i’ve been in a bit of a funk the last few days. i had 2 cruddy runs this week, after having a fantastic run week, the week before. i’m within a week of playing host to about 200 people, and wanting to make sure everyone is good; their expectations exceeded. it’s the perfectionist side of me. i’m pretty good at visioning and managing projects, but the devil is in the details, and trying to manage all of the little last minute details…zaps my energy faster than anything. i’ve also had a couple of folks i’ve not been able to accommodate. sadly, i wear their disappointment in me like a wet sweater. as much as i try to “shake” it, i have a hard time divorcing what i know to be true vs. their words and emotional blackmail. add to that, a hard situation at work this past week….so yeah, i’ve been a little blah. but of course, the thing that makes me the most blah is that i get blah-er when i know i’m letting my irrational “blah-ness” make me blah to begin with.

yes, i am crazy. please tell me somebody can relate! ha.

one thing i’ve remembered for sure this week is that we have an enemy. and boy, do we. when natalie and i decided to commit to this half marathon to raise money for human trafficking last july, neither of us knew how tested we would be during this journey. it’s almost laughable the things that have happened in the last 7 months to each of us.  she’s battling strep throat, as i write. so pray for her!!  it’s seriously been one thing after another. but God’s word tell us that our battle is not against flesh and blood (ephesians 6:12) and i’ve felt that in a very real way the last few months. i think natalie would say the same. but we, as a community, are taking on the darkest of the dark. and darkness himself wants to discourage us, defeat us, and battle us mentally, spiritually, and physically. but he will not win. nope, this is when i have to dig deep. press in. and live what i say i believe. and yes – even if i’m feeling blah.

on friday night, i went to a bible study at a “safe house”, if you will, for women who are leaving a life of prostitution. created is a ministry whose heart is for vulnerable women. they’re a Christian organization committed to the restoration of women involved in the sex industry. created desperately wants to show women their value, beauty and destiny in Jesus. as i sat in the room with these beautiful women – all at different stages of their restoration – i was overwhelmed at the path God has paved this last year. i went back to last summer…sitting at my kitchen table, signing up for the princess half again, mainly just to get my lazy butt out exercising, in spite of the blazing heat and humidity. and here i am 7 months later being introduced to a world i didn’t even know existed – in less miles near me – than the mileage i signed up to run.

we (the morning cruise) will be introducing you to our new friends on thursday of this week. i can’t wait for you to meet them. you’ll meet devony. she was trafficked. but only after her pimp removed her braces with pliers in a hotel room. and then he put her to work. and you’ll meet april. april wasn’t trafficked, but she was in bondage, for sure. both devony and april now minister in the very places they were rescued from….. they are my heroes.

clean out your closet and give to created's thrift store!

i spent the day cleaning out my closet. i cranked up whitney’s greatest hits and i went to work. i made piles of jeans, pants, dresses, coats, purses (many still with tags. how ridiculous is that!) …. all stuff that i thought i wanted at some point in my life. but have no need for – or even wear anymore. i will be taking my folded piles to created’s thrift store this week. one of the important steps in restoration is meaningful work. and micro businesses offer such opportunities to women who are trying to restore their lives. it’s also very easy to pull stuff out of your closet when you see the faces that your excess can help.

well, it’s time to head to bed. thanks for letting me share my thoughts, struggles and heart with you tonight.  i’d love your prayers this week. thank you so so much. i am so grateful that we serve a God who is powerful, yet so personal. He is good. and faithful. and His grace IS enough. of course, He led me to this scripture this evening. it overwhelms me that He loves me so much that He would direct me to His very word that I needed to hear. His Word is alive and meets us right where we are.

Ephesians 6:10-12 MSG version:

God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish. 

it IS a fight to the finish. a fight to the finish in life. a fight to the finish over the finish line next week. a fight to the finish in abolishing human trafficking.

i’m in.

as i mentioned in my post yesterday, i have laryngitis. i actually went to the Dr. today and my official diagnosis is acute laryngitis. not sure what the acute part means. but that’s what she said. the dr. armed me with a z-pack and advised that i stay on complete vocal rest the remainder of the week. we’ll see how that goes….

before i went to the dr. this afternoon, i went for a leisurely walk mid-morning. i couldn’t resist getting outside, mainly just to have a change of scenery.  i lost my voice on sunday and have been cooped up in our den for the last couple of days.

i walked about 4 miles and then ended up on a bench overlooking the water. (really, it’s just a big pond. but it’s a bigger than normal pond!)  i was having my quiet time – LITERALLY! and i asked God if there was anything specific i needed to “hear” in these days.  not being one to over-spiritualize things (i probably should more than i do), but being in an introspective mood, i really wanted to hear from Him.

in that moment, i realized how gorgeous it was…i’m talking absolutely beautiful! 68 degrees with no humidity. a cool breeze, and the sun beaming through the tree branches – just enough to keep me warm – but not so warm that it was uncomfortable. in that moment, it struck me: the heavens really do proclaim His glory. and they do so without ever saying a word!

the heavens proclaim Your glory!

Psalm 19 says it like this:

1 The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
The skies display his craftsmanship.
2 Day after day they continue to speak;
night after night they make him known.
3 They speak without a sound or word;
their voice is never heard.
4 Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,
and their words to all the world.
God has made a home in the heavens for the sun.
5 It bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom after his wedding.
It rejoices like a great athlete eager to run the race.

run the race. wow….

i love this whole passage. but of course the last verse speaks to me as i’m in the middle of training for the princess half with team freedom. i made this commitment last july/august to run for freedom. to run for those who aren’t free to run…yet!

for those who have no voice.

and here i sit with no voice.

here i sit surrounded by beauty.

here i sit because i needed a “change of scenery.”

wouldn’t they love a change of scenery?

of course, we can’t pretend – or even begin to know their pain. and i hate that i have to use the word “their.” it’s like putting them in a category.  i don’t want these victims to be faceless! i don’t want them to not have a name. i want to know them! thank you, Lord, that you do!

looking out over the water, i thought about an email i received last fall.

i received this email from one of our team members and her words have haunted me for months now. she’s a real runner (i am a fake runner). but like me, she has to have music when she runs. one morning she went out for a run and for some unexplainable reason, about 4 minutes in to her run, her iPod or mp3 player stopped. she immediately wanted to quit running because she can’t stand running without music. her exact words were: i HATE to hear the sound of my own breath. (btw, i can totally relate!). she went on to describe it as “torture.”  but after a few minutes, she said, “OK, God, you have my attention.”  In that moment, she put herself in the place of the victims we are running for …. and she thought to herself, “i bet these girls HATE hearing their own breath, too. or worse yet – the breath of their perpetrator.”

this image has stayed with me. i really can’t even begin to comprehend.  my brain and the statistics i’ve learned the last few months tell me it’s true. but my heart is pleading to believe it isn’t.

i don’t know why i don’t have a voice right now. it may be as simple as i got a throat infection. but regardless, i’m ok with not having a voice. but, Lord, help me run the race well for those who truly don’t.

i love you!
carmen

i’ve said for the last year, that  i wanted to take a silent retreat. i think i just might be getting one!

last wednesday, i went to bed with a sore throat. it was sore for a couple of days, and then i began to lose my voice on saturday. i had friends in town this past weekend, so i definitely didn’t stop talking! by sunday morning, my voice was shot. i made a couple of squeaky calls to my mom, dave & bill. but other than those calls, i was pretty much silent for the day.

it’s the oddest thing not having a voice. especially when you use your voice for a living! the whiteboard has become my new best friend.  abbey & i have kinda made a game out of it. i start writing on the whiteboard and she predicts what i will write faster than i can write it.  most times she’s spot on! it’s definitely weirding her out a little bit, tho! she says: “i know you can hear me. i know you can understand me. you just can’t talk back to me. it’s weird!” i’m doing a lot of snapping and pointing too. hahaha.

always be JOYful

no doubt it’s inconvenient not having a voice, but i’ve enjoyed the quiet too. i sat in silence for most of the day today. i opened my bible reading this afternoon and this was the scripture. pretty timely, don’t ya think? but then again, God’s word always is.  it is alive. the bible says He holds it all together by His very word. Hebrews 1:3.

i go to the Dr. tomorrow at 1:30. so, we’ll see how long this “silent retreat” is going to last. the crazy thing is that i don’t feel sick. i just can’t talk! so so crazy!

just out of curiosity, have you ever had laryngitis? how long did it last? do you know what caused it? i’ve only had it 2 other times, but NOTHING like this.

I love love LOVE candles! Rarely do you walk into my house or my office without a candle burning. My partner Dave doesn’t much care for candles. He thinks they all smell the same. On the contrary!! haha. I am very particular about my candles. I do not, repeat … do NOT like fru-fru smelling candles…floral, heavily perfumed, or certain food items. I love “spicy” candles at the holidays.

My favorite candles are Archipelago’s Pineapple Ginger, Candle Delirium’s Royal Amber (my all time fav & now have Bill & Krispy hooked on this scent!), Voluspa’s Goji & Tarrocco Orange (thank you, Becca!) and Yankee Candle’s Vanilla Lavendar. So, as you can see …. I like my scents!

I will never quit burning candles, but I’ve absolutely fallen head over heels in love with my Scentsy Warmers. I was given a Thanksgiving warmer last year. I brought it home and plugged it in. I sat it on the bar area in my kitchen. The funny this is…it didn’t take long for Pete to add turning on the warmer, to be added as part of his morning routine (second to making coffee). He said one Saturday as we were sharing a cup of coffee, “I’ve never been into candles much, but I like this thing.” LOL! By the time March rolled around, I figured it’d be fun to replace our “Thanksgiving” warmer with an everyday one. I eventually added one to Abbey’s bathroom, and I get Haley one for her dorm.  I also bought one for the studio that we turn on every single day!

They truly make the BEST gifts! I’ve given as housewarming gifts this year, as well as birthday gifts.  You have to purchase from a distributor. And I know two very good ones!

Caron Rivera
email: caronsscents@verizon.net
website: http://www.caronsscents.scentsy.us

A HUGE thanks to Caron for giving us some to give to YOU!

or

Andrea Reece
email: andreajanereece@hotmail.com
website: http://www.scentsy.com/zesty

I’ve worked with both of these women and can vouch for both of ‘em.

Here’s a pic of the one we use everyday:

my everyday Scentsy Warmer

and my Christmas warmer:

love that the Nativity lights up!

I have several to give away tomorrow, but for my blog friends (that means YOU!), I’m giving YOU the chance to win the Nativity warmer! It’ll be different ones on the show tomorrow.  (Thanks again, Caron!) Like the last few days, register in the comment section with your name and email address. I will have Krispy randomly choose one of the entries and we will mail to you this week. We will draw a winner at 10 a.m. tomorrow, December 13, 2011.

One last thing you need to know: French Kiss is my favorite scent. Hey, I didn’t pick the names. But it is my FAV!

Lisa Williams!

We randomly chose (not me! because it’s too hard for me to pick!) a winner for the Tarina Tarantinos.  We’ve notified Lisa and will be mailing new earrings to her this week.  THANK YOU all for registering for the earrings. And THANK YOU for all the sweet comments! I love you all SO SO much, and wish I could send every single one of you a pair. Please know that is my heart! 

If you’d still love a pair of Tarinas (and if those close to you are asking you what you want for Christmas), here is your hook up for my favorite earrings:

Rusty Crickett’s
615 15th Street West
Bradenton, Florida
941-745-3131
http://www.rustycricketts.com/

Ask for Charlie or Terri. They are PRECIOUS!!! And they will SO take care of you! Of course, you could always get a pair as a Christmas present to yourself. I’m not kidding when I say I wear mine ALL THE TIME!

Also, for those of you asking about the fashionABLE scarves, Rusty Crickett’s has them now, too….

I hope “Carmen’s Favorite Things” is helpig you with your Christmas list. I’ve enjoyed reading all of your FB comments, emails, etc. of the things that you’ve gotten. I think the Table Topics cube is the front runner right now!  I’d love to hear about any unique things you’ve stumbled upon, or enjoy giving to your loved ones! Let me know about ‘em, and I’ll share with everybody here. 

I’m kinda liking this registering on the blog thing, so I will have something else for you to win later today!

Merry Christmas!
carnen

This giveaway is going to be for my blog friends only!

Meaning, I’m not gonna mention on the air that I’m giving away a pair of Tarina Tarantino earrings tomorrow by 10 a.m! Thanks to my friend Charlie at Rusty Crickett’s, I have a pair to giveaway here, FOR YOU!! Cause we all know every woman needs a pair of Tarina’s. I’ve got my whole family hooked on ‘em!

As you know Tarina Tarantino are my favorite earrings.  They’re sparkly and fun to wear! And I love that you can dress them up or down. I wear mine with cocktail dresses, jean skirts; actually any kind of jeans, jogging suits, and anything in between.

If you’d like a pair of crystal Tarina Tarantino’s, register your full name and email address in the comments section. I will randomly select a winner at 10 am. tomorrow and notify you!

Tarina Tarantino's

my girlfriend Tammi told me about Emi-Jay hair ties earlier this year. I love ‘em!! They are my FAVORITE hair ties. They come in all different colors. I got some of the ones that have a bit of a shimmer to them. Wearing my hair in a ponytail quite a bit, these hair ties make me feel like I’m a little more “dressed up.”  I also got a few with a bead, and they feel really dressy.

I ordered online here, but I’ve seen them in Learning Express too.

They make a great stocking stuffer!

the ones I bought from Emi Jay

with a shimmer!

i love all the colors!

Day 3 of my favorite things.

fashionABLE. Hands down, may favorite scarf!  I make no secret about the fact that I love cooler temps. It’s rough on a girl who lives in Florida, where it’s summer. and more summer. 8 months outta the year it’s just hot. BUT…we do get a few months when we can wear our boots and scarves. You can bet when it drops below 70, I’m breaking ‘em out!

I don’t really remember how I first heard of fashionABLE, but I do remember sitting in the control room November, a year ago ordering the Bezuayhu (say that 3 times in a row!) and the gray Etanesh for myself and a few girlfriends for Christmas. I’ve worn both of them as much as a Florida girl can the past year.

Much like Hello Somebody, fashionABLE is an organization WORTH supporting! Every time you purchase a scarf,  you are helping support SUSTAINABLE businesses for women in Africa.  I could tell you their stories here on my blog, but you should really visit fashionABLE, and read their stories here.

Having traveled out of the country the last 4 years, I have seen the cycle of abuse and poverty. While many stand in judgement, I can tell you first-hand that MOST of these women (heck, they’re really children!) are victims of their circumstance. Many are orphaned, while others are sold. Some go willingly, feeling it’s the only way out of their current abuse. Regardless, they all end up sharing the same sentence:  Trafficking.  Prostitution. And once they’ve lived a life being sold from the time they’re 7 or 8 until they 15, 16, 17, 18 years old …. prostitution is all they know. Even the few who are rescued, sometimes go back to the lie.  They believe the lie that they can’t do anything else to support themselves. They’re convinced they are destined to their life.

But it’s such a lie!
Straight from the pit as far as I am concerned.

These women need rescued.
They need education.
They need to learn a trade.
They need to feel loved.
They need healing.
They need to KNOW this isn’t the plan God has for their life.

As you can see, it’s really not about the scarves at all for me. Though I do LOVE them!! Seriously love them!

But it’s more about offering hope. It’s about helping them regain their self-respect. It’s about saying: “you matter.” or “you can make a different choice.”

So I say to you JOY Fam, if we are ABLE to help do this, by all means….let’s! Who’s with me?

Bezuayhu

Table Topics

It’s Day 2 of my favorite things….

This past Memorial Day, I was at a cook-out at a friend’s house in Nashville, when another friend showed up with an acrylic cube called Table Topics. We immediately gathered around the table and started asking questions. In about 10 minutes, we were doubled over laughing so hard our stomachs hurt!  I can still remember some of the things said that afternoon and the “discoveries” that were made.  It was a fun day!  So many great memories and community we’ll share for a long long time to come. You can truly never have enough of these moments in life.

When I got home, I immediately bought a cube to have at the house. On several different occasions now, I’ve pulled out my Table Topics and I have not been disappointed!  The questions have initiated meaningful, thought-provoking, and every-thing-in-between conversations. I’m talking deep, emotive, revealing and transparent discussions to surprised “I had NO idea!” to pee-in-your pants funny!! Sorry. But it’s true!

Since the summer, I’ve gotten a few different categories.  We’ve enjoyed them all. The conversation around the table just this past Thanksgiving is some of the best discussions my family has had in a while.  And it kept us sitting at the table longer, too. I liked that!

You can order Table Topics online. I also saw them at Pottery Barn the other day.  I’ve seen them priced between $20-$25. This is a great gift for a co-worker, a neighborhood gift exchange, a small group or bible study party, or a hostess gift for the Christmas parties you may be attending this year. It’d also be a great gift for any family member!  Or you could be like me, and gift it to yourself!

Yep, Christmas is here.  Each year on the show, I offer gift ideas and share some of my favorite things or “finds” from the year.  I’m always drawn to things that support other things. I also love watches. Fashionable watches. Not the super fancy, “dripping in diamonds” ones. I’m a very casual person. I wear watches as an accessory, and like to mix them up regularly.  So when I was introduced to Hello Somebody earlier this year, it was a beautiful thing!

Hello Somebody watches

But as much as I love Hello Somebody watches- and they are indeed one of my favorite things this year – I love the organization more!  Hello Somebody was established after a mission trip to Honduras. And of course, we all know how I feel about Honduras and the incredibly special place it has in my heart. (Read previous posts from September to get the story.)

Like many organizations, Hello Somebody exists to FEED children. But their ultimate goal is to provide education; working towards ending the cycle of poverty. The last 4 years I’ve held lots of hungry children. And not just hungry for food. They’re hungry for the basic necessities of life. Hungry to feel they matter. Hungry to not be left in the margins. Hungry for love.

When you purchase a Hello Somebody watch ($25), you are supporting an organization that is feeding children. I will always always ALWAYS get behind that. Not only do I have 3 of their watches. I also have 3 of their T-shirts and I love love LOVE my Hello Somebody hoodie!

So….my first gift idea for Christmas 2011 is Hello Somebody watches. I’ve bought 3 throughout the year!

Merry Christmas!
carmen

my 3 colors:

my fav colors...