Apparently, we don't have to pay income tax. It's not a law, but a duty of a US citizen. It pays the government to provide us with various services like paying for the war in Iraq. I'm not certain if this is true or not, but we have some homework to do! Check out the documentary by Aaron Russo.
This is an hour and 30 minutes long, so here's a link.
Wow! It's been a couple of months since my last blog. A ton of things have happened; therefore, my mind has been in whirls of pensive thought. To begin, this past Saturday, my amazing grandmother passed away. She practically raised my sister and me throughout our childhood. She was only 72 and it seems so incredulous to me that she's gone. It was so sudden...she collapsed last Friday night and was hospitalized and in a week she's gone. She's had health problems but wasn't supposed to be this early. She was so awesome and loved all of her grandkids. She was so patient and loving. It's a little over a year since my other grandmother died. I have to stop writing, tears are welling up.
Death has been one of the things constantly running through my mind. A few weeks ago, a friend of mine, older brother, committed suicide. Man, that was surreal. I'm not sure if any one of us knew how to respond/react to that. It seems as though he suffered from bipolar mental disorder. But when you met him, he seemed so normal and just a regular guy. At the viewing, my friend read the last journal entry of his and all he wrote down was, "I am a child of God, a child of God, a child of God" repeatedly. He jumped off the George Washington bridge and must of died immediatedly because it was freezing.
About a week ago, my close, close friend almost got into a huge car accident, and it really shook her up. I am so thankful she's not gone. Sigh of relief!
I was driving up from the NJ Turnpike and literally witnessed a multi-car accident where I saw a car tire shoot straight up into the air. Blessedly, I was driving slower than usual and I was 5 cars away from the accident. My heart raced at the site of the accident.
To be honest, God knows I don't feel ready to die or ever ready for anything that will require a sacrifice. My question is..."are we or am I ever ready for anything?" It is written in Romans, "For the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you though Christ from the power of sin that leads to death...so you should not be like cowering, fearful slaves...for the Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts and tells us we're God's children." Why is it that most of the time I feel like a cowering, fearful slave? I know I am a child of God, yet why do I lack so much trust. So far, my twenties have been a consistent whirlwind of transitions and change. Most unplanned, some planned. However, has it really built more trust in Him? Have I learned to love Him more? Has He become my all in all? How about my heart...has it hardened or has it softened? I hope so...I better have.
Truly, as I am learning more of who I am with the Lord and how He's shaping me, things of this world is slowly passing away. GOD, you are sovereign and good.
"That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are quite small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever! So we don't look at the the troubles we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever." 2 Cor. 4: 16-18
On a somewhat brigher note, I have resigned from my job at L'Oreal and will be working at a new job at Liz Claiborne starting March 19th. L'Oreal is great and the team I work for are fabulous, but just can't understand the the whole life/balance thing. The Liz office is in NJ, about a 20 minute drive and I will be doing something that is somewhat related. It has just as great benefits as well as set working hours. 9-5. Yes!
Jaden's growing at rapid speed and is learning a ton of things at daycare. His major milestone is that he's speaking in sentences. His daycare functions as a preschool. They even take class pictures. After the summer program, Jaden will be entering Pre K 3. It's great!
This must be the year! I have 5 weddings to go to and 6 of my girlfriends are pregnant. Three with their firsts, one with her 2nd, one on her 4th, one on her 3rd. Crazy! I am craving for my second, definitely. We'll see! :)
Here's pics for you to enjoy... ALL in ALL I love every one of you who has been and is part of my life!
So, it's been quite a while since my last blog. To be honest, it's been incredibly busy at work. My manager resigned 3 weeks ago and thus, in two months time at L'Oreal, I'm pounded with a ton of work. Reports after reports for upper management, getting used to all the systems, learning the business, I'm bogged down. For the last 3 weeks, I've been coming home at 7:30pm-8pm every night. It's seriously not fun. I'm exhausted. Pray for me. It's really weird to reconnect back to NYC life. People who stay at work till 8pm and go out afterwards for drinks and such.
For me, finding the balance is still a work in progress. I know I'll find it soon!
I'll write more later.
HEY ALL!
TODAY IS WON'S 28th BIRTHDAY! PLEASE WISH HIM MANY BLESSINGS AND LOVE thru email, phone, blog, and etc.!
So, it's Friday...and it's summer hours at work, so I got home by 2pm. The weather here has been intolerably hot, way into the 100's all week. We are going to a barbecue tomorrow, it's going to be hot, but it'll be fun. My first week at work was good, and training has been pretty intense. My supervisor showed me all the knicks and crannies of our systems and reports. A little complicated, but with time, I'll get used to them. L'Oreal is a great company thus far, with an amazing load of benefits. I do feel a little out of the loop with the whole NYC thing. Now that I'm a mom, it's very different. The VP and Director of my department are in their early 40's, married only for 3 years and don't have any children. I mean, they were shocked when they found out that I was a mommy. They had the look. It's so rare to be a mommy so young here. I can tell it's going to be a challenge for me...they will not understand why i can't work late all the time and such. Yikes! God's really showing me how precious Jaden is...how treasured our kiddies are. I know if I tried really, really hard, I can be a full-time stay at home mom, teaching the alphabet, showing them how to do crafts and such, but things like that are hard for me on a daily basis. I tried it for 2 years. The reasons for me working, isn't b/c I want a lifestyle where I can buy anything, keep up with the Jones', run in the rat race, or that I'm building my value/identity in performance. God's worked thru those issues and is continuing to. I just enjoy work...I believe it can be that simple. Seriously, I don't believe that I worked at Chanel or even now at L'Oreal, these top companies on my own merit. I firmly believe God wants to use me as a vessel for women and beauty. A training ground. We'll see. God has been really good and it's deeply left me thankful and humbled. Through work, Won met a Christian woman, Shaunice, who has 2 children and is a full-time working mom. She invited us to a barbecue and I was able to chat with her and she has been an incredible blessing and someone who I can relate to. Right now, at our church, we have been going through a series on intimacy with the Lord. Our pastor really feels that we should always delve deeper in intimacy, being honest. Along with this, he spoke on slander/power of the tongue especially again each other in Christ. We should instead learn and practice and renew our mindsets to be genuinely happy for one another. Have a sound mind...our lives all look different, learn similar lessons through different circumstances, BE GOOD and HAPPY for each other. Gal 5: 25 writes, "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other." Why is that so hard in the church?
So, if I had hurt anybody through my words, gossip and actions...FORGIVE ME. Please tell me too. I am in the continuing process of maturing and coming to the light of Christ. As I look back or as God continues "grow" me, I realize how dense I am sometimes. Just like an artist, God defines the very lines of my profile, etching my mindset, and repolishing my character. I've always felt that one of my quests in life is this: 1 Thess. 11-12, "Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody."
Well, it turns out Jaden is doing relatively well at daycare. The first day was a bit rough...crying spells her and there, but he perservered. Then, the crying became less and less. He plays, paints, glues, draws, reads books and goes out walking. He is in a classroom of only 5 other kids his age..he's the youngest though. Miss Annette, his teacher, has a lovely British accent and fills out a very detailed sheet of his daily schedule. Plus, they offer lunch! Thanks for the prayers everyone!
Now that I've started work, the idea of an attempt to penetrate into the world of working mom seems more overwhelming. But, a compelling desire to infiltrate the NYC pulls me closer to its midst. So, pray for me!
Here's a recent pic of my little booger. Enjoy.
