and knows how to get what he wants and needs. And he is also very wise. He will come out of no where with words that would make Billy gram take notes. He brings all of these wonderful gifts to our marriage and friendship.  He is strong when I'm not sure how to be, he loves me with a fire that could never dim. And has a relationship with the Lord that makes you wonder how yours could become that true. Each day this an teaches me something new. As a friendship should, they should add to your life never take from it.

My sister Jessica is a woman like no other strong in will and purpose. She is driven and nothing can stop her once her eyes on the goal. I love that about her! As kids she did everything crazy and loud. But she was always happy and had many friends and people around her. Her energy brings something to the table of life most people long for. She has tough me to be myself and always try new things.

And now my Becca, a woman who angers me and makes me love her more all in the same moment. Becca has a heart of gold and has such a spirit of evangelism. She wants to be friends with everyone and save them from the hard things in life. Plus when this woman sings to the Lord it melts away any wall you have built up and she brings you to a place where you and God can be together. I love our talks, they don't happen as much as they use to, but when they do happen I am at such peace.

Each one of my best friends brings something positive to my life.They all bring love and acceptance. Buy the best thing about them is that I see God in all of them. He uses each one to show me his love. And I hope I do the same for them. Be blessed and make sure you tell your best friend why they are so special to you today!

The journey of friendships intro blog..

Sometimes God has friends put in your life to bring you closer to him and sometimes he separates you from a friend so he can fill the space in your life where that the friendship was occupying. We also need to still stay open to a separated friend having a comeback in our lives. God may use a comeback to change the game! But always remain in prayer during any of the above mentioned friendships.  Because with out God in the lead and middle of any relationship the relationship will fail or take a turn it was never meant to take.

Tomorrow I will be sharing a very hard am painful friend separation. A little back story of the friendship so tomorrow's blog with have more impact and explanation of why this was so hard for.

My friend and I have known each other since our Jr year in high school were we sat next to each other in English class. O adore this woman to this day and we have had many bumps in our journey of friendship. We had another falling out due to a boy who thought he could have two girlfriends at once and then it turned out they were friends. God had me drive from our little home town to a big city near by to repair the friendship and then time came in a separated us and when he placed her on my heart again many years later we became best friends and I felt God saying this friend was from him and we would do and have a mighty ministry together. Days before our first big event the separation we are now in took place. So tomorrow we will go over what happened and what God has and is showing me through this time.