What's Your Therapy?

What is your therapy? What is it you do to escape from things or make yourself feel happy? Dictionary.com has several definitions of therapy, but my favorite is... "Any act, task, program, etc...that relieves tension." Since my life has been rough lately, I have turned to many types of therapy including....praying, sleeping, reading and my biggest....SHOPPING. I admit I love to shop! What woman doesn't right? The only problem is that my budget limits me in how often I can use this type of therapy. I'm actually really great at budgeting but over the past two weeks I have found myself not even looking at prices. YIKES! I just seemed to be handing over my piece of plastic. For me it was a temporary fix. That is, until I begin to balance my checking account 3 days ago.

I've been blessed with a wonderful mother who calls almost everyday to check on my status. On Friday her phone call took me by surprise. She informed me to go shopping for myself and she would cover the expenses. I guess she was trying to lighten my spirits the best way she knew how. So, I took her advice and did so. Here is what my Saturday looked like.......Thanks Mom for your financial contributions that helped to make it so awesome! What would have been a typical day at Barnes & Noble turned into a magical day that made me feel special when I needed it the most.

I began the day by making a stop at Ulta for a makeover! Since I've been feeling kind of poopy(this is a word in my dictionary) and ugly I knew a makeover would be the remedy. I walked in and told my sweet friend Tori who works there, to make me feel pretty again. And boy did she do that! Her amazing talents made my green eyes that have been so hidden recently stand out. And her choice of lipstick made me want to smile to reveal its beautiful color. Several of the employees complimented her on her awesome transformation. Of course, I bought the products that made me feel like a princess. You know you would have done the same :) Please see above for this purchase. Yes, it was SMASHBOX products! They are oh so amazing but oh so pricey. Thank you mom for your contributions so that I was able to buy the princess makeup.

I then headed to my favorite... TJ Maxx. The employee that greeted me quickly complimented my eyes. See...it really was worth the money!!! (Atleast for the short time it made me feel better). Afterwards, I headed to the mall and was allured into the most feminine store on the block. I purchased 7 new pairs of panties (can I say that on here?). What is it about buying new undergarments that makes a woman feel so amazing? (See pink bag above). I ended the night over dinner at Cheesecake Bistro with my dear friend Laura, who was in town. We were able to catch up on each other's lives and I thank God for her friendship. The day was over after I crashed...I was exhaused after shopping and dinner. I try to not always resort to this type of therapy, but it does't hurt every once a while, right? The way it made me feel about myself was worth every penny! The next time I need therapy I will go back to "praying".

Laura & I enjoying our pastas!

****Actual amount of food on my fork was staged for the picture. My mouth is not big enough for a bite that large.

Side note....Thank you mom for helping to make my Saturday special!

Coffee anyone?

Okay so I’m about to release a huge secret that might make you stop what you are doing and cause you to put your hand over your mouth. I ask that you please don’t judge me for it but instead have an open mind and laugh with me about it. After all, God created us all different, right? Or maybe he just chose to make me the only person in the world who has this quality…or at least that’s the way I feel….I’m an outsider. So…… I DO NOT drink COFFEE. Take a few seconds and take it all in. You can call me crazy or just plain weird. I know you are probably freaking out at this point. Yes, I’m probably the ONLY person in Atlanta who has never had a full cup of it. My consumption of this black substance has only been about 5 ounces in my entire life! What is it about this black liquid that people are nuts about? I’m not sure why I don’t care for it since I grew up around my mom making a pot every morning and every night. I have even tried it with cream, sugar, etc….but it just doesn’t float my boat. It seems millions of people and all of Atlanta can’t function without it. Now, I might have to write a new post in about 5 years when I have 3 young children waking me up at 6:30am every day. But for now I’m perfectly okay with not having the bold and bitter taste in my mouth. Here are some quick facts about coffee…….

• Worldwide, more than 1400 million cups of coffee are consumed everyday


• Coffee has been used as a beverage for over 700 years


• It takes 40 coffee beans to make an expresso
  

What are your weird qualities? I know we all have them! I will embrace my rare quality of an Atlantian with a smile on my face. Thanks for accepting me for who I am. God sure does and I love him for it!

Thank You Lord for...children and faith!

THANK YOU LORD for children and faith! After I met Kian on Sunday, I decided to spend yesterday afternoon at the homeless shelter here in Atlanta. My sister’s house as it is called, houses around 50 kids! To see their faces you would never know they lived in a shelter or had experienced such a hard walk in their short lives. I approached the playground and within seconds 5 children came running up to me. I guess a new face must have been extremely exciting for those who live with around 100 plus. They hugged me, asked my name, told me theirs, grabbed hold of my hands and pulled me over to the monkey bars. I was a total stranger to these kids but they treated me like I was one of their own. I was pulled from one end of the playground to the other sliding down slides, running around and watching their songs and dances. One little girl even asked me to pick her up so that she could grab the monkey bars. I was in total disbelief that she allowed me to touch her and raise her up so high above my head. These children were putting their trust in me and welcoming me to their home. They loved me as God loved us. Did you know that human love is conditional and based on feelings or emotions? God’s love is the complete opposite. He doesn’t love us because we love him or make him feel good. He loves us unconditionally! I am so thankful for the children that day and their unconditional love towards me. It made me realize that I must love everyone as God loved us.

"God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him"
1 John 4:16

After about an hour, I headed inside to tutor a teenager. Her mother sat on the computer next to us typing an email. I watched her patiently and slowly peck at the keyboard, one letter at a time. She had obviously never been taught how to type, a skill that we all take for granted. As I turned my head, a word from the screen seemed to jump up and catch my attention. If I hadn’t looked twice I would have thought it was in all bold, italicized and capital letters. But it wasn’t! At the bottom of her email she wrote the word GOD BLESS! Such a simple statement but such a large meaning. Here was a woman who was homeless, living in a shelter, had experienced more in her life than most of us ever will and she was sharing her faith with others. I left the shelter so thankful for having gone and with a challenge to share my faith with others. So thank you Lord for the children at the shelter and how they exemplified your love and for the mother whose faith in you impacted me. THANK YOU LORD for children and faith!

Thank You Lord for...courage

THANK YOU LORD for giving me courage. It is amazing to me how God can work so quickly in our lives. Only hours after re-accepting Christ into my life again I headed to Cheesecake Factory to grab lunch and then off to Barnes and Noble for the afternoon. By the way if you have never eaten there I highly recommend it, it is my favorite restaurant! J I bought the book my counselor recommended, “Changes that Heal” and headed upstairs to find a seat. The book is a spiritual one that helps us to understand our past to ensure a healthier future. Did you know that all your relationships as a child with your parents and friends will always have an effect on your current ones? I will have to blog about the book later.

I grabbed a big comfy chair in a group of 4 facing each other. After taking off my shoes (yes I did in Barnes & Noble) I glanced at my neighbors. One was obviously studying for a test, the other on her computer and well the third one caught my eye. She was dressed in mismatched clothes, shoes that were obviously too big for her feet and her arms and head were tucked inside her shirt. She lay there curled up sleeping with her plastic bag beside her. She was HOMELESS! It hit me that she had come where it was comfortable, safe and dry (despite Atlanta was flooding at the moment). While reading I caught myself glancing up at her after every couple of pages. This is when God began to tug at my heart. He was telling me to act, but I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want to embarrass her in front of the others sitting so close. I continued to read ignoring my desires until they became so strong I had to make a move. I quietly walked over and whispered into her ear, “Do you need something to eat?” She simply nodded her head yes without saying a word. She followed me downstairs to the small café where she looked at me puzzled. I told her to order anything she wanted. Without a second of hesitation she pointed to the club sandwich. Isn’t it amazing that people who aren’t usually given options can make a decision so quickly? We ordered the sandwich along with some Cranberry juice. She introduced herself as Kian and I returned the introduction. I offered to sit with her but she informed me she wanted to go to the music section before leaving. She kept saying “Thank you” over and over and did so at least 5 times before we parted. As I turned to walk away she quietly said “You look like a movie star.” My face instantly lit up and a smile took over sending a warm sensation to my heart. You may be saying that was nice of me and I was able to touch a life, but I look at it completely different. Kian touched my heart that moment and brought life to me when I needed it the most. She was the angel that day! Without God’s courage I wouldn’t have been able to share my faith with a complete stranger or wouldn’t have been reminded of how truly fortunate I am. So ,THANK YOU LORD for giving me courage.

Thank You Lord for... a Second Chance

THANK YOU LORD for giving me a second chance. Recently, I have been dealing with one of the hardest things I have ever dealt with in my life. Last week I cried myself to sleep almost every night, had my first anxiety attack, lost 6 pounds in 5 days because I couldn’t eat, took time off from work because I couldn’t concentrate, saw a counselor, took depression medicine for the first time in my life and continually searched for answers to the point where it consumed over 85% of my daily thoughts. As the counselor diagnosed it, I was experiencing bereavement or aka grieving. On Sunday I realized I was only left with one place to turn….GOD. I knew I couldn’t get through this emotional time without Him and realized the lack of him in my life was probably one contributing factor to the situation in the first place. So, drum roll please….. I’m happy to announce that after spending 4 hours praying and crying, I re-accepted Christ into my life at Northpoint Community Church in Alpharetta. A big thank you to Ms. Joann and Ms. Michelle for talking with me, praying with me and guiding me through the entire process. You were definitely angels sent from above.

If you know me at all you are probably confused at this point. You might be asking how I can re-accept him into my life. Or you might even react as my friend Mike did, “But you already had him in your life and you are already a religious person.” Well, the answer is yes I did re-accept him and Mike is right about him already being in my life. Christ has actually been a part of my life since childhood but let me explain…

We all drive down the road we call life. Christ has been in my car for quite a while now. I sometimes even let Him sit beside me in the front passenger seat. When I reach a destination point He is most usually praised for helping me navigate or for helping me make good time. When difficult conditions occur on the road I don’t have a problem handing the wheel right over. I mean who wants to drive in snow or rain when you aren’t familiar with those conditions. Occasionally, I even make Him sit in the back passenger seat, relying fully on the confidence that I know how to drive without His help at all. The fact of the matter is… Christ has never been the owner of the car. I have relied on my own experiences, confidence, and guidance to reach destinations and steer my way through life. After hitting a dead end road last week I turned off my car, unbuckled the seatbelt and slowly opened the door making way for Him. We can drive all day long on our road of life but what we fail to ask ourselves is where we are truly going. I have decided that without a map or clear path we continue to drive in circles, take dead end roads, try to cross bridges that aren’t stable and much more. So I am proud to say that God is now at the wheel of my car and will be my personal GPS from here on out. I know it won’t always be easy being a passenger in the back seat when I’ve been the driver for so long. And I’m sure at times I will even ask for it back, but I have made the decision to give it to Him and this is only the first step. I’m now ready to sit back, enjoy the scenery and His choice of stops along the way . If one thing is clear, I have never felt so much pressure and weight lifted off my shoulders. For once I am not in control, HE is. I’m looking forward to the ride to sharing my journey with you. So, THANK YOU LORD for giving me a second chance!

"Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’' Isaiah 41:10

Britt's First Blog

So this is my first blog ever! Crazy right, since we now live in a time where technology and social networks have taken over. I admit I have yet to enter the Twitter world either, but have been an avid Facebook user for over 3 years now! Please bare with me as I take time to learn my way around the Blogging world. My first task is to make this Blog more colorful and a better reflection of who I am as a person. If you know how to do so, please lend your services:)

I have decided to begin blogging for many reasons..... 1) To help keep my family and friends updated on my life. Some live so far away and with everyone's busy schedules it is hard to always find time for an hour call to catch up. 2) Someone suggested I do so to keep track of the many things that occur in my life so one day I can look back on it. 3) To journal and write down my thoughts as I deal with life's challenges. After all, the best therapy is to journal.

So, I hope that you enjoy reading my blogs as I enjoy writing them. I can't promise that they will always be interesting or that they will keep you coming back for more. But, I can promise that I will always be myself and will share my thoughts openly. You may disagree with me at times or even totally find yourself on the same page. I also occasionally hope to make you laugh and cry as well! Welcome to my outlook of the world around us.....Welcome to

BRITTANY'S VIEW OF LIFE!