Don't Give Up

 As Christmas is quickly approaching and we are in the thick of the season I find myself feeling more grinchy than jolly. I work in retail. We've been playing Christmas songs since November 1. The decorations have been up since before Thanksgiving and the shoppers have been less than kind this year.  I love what I do - I sell diamonds - but I'm reminded every day of how materialistic this world has become. Now don't get me wrong. I love gift giving and receiving just as much as the next person... but for me Christmas is about the love of God and His gift to us... Jesus. And - since this is to be a quick blog post and not a full on theoretical debate I'm keeping it simple.  While seeking to be in God's presence this morning I stumbled upon something that truly inspired me. Joseph, Jesus' earthly father. This man does not get enough credit in our church Christmas plays, story telling or any other Christmas related activities. This man was pure love. Nothing grinch

I posted this meme on my social media page a few days ago and it caused quite a stir. What seemed like a very cut and dry meme to me was the complete opposite for some others. Apparently it opened some wounds that were not quite healed, provoked unforgiveness lingering in some and made me a "bad" Christian for sharing. I've grown some pretty thick skin since my divorce... so with my formidable defenses in place I decided to respond to the comments on my Facebook page and share my heart. This action is second nature to some, but the old me would have simply deleted the post and moved on. I have never been a fan of confrontation, I would back down from a debate and I would walk away from a fight instead of standing up for myself - but I'm learning that being completely passive is not a good thing and sometimes we need to be assertive. I still pick and choose my battles... and this was one I felt needed to be fought. Or at the very least... explained.  Most of my posts a

Have you ever been on a date and wondered, what am I doing with my life? You sit there and stare across the table at this person that seemed like a somewhat normal human being through your first few texts/calls - even while you progressed to the "let's meet in person stage" you didn't sense any red flags - and now - here you are - sitting across from them in awe (not in a good way) of this person that you thought you knew... but really didn't know and you definitely didn't have a clue of the bad habits that came with them. You replay the day in your head. You were excited that you have a date, you finally get to meet this person, in person, that you've been getting to know - you got all dressed up, brushed your teeth one last time before heading out, hopeful the date would end really well... lol... and now you're sitting across the table, bar, mini golf course from someone that clearly missed the course on date etiquette or even just manners.  Where di

I never ever thought I'd be writing a post like this! I've been blogging for 8 years and just like most everyone's life... mine has changed drastically during this time. Some good - some bad. Some of you may have had some amazing moments over the last 8 years; maybe your kids graduated high school, college, had babies - maybe you bought your dream home, got the job you've been working hard to get... or maybe on the flip side you've experienced great loss, grief, tragedy and would give anything to go back and do it all over again. Or maybe, like most of us, you've had a mix of these things - extreme highs and extreme lows. Eight years ago I started blogging because I felt deep down in my soul God was telling me to find a new platform to encourage others. I love people. I love making them laugh, feel loved and I love to encourage others to strive every day to be the best they can be. Blogging has been an amazing platform in accomplishing this. It has not only help

One of the cool things about my day job is that I get to meet new people every day. I love people and I love good conversation. Without fail, the majority of these conversations end up with my guests sharing their life story with me.  And you know what? They all have something in common. They are all fighting an internal battle that no one knows anything about, unless they choose to share it. I feel like it's safe to assume that you too, my dear reader, are also fighting something... if not right at this moment, perhaps not too long ago... or like most of us, you know a battle is on it's way. You are not alone. For years I fought the internal fight of not feeling good enough and just when I thought I was starting to really find myself and my confidence, my husband of 20 years up and walked out. There I sat, a 20 year identity stolen in a 5 minute conversation. I was left feeling worthless, abandoned and not good enough... all over again.  Daily conversations with my guests at w

Welcome to the Dating Chronicles. If this blog is new to you, welcome... and thank you for joining me on this crazy journey of life. Mixed in between heartfelt posts about serving God, family life and my journey from married to divorced (after 20 years) are some comedic relief posts about my dating journey that I've dubbed the "Dating Chronicles".  Thus far I've only blogged about the "funny" ones and the ones that you just can't make up - but - after several readers have reached out trying to "hook" me up with their definition of a "good" man... hahahaha - I decided it was time to share a blog about some of the good ones. I really have met some kind and wonderful men along the way... unfortunately there just wasn't any chemistry there and for this chic - that is a must! I remember one night in particular where my date picked me up at my house. He insisted on picking me up and coming to the door to get me. He had flowers in hand a

I saw this meme the other day and I'm pretty sure I laughed so hard I snorted my water right out of my nose! I remember chatting with divorcees when I was still married and thinking OMG I'm so glad that's not me... hahahaha... well the joke was on this chic, cause here I am - S.I.N.G.L.E   It's been 2 1/2 years since I re-entered the dating world and I have to say 2 things about it: 1) To the singles that I knew before I was single - I'm so sorry! 2) What am I doing with my life? My sister and my BFF consistently tell me that I'm too picky! I keep trying to discern if they are encouraging me to lower my standards or if Chris Hemsworth really isn't an option... hmmmm I'll let you decide - comments are welcome. This blog comes to you courtesy of Mr. Double Dip. I like to name them all - keeps them anonymous and honestly - It makes me giggle... lol Date wasn't off to a great start to begin with. It was a set up from a mutual friend who wanted to go out

I’ve sworn off dating. It’s just too complicated. If you find yourself in the second, third or even fourth round of this “love” thing (like me)… I’m sure you’ve had moments like this. After a bad, awkward or maybe even a good date… you think to yourself… This is just too exhausting. The bad dates leave you feeling like you will never meet your life partner and the really good dates cause overthinkers like me to end the relationship before it even has a chance. The walls go up and you tell yourself  "I’m not ready for this".  I can only conclude that these thoughts come from the fear of getting hurt again and again and again. Nevertheless I’m taking a break. I mean not really… lol… it just seems like the mature thing to say.  Over the past 2 years of being back in the dating pool I’ve learned a lot about what I like and what I dislike in a man. I adore someone with a kind heart, loves their family and believes in God. I also learned that I'm really attracted to what some w

We all want true love - or what our idea of true love is - and for each of us that probably looks a little different. Some of us romanticize in our minds the fairytale life we've grown up watching in movies. Some of us just imagine it as someone to do day to day life with. I think it's safe to say all of us want to be accepted and loved for who we are... flaws, insecurities and all. I think aside from wealth, love is the most sought after thing on earth.  In my book, Don't Give Up, I write a chapter dedicated to being born with a Jesus size hole in our heart, that only He can fill. I still believe that... however, this current season of life has taught me - what I thought I knew - but now I know I know - we will try everything to fill that hole - before we try Jesus. How does this relate to true love? Keep reading. My separation, now divorce, left a hole or should I say crater inside of me that I had no clue was even possible. The emptiness that came from that experience wa

 My pastor used to sing a song, “I Want to Spend My Life Mending Broken People”. He has since gone home to be with the Lord, but I can still see his sparkly blue eyes fill up with tears when he would lift his hands toward heaven and worship God with this song. He sang it from the depths of his soul. He meant every word and he lived every word. I know this - because I was one of those broken people. I was 18, suffering from severe depression and totally lost. If you know my story… then you know… if you don’t - here’s a brief summary. I made a deal with my grandmother that I would meet with her pastor, I went to her church, met him, he poured the word of God into me, loved me without judgment and after I opened my heart to the truth of the bible, God completely healed my depression - then - I took up the ministry mantle. I wanted to be like my pastor and share God’s Word to heal broken people. For 20 years, I did. The last 2 years I did not. I had to work on my own healing all over again

 February 14th… comes every year… and every year I just roll my eyes, mentally stick my finger down my throat and look at all the love sick saps that are willing to spend triple the normal price on some flowers and candy, just to publicly declare “I love you” or “I like you”.  This year - I changed my mind. My ex and I never celebrated Valentine’s Day. We made it a point to have consistent date nights, he’d bring home flowers on a random Thursday just to say he was thinking of me and romance was abundant in our home. (So why is he my ex… hahahaha… another blog, another day) I decided this year that the days of not celebrating this over-commercialized fake holiday were behind me just like my marriage. Today I will celebrate! I bought my daughter over priced flowers and told her she was my Valentine. The smile on her face and the twinkle in her eyes was more than worth the money spent. I adore that girl of mine. She is beautiful inside and out and I thank God for her every day.  I also m

My last post “More than a Pretty Face” caused quite a stir. I received a lot of feedback including some "mantrums", a lot of different perspectives from men and women (which I love btw) and some pretty hysterical opinions. So I decided to take this feedback under advisement and take men off the hot seat by attempting to put the ladies on the spot with a woman centered question... However it seems men got the short end of the stick again… sorry fellas I tried (really... I did...lol). My question was this:  Question: “What is your opinion of women making the first move and asking men out?”  This question stemmed from my previous post, referring to the fact that most of the men that slide into my Dm’s or my friend’s Dm’s, start the dialogue with “Hey beautiful”. I gave my not so subtle opinion as to how this is soooooo annoying and guys should really try something more original... hence the "mantrums" - I received a lot of backlash saying “you try making the first move

My friend posted a meme the other day that had me burst out laughing… It said, “I know I’m hot, but I also know I am not a full time hot person. I’m hot when I wanna be. I choose my own hot hours. I make my own schedule. I do freelance hotness.” Oh how I can relate (well kinda)   Honestly… and I’m being serious, I don’t feel like a “hot chick”. Full transparency here - When I look in the mirror I see someone I don’t think is ugly… but I don’t say to myself, “ooooo u sexy thing… you’re so hot” hahahahaha… maybe I should start, though. I feel like that word is more suitable for my friend that posted the meme or one of the Kardashians… maybe J Lo, Rhianna, Scarlett Johanson… you get the picture. I’m working hard to not pick myself apart and point out all my flaws but I definitely don’t think I’m hot. Maybe this feeling stems from being divorced after a 20 year marriage, maybe I’m just humble or maybe I just know my number… Either way, I know I’m pretty but I also know I have a lot of laye

Are you single? Are you in the age bracket of 35 - 45 where most of the singles are divorced? Are you dating? Are you picky? Are you discovering why all of these people are single? Me too! I’m not excluding myself from this… I know I’m a handful and it’s going to take a special kind of special to handle me… #facts - But I’m really getting tired of all my dates ending and the first thing I want to do is call my bestie and say “Girl, lemme tell ya about this one”.  What a roller coaster ride this has been. I have to admit though, it is making for some great blogging material. A friend suggested to me that maybe I am self sabotaging all my dates so I can keep the stories coming. Haha! This could be a subconscious thing - I’m looking into it! However, I am still opposed to dating apps and I have almost decided to stop dating period. I’m just tired of the disappointment. My sister stands by her statement - “Amy, you are too picky”. This may be true, but I think this go round I deserve to be