" Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass." -Psalm 37:5

Today we had a documentary due for my Global Consumer class. I thought ya'll might like to watch it. It's almost Friday..YAY! This week has been so long and busy. I'm excited about the weekend...Steven is coming so see me Friday and then Saturday/Sunday I'll be in Springville for Allie's wedding activities.

Halloween Fun!

Sunday night after church..Whitney and Ashley had a get together at their house. It was so much fun! I was not informed till Saturday night I was suppose to dress up so I had to throw something together. So I pulled out my tennis get up and went as a tennis player ha! No one else got the memo either that you were suppose to dress up so there was only four of us that dressed up. Enjoy the pictures!

Sometimes in the winds of change we find our true identity

This past week as I have been trying to get use to the fact that I don't have my braces anymore I've really been thinking about things. As the title of this post states that Sometimes in the winds of change we find our true identity I found this quote online and changed it around to apply to my life. So each week I meet with two girls for an Accountability group. It's great because I am held accountable. Since I have been meeting with these girls I have really been thinking on the Lord and really trying to listen and pay attention to what he is trying to teach me. Well after a two and a half year situation I have finally learned what he was trying to teach me through all the dental work I have had done.

Ever since I got braces in March of 2006 things as far as my perception about myself and the perceptions that other people have about the way I look have been continuously changing. As you all know all the stuff I went through. I have had my feelings hurt many times by people really close to me saying things like:why did you have anything done? when will you look normal again? You don't look anything like yourself. Since I've had surgery I go different places and people don't even recognize me. That is all fine and well. I guess I'm saying this to say that I've taken a lot of heat about having all of this work done. Some people have the opinion I want to be plastic. ( If anyone knows me they know this is not the case)

I get to this point..not only have I changed physically but I have change spiritually. These past couple of days I have really been questioning why did I go through two and a half years of intense dental work. I keep coming up with Destinee you have found your Identity in someone much greater than yourself and the way you look. Wow! As I write this I'm holding back tears because I know this is so true. I have found my true IDENTITY and that is in my SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST. This may sound silly or crazy to you but the Lord has used dental work as a way of bringing me back to Him. He has taught me about the things that are important in life...things eternal not external.

My life has changed so much during these two and a half years and so has my walk with the Lord. Before this long process began I was so consumed with the way I looked and the way people looked at me and what they thought. After I had surgery when my cheeks looked like I had stuck cantaloupes in both sides, people started getting to know me for me. If you would have ask me in March of 2006 about what I thought my life would be like now I would have told you something totally different then what I'm living now. God's sovereignty is so amazing. We start out with a certain motive or intention and he uses that situation whatever it might be( my case dental work) to get our attention and bring us back to HIM.

So as I reflect back on the past and I look forward I can stand firm and assured that my identity rest in the hands of my Sovereign and Merciful King and not on the mere basis of what I look like.

Blake's Senior night!

Last night was Senior night at Plainview. It was weird because it doesn't seem like Blake is suppose to be graduating this year. Anyways the players/parents were recognized before the game. Plainview won 37-10...Playoff Bound!

BIG DAY!!!

Today on October 24, 2008 I got my braces off. I'm finished!! After years of mouth work today was the day that it all paid off. Yay for no more braces...EVER!!! Honestly I didn't know if this day would ever come ha! When I was getting them off today it was kind of bitter sweet. I was scared that my teeth were going to look horrible and yet another change for people to get use to. In a way I felt like my braces had become a part of my identity oddly enough. Mostly because all of my really good friends now...only know the Destinee with braces! But the people who have known me for a while are going to get to witness yet another drastic change...my mom ask me today when I was going to stop changing haha! This is it mom.

busy-rushed-hurried-zoom zoom

Ahh...two minutes to sit down and say that I haven't given up on blogging. I just have been really busy. Today I had accountability and it was good. Jenn ask me about what was going on in my life. I was just like BUSYNESS!! I feel like every minute of my days here lately have been crazy rushed. That I've just been living life only a day ahead...I'm always preparing for the next thing. I'm never ahead. My quite time has suffered because of it. Something has to CHANGE. So...with all of that said-I'm going to try to be more wise with my time and just say NO to somethings....I can't do it all and be at all. I'm tired of telling people when they ask how I'm doing and I just say BUSY. I do not want BUSYNESS to continue to consume my life.

" You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away, Why?" declares the Lord Almighty. " Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house. Haggai 1:9

- I do not want my busyness to become an idol in my life that hinders my growth and relationship with the Lord-

No I don't want the guy with the long hair-jesus sandals w/ socks-stick on mustache

Let me just tell you about my exciting day! This morning I had class of course. Then after class I went to Moe's to meet Terri Leigh for lunch. We had such a good time...she is PRECIOUS! After that I had Monica pick me up on campus and take me back home so I could change. Then we came back to the school she went to class and I went the Act to work out( it was much needed..my body was physically stressed and tense it needed relief). After that I went home and jumped in the shower pretty quickly. Got ready and headed to Sarah Laine's volleyball game. Sarah Laine is one of my focus group girls. They won..and she dominated she was incredible. After the game I ran home and put supper on. I had invited Whitney and Ashley over for supper. We had lemon pepper chicken, rice, and Sister Shubert rolls. Whitney and Ashley brought homemade chocolate chip cookies. It was a fun time. So now I'm finally sitting down after a crammed packed day. The picture above was taken at the volleyball game. R-L Terri Leigh(women's youth director at Lakeview) Allie & Cara( my focus group girls)

Listening will get you a long way-_-_-

A case of the Bookworms!

Okay..so as I've been told often I'm a nerd. I LOVE to read. A lot of the time I do not get to read for entertainment. Today I went to Accountability group. Usually I'm the first one there but today I wasn't and I didn't even know it. We meet at Toomer's Coffee every Wednesday. So I got there and didn't see the other two girls cars so I just assumed they were not there. I went inside and looked just in case to see if they were there. I didn't SEE them. So I walked back outside and sat down at one of the tables just going to wait on them. So as I waited on them I just opened up my Bible to 1 Kings I have been reading through Ecclesiastes but I have went back to 1 Kings to understand more about Solomon so I could understand the viewpoint from which he was writing in Ecclesiastes. So I sat there and sat there and sat there. I read and read and read. It was so relaxing just getting to have this time with no distractions to submerge in God's word. Often times we(I) don't take enough time or block out all of the distractions when we(I) are in the word to really soak it in and listen to what the scripture is telling us. Just sitting there today really made me stop & examine my daily reading time. Have I been reading out of habit or have I been reading expecting to learn and hear from God.

It's so amazing how God takes situations where your suppose to be doing something else (i.e. Jenn was in Toomers the whole time. We say apart for 30 min.) and just directs us to HIM. Once we finally realized we were both there and Cassidy got there we met and it was great.

Lately, I have been trying to appreciate the little things in life more. Often times those are the things we over look and don't get to enjoy or smile/laugh about. Life is good...so laugh and smile a lot!

Brain FREEZE

Do you ever just have those moments when your brain just doesn't want to work. Well I have been trying to write this paper since last week. I told myself I was going to work on it Thursday and Friday. It didn't happen. So Saturday I was like ok I'm going to get this paper wrote b/c I know that I want have a lot of time between now and Tuesday to do so. So I sit down to write it and I couldn't get past the title. So last night when I finally got back to Auburn I was sitting down with the intentions to write and finish the paper. Well I got about a page and a half and couldn't finish it. At this point it wasn't b/c I didn't want to..I just couldn't think of the right things to say. Response papers are hard especially on topics that you don't really care for or know much about. So right now I just tried to finish my paper. I got to the conclusion and guess what I couldn't think of how to finish it. BRAIN PLEASE WORK FOR ME....so I'm fixing to head to my next class. Hopefully after I get out of class and attempt to finish my paper I will be able to. Gahlee what a pain this paper has been.

AHhhYAaaYA

What a weekend & it's not even over yet. Last night I went home for Blakes football game. They lost in double overtime 43-42 it was a great game. This morning I got to sleep late and it was wonderful. Today I had a pretty long chat with my parents and then I came down to Springville to spend the night with Allie. Once I got to Springville I met her at the nail place and we got our nails done. It was so much to see her and catch up on things. Then we came back to her house. Her mom fixed chili so we ate and watched the pathetic excuse of an Auburn game. That game was totally embarrassing. After that I got to try on my bridesmaid dress...it looked great just going to have to have it altered some(which was a huge shock to me...I was afraid it was going to be to small). Then we had a spa night. Allie is saleing a beauty line and so we tried it all out. It was very fun. Now I'm fixing to crash...it's been a long emotional day. Yay....for the Bridal Shower tomorrow.

My friends are the BEST!!!

So I don't stop to thank or appreciate my friends as much as I should. I often take them for granted. This past year I have truly been blessed with such AMAZING Godly friends. Good friends don't come often or easily. I know I have been there where I felt like I didn't have one friend to call and talk to about life. This past year some of my old friendships have been strengthen and I have made incredible new ones. So I say all of this out of thankfulness...that my old friendships have been restored and for the new friendships I have.

One of my main prayers when I was preparing to move to Auburn was that the Lord would send me good Godly friends. He has done that in abundance. I am so blessed. They are always there for me in just a simple ride to church, a shoulder to cry on, a quite prayer when in need, ears to listen, and wonderful laughs. It's great to know I have wonderful friends in my life that I can just text or call when I'm having a bad day and ask them to pray for me or ask them for words of wisdom. They do not judge or persuade me. They accept me for me.

Whitley-Janna-Monica-Ashley----you girls are incredible! Thank you for support and love in every faucet of my life. You all are truly God sents.
Monica thanks for last night!
Ashley thank you for listening when no one else would!

Love?

---Watch the video clip first before reading the rest of the post---
So now that you have watched the video and you think back to the different Disney movies that have been made and their story lines. Does everyone of them not portray an unrealistic counter type of love? As many of you know I'm taking a Marriage and Family class this semester. Last night I had to write a paper for the class. We had to read two inserts one about love portrayed in Disney movies and the other about love in real life. We had to respond to the two reads with our opinion and thoughts about them. So since I have wrote the paper I have been really thinking about love. This semester I have a couple of different classes that really challenge me to think beyond the surface of things. I was listening to the song Amazing Love this morning when I was getting ready and the wheels in my head started turning. So I thought I would share with y'all my thoughts about this.

Here is a little bit about the second reading. Mike Harden wrote " In the end, love is not the smoldering glance across the dance floor, the clink of crystal, a leisurely picnic spread upon summer's clover. It is the squeeze of a hand. I'm here. I'll be here, no matter how long the fight, even when what you want most is to close your eyes and be done with it all. Water? You need water? Here. Drink. Let me straighten your pillow". This passage was about a couple and the man was on his death bed dying and his wife was there with him the whole time. The title of this passage was: In the end, Real love means in sickness and in health. " When all is said and done, love is not rapture and fire. It is a hand steadier than one's own squeezing harder than a heartbeat. Wine changes back to water. Roses no longer come with love messages, but best wishes for a quick recovery. Endearment is exhibited by what once might have been considered insignificant kindnesses, but which, in the end, become the tenderest of ministrations".

After comparing these two very different depictions of love where does that leave you and how do you say whether one is better or worse than the other. I think that the second one is truly an example of true love. Yes, I do think that the Disney movies touch a little on love but overall they are very skewed. I mean love at first sight really? John Smith and Pocahontas didn't even speak the same lauauge how are they suddenly in love? I know this is just entertainment, but how influential is it to society. Could this be why so many marriages are failing these days due to a deceived view on love. Love is more than a pretty face or strong physical attraction to someone.

The definition of love- a very strong feeling; a great interest and pleasure in something. Love- wanting good to come to another person, being concerned and willing to work for another person's benefit. Do I know what (intimate)love is? Honestly No. I thought at one time I was IN love but now I know I definitely wasn't IN love I just loved. I think my parents have nailed it. As a on looker looking into my parents marriage and relationship, I can honestly say they love each other. They have found true love with each other...how encouraging. I have come to learn that there are other types of love than just the intimate love. I love my parents. I love my best friends..Whitley, Janna, Monica, and Ashley. I love my brothers. I love Olivia & Eliza. I love my church. I LOVE God. I love reading. I love the water. I love chocolate. I love laughing. I love being outside. I love pictures. I love Auburn. I love lots of things...but everyone of these things I love in different ways. Love comes in many sizes and shapes. So love doesn't have to be just like the Disney movies or your love for a dying spouse. It can be for very trivial things or very personal and sacred things. Love is beautiful and hard. It is work and pleasure.

When I was thinking about this I went to the word and in 1 John 4:7-10 " Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us; He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loves us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." Wow now that is love! God sent his only Son for a filthy wretched sinner like me. My love for any person, thing or place will never be able to compare or measure up with the perfect love God has for his people.

So what is love to you?? This post is very long and scattered. Hopefully my thoughts were understandable. Sorry!