Ty and I were talking about things we used to love to do when we were kids and I told him how i used to ask if i could go 'play track'! LOL! we were both cracking up and i proceeded to tell him of a story of when i was on the schools track team. i was definitely a sprinter, but i thought i could do it all since i was so fast. my coach approached me and asked if i would do hurdles and i was so excited because of his confidence in me. the next few days we were going over the hurdles, but i was so sure that i was going to be fine, that i pretty much brushed it off. the following weekend we had a meet and i was so excited b/c it was my first one! i hadnt really practiced much on the hurdles, but it couldnt be that hard, huh? well, finally, the BIG day had come! i did well in the 200, 400, and the 400 relays. It was time for me to shine with the hurdles as well. Well, little did i know, the lack of preparation was going to show up and knock me on my face! Once the race started, i took off, as soon as i saw the first hurdle come around, the confidence that was once there was immediately gone! i didnt know how far to lift my knees, the proper form, my whole position was way OFF! first hurdle, i stumbled a little bit, but it caused an uneasiness in my mind, and quickly, the second one was approaching and not only did i hit the hurdle, but fell on my face! I just couldnt get it, but still wondering why I COULDNT GET IT RIGHT!? i was so embarrassed and mad at myself at the same time. after beating myself up, my coach finally came to me and asked me what did i think the problem was. I told him it was his fault! Ha, the nerve of me! I still remember how his face softened and as he said, 'Ericka, i showed you what you were supposed to do to prevent that from happening. I ran with you through every hurdle in practice to signal to you when the next one was coming. I coached you the entire time and I had confidence in you that you would do great, but YOU let them defeat you!' As i was telling this story to Ty, we BOTH recieved a similiar revelation! In order to defeat the hurdles, we have to be prepared for them. I KNEW the hurdles were coming during my race, but i just didnt know how to conquer them. In life, we are going to have hurdles, thats just the way it is, a scripture in the book of James says, 'WHEN troubles come our way..." (James 1:2,3) not "IF", but WHEN...How are you going to handle them? if we are prepared for them, it will make life so much easier. we will eliminate the complaining, the doubt, and self pity and when we are prepared, we are already victorious, no matter how many hurdles may be coming our way. without the hurdles, there would be nothing to overcome!
Preparation: Ephesians 6:10-11, 14-17 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes… Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."
Friday, March 27, 2009
Sunday, January 11, 2009
All in the name of WINGS!
Chicken wings and me just do not get along! Sounds crazy, but it is the truth! The ONLY reason I deal with them is b/c Ty loves them so much! Let me explain. I bake EVERYTHING! Any kind of meat that can be cooked, I put it in my oven. (For health reasons)The only time we eat something fried, which is once or twice a year, is fried catfish. (Or unless we are in the states straying away from our 9 month diet overseas)
Anyway, the other day, I was cooking this disasterous meal...how can it be so bad if Im just putting it in the oven? That too, I will explain. Ty is a simple man. Easygoing, loves everything I prepare, never complains, loves leftovers, the whole nine....but when it comes to his wings, they have to be PERFECT! Just the right amount of crisp, the perfect shade of brown, with a zest to go right along with it. So of course, wanting him to love every meal I make, I try to perfect it as much as I can. Well, every single time, I am almost cursing the creation of chicken! Ty never knows it, but behind the scenes, in my kitchen, its a true battle. Mind you, overseas, we dont have all the extra gadgets that we take for granted in the States, such as the BROIL dial.
Going back to his picky tendencies towards wings, the crispyness of it-that is. Ok, the first part of the meal is pretty simple. Put it in the oven and let it bake. Well, after so long, I have to start the hard part. I have to transport the wings from the dish onto another one. Let it bake for a little bit longer. Once they have started to create their own juices, I have to again, transport the wings onto another baking dish. (And yes, to answer any 'obvious' questions, I do use oven mits, I do use a fork, spatuala, etc....)
As I am turning over each and every wing, my fingers are dang near going through second degree burns. After baking in the dishes, I then put them in foil, inspecting every single one of them before placing them back in the oven. If you are a cook, you know some parts of the chicken can tend to get 'slimy' (Ty's word) from the juices (or like I like to call it, tender)......ok, I will fast forward....at the end of it all, my fingers are burnt up, Im mad at myself b/c I am mad at some lifeless chicken wings, and also b/c I let my sister, Halana hear me sound defeated by a simple dinner....After I 'get it together' I inspect every piece of chicken to make sure its the perfect kind of crispy and that it does not have any kind of fat on it (another pet peeve of his), etc, etc...
When Ty gets home, VOILA! He is grinning from ear to ear and the first bite, I stand there holding my breath hoping that it has passed the test of his tastebuds. As I see that contagious smile spread across his face, I think 'YES! I did it!!!' He confirms that they are 'PERFECT' (his words to be exact) and I walk back into the battlefield and smile my 'victory smile'.
But never, not once, does he know how much I HATE baking those darn wings. Its my little secret b/c I know if he knew, he would tell me to not even go through all the trouble of doing it. But, Ive learned that loving somebody is not supposed to be convenient. You can get burned sometimes, you can dread going through it, but if that person is worth it, you will find ways to get it done, regardless. Of course, Im still trying to master those wings without all the drama, but until then, Ill just keep my water on cold and my stick of butter on the counter.
Anyway, the other day, I was cooking this disasterous meal...how can it be so bad if Im just putting it in the oven? That too, I will explain. Ty is a simple man. Easygoing, loves everything I prepare, never complains, loves leftovers, the whole nine....but when it comes to his wings, they have to be PERFECT! Just the right amount of crisp, the perfect shade of brown, with a zest to go right along with it. So of course, wanting him to love every meal I make, I try to perfect it as much as I can. Well, every single time, I am almost cursing the creation of chicken! Ty never knows it, but behind the scenes, in my kitchen, its a true battle. Mind you, overseas, we dont have all the extra gadgets that we take for granted in the States, such as the BROIL dial.
Going back to his picky tendencies towards wings, the crispyness of it-that is. Ok, the first part of the meal is pretty simple. Put it in the oven and let it bake. Well, after so long, I have to start the hard part. I have to transport the wings from the dish onto another one. Let it bake for a little bit longer. Once they have started to create their own juices, I have to again, transport the wings onto another baking dish. (And yes, to answer any 'obvious' questions, I do use oven mits, I do use a fork, spatuala, etc....)
As I am turning over each and every wing, my fingers are dang near going through second degree burns. After baking in the dishes, I then put them in foil, inspecting every single one of them before placing them back in the oven. If you are a cook, you know some parts of the chicken can tend to get 'slimy' (Ty's word) from the juices (or like I like to call it, tender)......ok, I will fast forward....at the end of it all, my fingers are burnt up, Im mad at myself b/c I am mad at some lifeless chicken wings, and also b/c I let my sister, Halana hear me sound defeated by a simple dinner....After I 'get it together' I inspect every piece of chicken to make sure its the perfect kind of crispy and that it does not have any kind of fat on it (another pet peeve of his), etc, etc...
When Ty gets home, VOILA! He is grinning from ear to ear and the first bite, I stand there holding my breath hoping that it has passed the test of his tastebuds. As I see that contagious smile spread across his face, I think 'YES! I did it!!!' He confirms that they are 'PERFECT' (his words to be exact) and I walk back into the battlefield and smile my 'victory smile'.
But never, not once, does he know how much I HATE baking those darn wings. Its my little secret b/c I know if he knew, he would tell me to not even go through all the trouble of doing it. But, Ive learned that loving somebody is not supposed to be convenient. You can get burned sometimes, you can dread going through it, but if that person is worth it, you will find ways to get it done, regardless. Of course, Im still trying to master those wings without all the drama, but until then, Ill just keep my water on cold and my stick of butter on the counter.
Monday, January 5, 2009
God-dance
From the beginning of our relationship, it was understood that I LOVE to dance, HAVE to dance, and to not take that away from me. Ty understood how important that was to me, so he makes it a point to take me out to dance every so often or we just dance on our terrace, living room, wherever- just so I can get it out of my system! I remember one day while we were out dancing, I was grooving and doing my thing and it seemed as if Ty couldnt keep up (this is my version of the story). I ignored the first few times he through my rhythm off, but that fourth time, I had to do something. 'Either just stand there and watch me or do it like this!' is what I thought, but of course I didnt say that. I just grabbed his hands and led him in the direction I wanted to go and the motions I was trying to do. At first, he ignored my gesture and kept doing his own thing, but I was persistent and determined to 'two step' a couple of more hours that night, so I wasnt trying to turn it into a debate. Eventually, he caught on to what I was doing and surrendered his feet to me. As soon as he did that, it made the rhythm so much more smooth because he allowed me to take the lead. No more stepping on my feet or bumping me in the wrong direction or me rolling my eyes on the inside! lol As I had that funny moment today, 'GUIDANCE' popped in my mind.
When I meditated on the word guidance, I kept seeing "dance" at the end of the word. I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing. When two people try to lead, nothing feels right. The movement doesnt flow with the music, and everything is pretty uncomfortable and jerky. When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead, both bodies begin to flow with the music. Its as if two become one body, moving beautifully. The dance takes surrender, willingness, and attentiveness from one person and gentle guidance and skill from the other. My eyes drew back to the word guidance. When I saw "G", I thought of God, followed by "u" and "i"."God", "u" and "i" dance. God, you and I dance. Even after a simple memory of my husband and I, God still has a way of tugging at me and showing me things in the spiritual. During this moment in my life, I really am experiencing this dance with God, especially as it relates to Ty and I trying for a baby. Im not looking to ovulation kits, ovulation watches, special 'vitamins', etc. I know God is about to twirl me around and knock me off of my feet! And with that thought, I became willing to let God take the lead!
When I meditated on the word guidance, I kept seeing "dance" at the end of the word. I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing. When two people try to lead, nothing feels right. The movement doesnt flow with the music, and everything is pretty uncomfortable and jerky. When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead, both bodies begin to flow with the music. Its as if two become one body, moving beautifully. The dance takes surrender, willingness, and attentiveness from one person and gentle guidance and skill from the other. My eyes drew back to the word guidance. When I saw "G", I thought of God, followed by "u" and "i"."God", "u" and "i" dance. God, you and I dance. Even after a simple memory of my husband and I, God still has a way of tugging at me and showing me things in the spiritual. During this moment in my life, I really am experiencing this dance with God, especially as it relates to Ty and I trying for a baby. Im not looking to ovulation kits, ovulation watches, special 'vitamins', etc. I know God is about to twirl me around and knock me off of my feet! And with that thought, I became willing to let God take the lead!
Friday, January 2, 2009
Happy New Year!
Ah! It is a new year! For some, it means starting over from scratch, wiping the slate clean- basically redeeming themselves from a whole year of mess ups, screw ups, disappointments, etc. I find that New Years day is much like every day of the week for me, of course without all of the fireworks, champagne, tons of phone calls and mass texts, however its parallel in the sense of having a fresh new start! Everyday I wake up, I ask for a renewal of my mind and forgiveness for my sins for the day before and possibly the ones I would make on that very day. I was talking to someone I hold very near and dear to my heart and they said that in 2009, they want a relationship with God. It made my heart smile b/c if you know this person, you would know it took a lot for them to say this! So, I was so pleased and my spirit was just a dancing! lol But it made me think about all of those who feel like they have to wait for the 'perfect' time to surrender their lives to Christ or the perfect situation. To be honest, any time is perfect to give your life to Him. We can always make up excuses or say, 'tomorrow is the day' but unfortunately, tomorrow isnt always promised. When you feel like God is tugging at your heart, dont put it off, accept it right then and everyday you can feel like its 'New Years' and be just as excited about the start of a new day! You can create your own 'fireworks' in the midst of your prayer time, your own memories when forming a relationship with God, and definitely a life of fulfillment and rewards! So, enjoy this great New Year, but dont forget about every new DAY you have been given a chance to be a friend of Gods! Love you!
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