Three Steps

Short and Sweet

2011-02-19T18:20:00.000-08:00

Speechless... Really really really overwhelmed by God's love! :)

Alvin and the Chipmunks 3: Chipwrecked

2011-02-02T18:27:00.000-08:00

Wow, what an Experience!

This past week, I was beyond blessed with the opportunity to go on a cruise to be an extra for Alvin and the Chipmunks 3: Chipwrecked. Along with 49 other talent and an awesome production crew, we took off on the Carnival Dream for a 7 day cruise making stops in Mexico, Belize and Honduras.

What an awesome experience! We had some long days, and early call times, but none of that mattered because we were doing what we love while learning and forming some really great relationships. "Work" was fun. We were cruise goers with different assigned tasks, some which included tanning- haha.. Not a bad job at all! It was cool to spend 7 days immersed in some pretty cool movie making, learning about graphics, sounds, stunts, terminology, procedures, acting, etc. I'm a pretty good observer so I enjoyed taking it all in. Free cruise, you get paid, you get to make a movie, and you make some great friends. Total bargain.

The group bonded so well. We laughed about it a lot, but there was no major drama and we just enjoyed being around each other. Together for 7 days with no phones or internet really allows you to really get to know people and bond with each other. We made some great memories, and tons of inside jokes... which explains the fact that we have a facebook group called "50 background balls." Best part about that name is that we all understand it and get a kick on what it means. Miss everyone already! We were all secretely hoping that they would need us for the next part of shooting in Canada..haha..u know, continuity purposes :)

The other really cool part about this for me was just getting to spend a good time learning more about the industry that I love so much. Since I finished school I've always worked with marketing/pr media and my passion was to integrate that with the entertainment business. Being that I sing, dance, play the guitar, act, I've always loved the arts. The art behind how things happen and come together fascinate me. I really enjoyed spending a week learning and being part of the production. I've recently become more involved in the film industry and am loving every bit of it. I really feel that God puts ability and talents in you for a reason. He wants you to use it to glorify him. This quote from Eric Lidell says it so well.:

"I believe God made for a purpose, but he also made me fast, and when I run, I feel his pleasure."-Lidell.

We glorify God, when we use what he gave us to bring him fame! The past couple years have been filled with adventure and just learning to really really rely on God's timing and paths. It's been cool to see that God has you in each specific spot for a reason. You don't always know what it is at the time, but his plan is always so perfect and wayyyy better than we could ever plan for ourselves. It's funny because as I learn, I'm not really sure what the end result is. I have no idea where God is taking me. But the best part about it is that I know that whatever or wherever it is, it will be great because God promises that. I'm pretty excited to see what's to come. :) Love, love, love...Giii

AMAZING song!

2010-12-03T19:15:00.000-08:00

I love this Hillsong video below. This song has such powerful lyrics describing the wonders of Heaven. God is so amazing. We need to live each day with eternity in mind! Brings me back to bible verse:

1 Corinthians 2:9 (NLT)

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard,

and no mind has imagined

what God has prepared

for those who love him"

Check it out:

Snazzy Napper

2010-10-10T13:03:00.000-07:00

Really???? HAHAHAHAHAH.....so funny

Last night...Thankful

2010-10-07T18:00:00.000-07:00

     Last night I got to lead worship with an awesome group of ladies for Women's ministry at my church, Christ Fellowship. I played the guitar and sang, and with the rest of the girls, we came before God and gave up our talents and gifts to honor him!

     As I played and sang last night, my heart was full of joy. I thought about the gifts that God has given me. I remember a few years ago when I decided I wanted to play the guitar. I didn't own a guitar so a friend had an extra one he'd had for a long time and gave me to learn in. I took a few lessons from a good friend who helped me to learn some basic chords and rhythms to get me going. I remember I didn't have money to pay for real guitar classes but I knew in my heart that God would help me develop this gift.

     I would play it on my own, here and there, to try to follow myself while singing. I would spend time on the computer looking up chords, looking up charts, then youtubing the songs to learn the proper way to do it. I figured...Practice, practice, practice and ask God to help me develop this gift.

As I stood there yesterday in total awe of God, I was so excited about where God has me right now, and the things he's teaching me daily. There's so much more I need to learn, I'm definitely not a guitar pro. :) I've always played behind the scenes, to family and close friends. Then a couple months ago, I started playing at church, and our worship pastor has been mentoring me through this new step! God has helped me to develop my gift and it was just so cool to stand up there, jam out and give my gifts back to him! I would play and sing, and in total awe I was thankful to God for allowing me to stand before his presence and his people, and use the gifts hes given me for his glory! So many emotions, and thoughts, but It made me so happy to just think about it! :)

Frontrunner Creative Productions

2010-09-27T17:16:00.000-07:00

Heyy Everyone!
I recently joined the team for an up and coming Production company called FrontRunner Creative Productions! Check out our webpage for a little more info of what we are all about! Its awesome and about to embark on an amazing growth process! You can also be our friend on facebook for daily updates on what we have going on and how you can be a part of it! Here are some links for you to check out:

Facebook Link

Official Company Webpage

Thanks everyone for your support!

A Focused Heart

2010-09-23T07:48:00.000-07:00

I read a cool chapter in Max Lucado's Book "Just like Jesus" that really hit home! His words were to true and real and it totally fell right into place with my thoughts on our purpose here on earth. To sum it up in less words here's some exerpts from the book to give you the main gist of it was all about:

" I ask- ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory- to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is He is calling you to do."- Ephesians 1:17-18 MSG

Lucado, broke it down to 4 main questions- which spell out the acronym- P-L-A-N. Here's what they are:

P-Am I fitting into God's plan?
          "God's plan is to save his children. You are intended to contribute to the good plan of God, to tell others about the God who loves them and longs to bring them home. But exactly how are you to do that? What is your specific assignment?" That brings you to the next letter....

L- What are my Longings?
          "Your heart is very important. When we submit to God's plans, we can trust our desires. Our assignment is found at the meeting place of God's plan and our pleasures. What do you love to do? What brings you joy? What gets you excited? You are a custom design. The longings of your heart, then, are not accidental. They are important messages. The desires of your heart are to be listened to." However, you have to also consider ur skills.....

A- What are my abilities?
         "Know your strengths. When you teach, do people listen? When you lead, do people follow? Identify your strengths, then-this is important-major in them. Take a few irons out of the fire so the best ones can get hot" ..And here is the final letter....

N- Am I serving God NOW?
         Fulfilling your purpose starts with serving God Now, not tommorow, or when you discover what you are intended to do. Lucado tells the story of Jesus when he was 12 years old. His parents could not find him and when they did, they found him in the temple studying with the leaders. "He already sensed God's call for him, but what did he do. "He goes home to his folks and learns the family business." The question comes up.." But I'm ready to do great things for God?... Good, do them at school, work, show up on time with a good attitude. Don't complain or grumble, but "Work as if you were doing it for the Lord, not for people"- Colossians 3:23"

There it is, it starts in the now...serving God daily :)

Love this message :)!!!

Dave Barnes - Until You

2010-09-20T19:04:00.000-07:00

Recently discovered this song!!! I Looooove it! Pay attention to the lyrics! They are great!!! Hope you like it :)

New Hair

2010-09-19T12:24:00.000-07:00

Alright, so here it is....the New Haircut!

Been wanting it for a while but took a little bit of courage! Most of us remember those bangs we had as little kids....the ones that went straight through across ur head LOL... Yep..I was scared the stylist would give me those! As a kid, those are totally acceptable, especially when ur a cute kid... But I'm pretty picky about my hair so printed out a picture, closed my eyes.. and just went for it...

Result... I love it!! So happy :) YAY...The full out massage and pampering beforehand was pretty amazing too! Here's the pic!! Check it out!

:0)

The Adventure Continues...

2010-09-17T11:31:00.000-07:00

Heyyy everyone,
Here we go, I'm at it again! :) So I took a mini long break from blogging but lately I've been wanting to give it another try! Life's been full of adventure! Every day has been filled with joy, new discoveries, cool moments, crazy experiences to learn from, growing relationships, family, friends, so much love and I can just go on and on for a while! It's been a constant discovery of embracing each moment and pursuing that purpose that God has outlined for me! So here it is...The adventure really has only begun. There's so much ahead, and I'm excited to continue discovering all the things that God has prepared. Here I'll be sharing with you thoughts, moments, experiences, and probably some really random info as we go along! Ha, But that's all part of the fun! I'm so happy...my heart is totally full of joy!! Crazy feeling but a great way to start a new adventures!! This should be fun! Alright, here we go!!! Welcome to my journey! :)

Well...hey there...

2009-04-11T21:00:00.000-07:00

So I just realized its been like a gazillion days since I've blogged!! Crazy!!! But I'm gonna get back on track LOL..ill just keep telling myself that, and hopefully more blogs will result from it :) Anyways... it's about midnight at the moment, and as much as I would love to start writing now, I have to be at church tomorow at 6:30 in the morning for Easter Services. If you're looking for a great church in Palm Beach County, Christ Fellowship is it! You can check it out at www.gochristfellowship.com! Tonight we had our two first easter services for the weekend, and both of them went into overflow! They were Jam Packed!! it was awesome!! Anyways, I'm excited about what God is doing this weekend! Lots of lives are being changed and its awesome to just get to celebrate the ressurection of Jesus!! :) THank you Jesus for dying for us, and then living again to reign forever in our lives!! It's a great and special weekend, and I'm excited about round 2 of services tomorow! More blogging will begin really soon!!! Alright so now its bedtime...gotta get my beauty sleep :) Lovesss!!! Gi

Eyes tell many stories.. :)

2008-11-17T18:33:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking about something all day. You can tell a lot from the way people look at you. Eyes tell a whole lot of stories. But sometimes its so hard to figure out what's behind that look. Something got me thinking about this, and my curiousity has just been intriguing me today. There's something about that look... its caring, its got stories, but its got unspoken meaning. I may sound kinda deep haha.. but have you ever just looked at someone in the eyes, and you guys know waht each other is thinking just by the look ur sharing?... k thats what im talking about. I love those looks.. you don't even have to say anything but you feel something special. But sometimes.. you get a look... and you can kind of read it, but its got more meaning that u just can't really figure out... its like a mistery or something.. And why can't people just tell you what they're thinking sometimes instead of making you wonder. I love how eyes can say so much..yet sometimes.. its crazy! AH! I've had some experiences with this... curiosity is in my mind today.. aaah ... ok thats all ive got :) NIGHT!

I'm back!

2008-10-26T14:03:00.000-07:00

I'm back! :)

It's been a while since I've blogged but life's been a little crazy! It's been really good..just crazy! I continued my summer style living for a little while even after school started.. traveling on the weekends, and not wanting to concentrate on school... but... I think I'm finally settled in again. I got to do some good traveling, went on an amazing cruise (pics will come later) and had a lot of fun. Then i came back and had school work up to the sky to do :) and that took a little bit of concentration... So between school, work, singing at church on the weekends, traveling and FUN its been a crazy past month.!

God's been doing crazy awesome things in my life. I have no clue how to handle some of them, but def working in some crazy ways. God's been answering my prayers and allowing me to share his love with people whom I really care about and have been praying for, for a while. It's cool to see God touch their lives and to see how God's timing is so perfect. With job opportunities, my music, and some other recent occurrences, God's really been showing me how much he can do, and how small I really am in comparison to ALL the amazing things he wants to do in my life. As I write, I feel a little overwhelmed just thinking about what's been happening this month, the things I've experienced, the people i've met and the mystery of God's plan. It's crazy, I am in complete awe, and I absolutely love it. I might sound like im totally rambling but I don't even know how to express what I'm feeling right now.

On another topic I just recently went on an amazing super spontaneous, out of nowhere cruise. Along with my brother, some friends, and a total of 30 college students in our group, it was an amazing experience. The Pachanga of the SEas: Total chaos, so much fun, and awesome memories. It was my first cruise and I absolutely loved it. We met so many people, got no sleep, ate soooooo much, danced, swam, snorkeled, tanned, danced more, ate more, took a billion pics and just had an amazing amazing time!! I miss it so much! Now its almost November, and time is flying by so fast. In just 7 months I graduate from college and have to be a big person :) Its CRAZY!!! Now, I just have to concentrate in school, relax, work on some music, and make some money for my big European trip after graduation. However, its also that amazing time of the year.. aka: holiday season which I love soooo much!! so I guess the fun isn't really ready to stop just yet :)

PS: here are some cruise pics

Back to School

2008-09-08T06:25:00.000-07:00

School....... it's a bittersweet feeling. I'm sitting here in the school library right now, waiting for my managerial finance class to start and wishing that I could be at the pool or the beach tanning right now :) I love school... seeing all my friends, the good times, hanging out with everyone etc, but then school work comes in and i really really wish school didn't have school work ha. but I guess that's what makes school school... u gotta be responsible. I had 4 really nice fun months of summer, from April 30th till August 25th.. CRAZY! It was soooo fun and it flew by. I was out of town a bit.. all my trips adding up to about 2 months of traveling..... (ps.. i greatly dislike packing lol.) I went to two summer camps, fort Myers, sanibel island, Naples, Three times to Orlando, Jacksonville etc.. Overall... I had a really awesome summer! i miss it already.. It is a beautiful day today here in West Palm and the beach is 2 min from my school!!! AHHH.. wants to go so bad! I think I am gonna try to squeeze in some pool time before work today. Seriously I LOVE living in South Florida. The weather is great! ... and Palm beach Atlantic University is right by the beach.... pretty amazing!

.... thanks for listening to my rambling... time to walk to class .... loves, Gi

Hurricanes and Me

2008-08-18T20:31:00.000-07:00

So Fay is coming! The past couple days have been really entertaining.... With Tropical Storm Fay reaching Florida, its been a little crazy. Gas stations have been packed and schools are cancelled and today it rained ALL day. Personally, i think that when hurricanes are not tragic, they can be fun! It's like an adventure sort of. I'll tell you a cool hurricane story!

A couple years ago, here in Florida, we had a hurricane named Wilma. Now, Wilma was pretty strong... I think it was prob a category 2 or 3 but im not sure. My dad and I put shutters up in our house.. which just that in itself was an adventure with all our windows. If you know me, you know i do not have super strong arms haha...and it was quite a picture trying to help my dad with shutters. When we did our balconies i had to climb off the side of the balcony and my dad had to catch me....ya lol.. it was not a normal day to day activity.

Wilma came super early in the morning... The wind was super strong and we were all up at like 6 am cause we could not sleep through the noise. Our family got together downstairs and we made a home video out of it. We had some fun, and we even filmed the hurricane through the peephole of the door...its AWESOME. When you see the video u can see the light post hanging and swinging and the trees flinging everywhere... haha...we have it all on tape!

When the Eye of the storm came through, it was peaceful so we went outside to walk our dog. The whole neighborhood had the same idea cause everyone went outside too. It was like meant to be haha. We all met in the middle of the street and talked until the other part of the storm came in. That was the start of a new ERA (HAHA cheesy? yes) in our neighborhood.

When the storm was over we had no power. We ended up having no power, no school, no phone service, and nothing to do for 8 days. SOOOO we had to improvise. Cold showers were not fun but running around using a flashlight was really cool... Everyone on our street became really good friends and everyday we would rotate between houses, grill food, and play boardgames. At night we would do the same, but in the dark, we would just light candles and hang out. We had a blast that week. My flashlight became my best friend...I never knew it would be so fun that week. We have so many stories and moments from that week that we still talk about it today!

Today we are all still friends, its funny because when we talk about how we became friends, we think of Wilma...We all laugh at how funny that week was and how we all met during the EYE of the storm :) The lack of electricity really caused us to bond. I remember when the light when on that 8th night without power and we called each other... sooo much built in excitment.. We never appreciated electricity so much. When schools started again, PBA had a Wilma Party with bounce house obstacle courses, tshirts, food etc.. You know, Wilma ended up being really fun for us in our neighborhood. God kept us safe and we are really thankful that everything was ok. Although Fay is just a tropical storm, I pray that God keeps us all safe through Fay also as it passes by. Hurricanes can be scary, and really tragic, but when they're not, you might as well have fun with it while its passing!! Make an adventure out of it.. and if u loose power... dont worry, it is a great time to meet people and have some random fun!!!

Ps:Rainboots that Fay has deeply inspired me to buy!! :)

Change is....... good! :)

2008-07-28T19:33:00.000-07:00

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." Isaiah 55: 8-9

My brother and I Singing at Flamingo Road Church

This verse is one that I've always carried with me. One that reminds me that I don't always have to understand why I have to do certain things. Instead it reminds me that I just need to trust God and be obedient because his plans are wayyyyy higher than my plans, and I'm much better off trusting what God has for me, even when i don't understand.

About three years ago, my family moved to West Palm. Previous to that we lived in Pembroke Pines and were super involved at our old church Flamingo Road Church. We went there for about 7 and a half years, and it became another home and another family to us! We were always at church, and I was able to spend a lot of my time growing up serving in ministry and learning how to use my gifts for Christ. I sang in the praise team, worked with students, and participated wherever I could. I learned a lot, made great memories, met amazing people, formed great relationships and was able to see God work in amazing ways! When I graduated HS my family and I moved to Wellington. Although we now lived one hour away, we did not want to leave FRC because that is where we felt called to be, and that is where our heart was. However, after about 2 years of driving down for church, events etc. we realized that the distance was taking a toll on how much we could be involved and that is something that really bothered me and my family. I wanted to serve, I wanted to be there all the time, but living an hour away, working, and going to school made it hard. We prayed about it a lot as a family and realized that God was nudging us...that it was time to look for a local church.

This was really hard to do. I remember talking to Holly(ministry assistant at FRC and a great leader to me) on the way back from camp last year, and I remember tears welling up in my eyes. I prayed a lot. I wanted to be at FRC, my heart was there. But another side of my heart knew that i needed to listen to God, that I needed to step out of my comfort zone, and that I just had to trust. We went to visit Christ Fellowship. A great church that reminded us a lot of FRC. We liked it a lot, prayed and decided to make that our new home church. It was a weird feeling walking in, starting all over again, but even though it was hard, I knew that God was in control and it was gonna be good!

We have been at Christ Fellowship for about 10 months now. We have become members and I've already been able to see God at work. My family and I are getting plugged in again and its really exciting. I am now currently part of the Praise team there and last weekend was my first weekend singing. It was great being back on stage, singing and worshipping God. It was a new stage and new team, but it was awesome, and 3 of the songs were songs I used to do at FRC. Then this past week I spend the whole week at camp with CF's student ministry. We took 415 students and It was amazing!!! The coolest part is that the church is two lights away from my house.

That verse keeps coming back!! God's thoughts are higher than my thoughts and his ways are higher than my ways!! I love FRC. It's still my family and it holds a big piece of my heart. But now I have added another church to the equation. CF is great and I'm excited to see what else God has in store for us there! This summer I got to go to camp as a counselor with both churches! It's cool to see prayers being answered and God working in mysterious ways. I LOVE GOD and I'm happy that his plans are higher and better and wayyyy cooler than my plans!! :)

Celebration Recap!!!

2008-07-14T21:00:00.000-07:00

So my birthday is over! Sad....I dragged it out quite a bit and it was a lot of fun....currently im kinda working on a combined party with my neighbor to celebrate our birthdays...so who knows..maybe its not over LOL.. I did however, have an amazing birthday week!!! I got to celebrate with family and friends, and have a lot of fun!!! Here's the scoop on how it all happened:

Tuesday June 24th: The big day! - After eating pastels and coxinhas with guarana at the brazilian bakery, I got a new acoustic guitar for my bday present! I was stoked! I spent the day with the family and at night got to eat at an awesome Habaci style Japanese restaurant!!! My dad went to Brazil the next day so it was nice to spent time as a family (fe couldnt make it).. Check it out ..(the cook was amazingly hilarious :) haha

Wednesday: I just had a couple friends over for some pizza and movie!! FUN! :)

Thursday: Me, my brother, and some friends went down to Ft LAuderdale, and went out in the Las Olas, Riverfront area!! Its really nice to go and hang out there to celebrate!

Friday : spent some time at the pool, and came home to hang with mom for some mother daughter movie night! Love hanging with mom and watching movies!

Saturday: Went down to south beach with my brother and some friends for some dancing at a place called Dolce! I love to dance. We had so much fun and the place was so classy and pretty!!

Sunday: We had a bbq at the house to celebrate my birthday with the neighborhood friends!!! a lot of food!! it was a nice end to a fun week!

PLUS!! it didnt stop there: haha the following saturday, I went spanish dancing with some friends from school at a place called Ibiza! The photographer took this cool pic of some of us!

It was an amazing birthday!! I had a lot of fun, a lot of laughs, and got to spend time with the fam and friends!! my camera isnt working so these are some of the pics I was able to recuperate! wish I had more to share!!!! LOOOOVE my birthday! cant wait till the next one!! :)

CAMP <3

2008-07-02T20:19:00.000-07:00

Camp! Where can I start.. I love camp. Never growing up did I ever imagine that I would look forward to going to camp so much. First, going as a student, then moving into a leadership position, camp automatically became a little part of my life. Its that time to get away from all the distractions of this world, surround yourself with an overall good environment, have a lot of silly fun, and focus on God and what he was trying to teach you that week away. There's nothing like camp. For those of you that have been, you know what that camp high feels like. Its pretty amazing! This year, I got to go and be a counselor for middle school camp wiht Flamingo Road Church and am leaving on the 21st to be a counselor for middle and high school camp with Christ Fellowship! This will be a whole new experience since I'm new at this church, and am recently starting to get my feet wet again! If you guys can keep me in your prayers that would be awesome!!!

Camp brings back wayyy too many memories. Some are as follows:

Golf carts- HAHA.... those of you who know why this is funny.. i hope it brought a smile to your face

Our girl's late night talks with holly, with lots of food and good stuff to eat... A LOT OF FOOD

Our Group party girl dance on Carson day (hahaah oh carson)

How far is too far (you had to be there to know what that means) LOL

The snack shack (patti and I tried to bring it back this year)

Sneaking out, kumbaya routine, late night pool and hot tubbing, Reciting Genesis 1 live, bird seed, and the famous line "cookies and milk won't save you now" ( again you prob had to be there to know what these all mean lol)

The little camp romances that happen ever year

The friendships created, the jokes, and being silly all day

The fun, crazy, sometimes hard, but awesome and challenging games

Playing in the rain, mud, slime, or in watever is placed in a game before you

The amazing camp worship with awesome music and amazing prescense of the Holy spirit

The really good teachings, that get right to the point, and relate to what the students are going thorough in their stage of life

And the coolest of all: The lives changed, and the decisions made for Christ. Seeing Christ work in each of our lives, and in each of the student's lives that go each time.

I have only good memories from camp. A whole album full of pictures to remember them by! Going to camp a couple weeks ago, back at Pine Lake retreat where I had my first summer camp experience was awesome to me. Just to look around and remember a special moment that happened at each corner of that place. I hope everyone gets to experience something like that. What about you? any cool camp stories you would like to share!! leave a comment and let me know a cool memory you have!!

Camp After Hours

2008-06-27T20:55:00.000-07:00

This is what happens at camp after the kids go to bed! LOL :) Starring: Gi and Patti

Fatti Patti n G's Ride from Duce Williams on Vimeo.

YAYYY IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!

2008-06-23T22:35:00.000-07:00

Today is officially my birthday!!!! While some don’t get too excited about their birthdays, I on the contrary treat mine as a national holiday! Haha... I LOVE MY BIRTHDAY! It is so much fun! I try to look at each birthday as a celebration of life! It’s an exciting close to one year and a beginning to a great new one. It’s pretty cool to think about it. When you think back at cool moments in life you remember how old you were when they happened! How old you are is pretty important to those moments. On June 24, 1986 I was born to an amazing family in Sao Paulo, Brazil. A great mom, dad, and older brother! I was 0 at that birthday! :) When I was five I jumped of a dresser imitating superwoman and lost my 2 front baby teeth...haha. At age 7 God gave me a little brother! When I was 9 I moved to America. Even growing up in a Christian home, it was at the age of 10 that I really accepted Christ into my life. At age 11 I got baptized. When I was 15 I got to have a Quince, wear a big dress with a tiara, dance with a boy I called my prince, and have an incredible party. At 17 I got my license, and at 18 I had my senior prom and graduated high school! That same summer we moved from Pembroke Pines to West Palm Beach. At age 19 I started college. At age 20 I started my first real non baby-sitting job! Also at 20 I got to go on my first mission trip abroad! On my 21st birthday I was in Brazil visiting the family I hadn’t seen in 8 years! Talk about an international celebration. It’s also at that age that I became an official “adult” haha…. Yea ok. :) And all in between those awesome moments are those special memories, those amazing and special friendships, the relationships and dates, the times of singing and performing, leading worship, the good times, the family memories, the camp stories, the gifts that God has given me, and those funny random memories that still make me laugh looking back today. Now, it’s almost 2 in the morning and my 22nd birthday has just started. When the clock turned 12 I lifted up my birthday to Jesus and placed it in his hands! I am so thankful for another great year and I owe it all to him. As I turn 22 I thank him for 22 years of blessings, love and guidance! I lift up not only this year but also the many more to come! Thank you Jesus! You rock! Thank you for my life and for allowing me to celebrate my birthday! Now this is just the beginning!!! I extend my birthday longer than a day! The week long fun has just started!!!! Birthdays are a huge deal to me, and today is an awesome day! So friends, Get ready, cause I’m 22 and the celebrations are just about to begin!

The WOO Factor

2008-06-11T21:02:00.000-07:00

Inspired by Holly Farver's Girls' Late night camp conversations:

What is the WOO Factor?

Last night I was at dinner with someone and the topic of dating came up. We talked for a while about things that we consider important in relationships. He spoke about it from a man's point of view, and I spoke from a woman's. We talked about past relationships, what we looked for, and what stood out to us... and then during that whole conversation, something in the back of my head just seemed to stick out. It was something from many late night camp conversations. Something that was taught to us, and that is still very valuable information today. We call it: The WOO Factor!

You're probably saying.."Hurry up and say it already". Sorry about the whole intro, but this is a pretty deep concept hahahaah.... :) It takes a proper introduction. I guess I can start by saying that the WOO factor is a quality that we girls admire in guys! It's not a tangible quality per say (sorry if i spelled per say wrong) :) but instead something that guys do that in turn leave us impressed. Girls like to be spoiled. Little things matter to girls, and when guys go above and beyond their regular gentlemen duty out of their own will, its impressive! Now, we're not talking about wanting guys to call us a billion times a day, or give us daily presents, or anything like that. We also know that relationships take effort on both sides, so girls should also take care of their man. With that said, the concept of the WOO factor is just one that determines major brownie points for boys. It's hard to explain it because it doesn't consist of one set thing. There's so much that can make up those two words: It includes a man who's first love is Christ, and who wants the savior as the center of the relationship. It's a man who has dreams and ambitions and looks ahead in life with confidence and excitment. It's the little things like knowing when to send a special text message, or knowing the right time to call or the right number of times to call. It's the unexpected visits or little surprises to keep things exciting. It's being a gentlemen not only when its just you two alone, but also around friends. It's coming up with creative ideas of how to spend time together and make memories. It's not only listening but also remembering what she said. It's knowing what she likes and spending time enjoying it with her. It's knowing how to turn any typical dinner and movie date into an unforgettable night. It's treating a girl with respect and making her feel taken care of. The list goes on and on...

There's so much that goes into the WOO FActor. It doesnt have to be the same for every guy, but it's something that girls definately notice. I would continue... but this is all the information I can disclose on the subject. Boys: I can't give away our secrets. You guys have to find out how to develop your own Woo Factor. Not all girls call it this. This is just a name us Holly Girls used to discuss this concept. However, the concept is true everywhere no matter what name people call it. Whatever you do to achieve Woo Factor ownership status will be worth it, because belive it or not, if you are one that has "The Woo Factor", just know that it definately makes you look good! So I leave you guys, with the question today: Do you have the WOO Factor?? :)

A Great Weekend!

2008-06-08T19:33:00.000-07:00

So it’s Sunday night and I’m beat. It’s been a great and busy weekend, and now I’m sitting in the recliner watching a movie and I’m pretty obsessed with this moment. There’s nothing like sitting at home, doing nothing, and just relaxing after a busy couple of days. It was a good weekend. It started out Friday just hanging out and then I had to go into work for an early night shift at 3 pm. Why at 3? I have no idea…Its not very common for people to eat Italian food at 3 in the afternoon. However, it ended up being a very good shift. I think that was the busiest I’ve ever been at work, and I was able to make A LOT of tips which is always a great way to end an 8 hour shift. I really like my job. Serving is crazy sometimes, but for a part time job its good money, and a great way to communicate with people. I meet all kinds of people everyday, and since I love working with people, I have a blast talking to them at work. My philosophy: If you are going to work, you might as well have fun while you do it! Its also fun to people observe… You always get the weird people too…I will go into that another day. You would never guess the stuff people ask you sometimes, or the things they do when they eat. I have unending stories about those…super funny.

Saturday was my day to just hang out! I no longer work Saturdays so Saturdays and Sundays I get to do what I want and just have fun! I took some time and layed out at the pool and enjoyed the 1000000 degree Florida weather. I love the sun. It’s so great. I could go to the pool or the beach all day. I think it’s beautiful and I just like to look around me and enjoy the beauty of a pretty day! At night I got to have a girl’s night with Danielle and Jenna. We ate at Cheesecake Factory at City place and had a lot of fun talking and catching up and just reminiscing about good times….. It was fun… lots of laughs resulted from that night. I would post a pic… but Danielle accidentally deleted the only one we took…. Good Job Danielle! J

Today we spent the day in Pembroke Pines. We went to see my brother Felippe, and visit a lot of our friends! Our life is pretty much up here in Palm Beach now. I love living up here! However, there’s many that we love down in Pines that are like a family to us so it’s nice to reunite. We went by FRC and watched the service there. Good job Pastor Troy! IT was very good! We got to see a lot of our friends and catch up a little. It was good to see everyone and spend time with my brother who I hadn’t seen in almost a month! Then after a family/friends of the family lunch with some good friends we did some house hopping! We had to make a few visits and see some people! I’m not gonna lie... our trips to Pines are pretty productive.

We got home at 8 tonight. We hung out with our neighbors for a bit and that brings me to my current couch potato standing. A nice busy, productive, weekend and now a moment of total unproductiveness... It’s pretty amazing! Now some Gilmore girls with my mom while eating some cocoa puffs and id say my weekend is complete!!!

Am I really blogging?

2008-06-06T23:19:00.000-07:00

I had a random urge the other day to make a blog. I've never been much of a writer. Those that know me know I love to talk. I think talking is a gift from God.. :) But this is different and I am always up to try new things. It keeps life exciting. A lot of people really close to me have blogs, so I've checked some of them out, and found them to be pretty cool. But It made me wonder what I would write about if I made my own blog. So I've decided to give it a try and have some fun with it. For those of you that read it, thank you for your time! :) It doesn't take much for me to have good time, and I'm easily entertained so I'm thinking this will be fun...Maybe someone will get something out of my words of wisdom ha...hey you never know....Alright well I think this will be my little introduction. I had a long shift at work tonight and am falling asleep as I write. Stay tuned...more words from Gi...Coming soon! :) LOVE, ME