~The Transition into 2010~

Happy Holidays everyone, although I'm a bit late. I hope that everyone had an enlightening Christmas, and is preparing for 2010. Can you believe that 2010 is so near?

As 2009 exits, and 2010 enters, I have decided to spend the rest of this week reflecting on how good God has been to me this year, the new things that have happened in my life, the right moves and turns I made, as well as any bad decisions I may have made this year and how I can improve for next year; even concerning the little things.

After I do my reflections on the delights, the good, bad, and rough of 2009, I will meditate for days on my strategy and approach of how I will maintain things and overall improve in 2010. I don't really call this a New Year's Resolution; but more of a permanent personal improvement. It exceeds beyond temporary diets and the likes.

One thing in specific that I will be working to improve in, is timeliness. There were one too many times in 2009 in which I was late.

Question: What is one of the things that you would like to improve for 2010?

*Life is Full of Surprises*

You know, in the flamboyant ride of life, we encounter many surprises. Some occurrences surprise us because they are disappointing; while other occurrences suprise us simply because they are exciting and come as great news.

The most important part is not "what" surprises us in life, but "how" we handle and or cope with the matter that caught us by surprise. If it is a terrible matter, should we allow it to hold us back? Or how about this: If it is something great, should we allow it to make us arrogant and jump ahead of ourselves?

Bad occurrences: For the record, NEVER allow bad occurrences in life get you down. Why? Well simply because if you allow lifes rough surprises to get you down, it could overall hold you back from real joy, spiritual success, academic achievement, financial success, real relationships, desired freedom, and the list goes on.

Thus meaning that a simple problem that is focused on for entirely too long, could overall stunt a persons growth of success. So...even if it seems there is no one else there to up-hold you and encourage you, it's ok; always have the ability to encourage yourself. Hey, David encouraged himself back in the Biblical times; why can't you right.


Tips on staying encouraged:

1)Read your Bible and pray.

2)Purchase some index cards and write scriptures and your own positive words to yourself on them. If you want to even write your name on the card with a message (In example: "Carrie, hang in there, you are going to make it") then do just that. Basically write words that get your attention; make it personal, and place these encouragement index cards on your refrigerator, mirrors, and where ever you could see them everyday. I do this, and it works like a charm for any day that I may need a little boost.

3)Surround yourself with positive people.

4)Meditate

5)Smile! Even when you feel like crying, still smile; and guess what, you will find out that it's pretty hard to smile and be sad at the same time.

6)Have a plan to hang in there; refuse to throw in the towel, and keep reminding yourself of that!

7)Always celebrate you! Always speak positive about your life! Always expect to make it! Love who you are! Be confident!

8)Finally, I will share with you my personal made-up motto, "Allow happiness to be your lifestyle, and not just a temporary emotion."


Good occurrences: Concerning good things that happen in our lives, one of the most important things is to react by giving thanks and rejoicing. However, keep in mind that arrogance has the potential to catch a person off guard, and if we allow ourselves to become filled with pride, the same horse that lifted us up and carried us to the land of luxury, can also throw us off. Be careful, stay humble. We can still be all things great, and remain HUMBLE. Yes, it is possible!

~Christmas Countdown~

Boy is the year flying by fast! Have you all noticed that the years seems to go by faster once you become an adult? Or, maybe it's just me. Well, anyway, look at the time, as of today Christmas is exactly two weeks away. C'mon say it with me "WHOA!"

Hey time flys by so fast that last year Santa Claus and the Elves were actually late putting together all the toys. They were working so fast that they were putting gifts together wrong. Some of the dolls had one eye, so they named them Pirate-Dolls. Then they were late trying to deliver all of the toys; they were flying so fast the sleigh started smoking, and Rudolph started sweating so bad until his lit-up red nose went out. Ha, just joking!

On a more serious note, while some people are excited that they can go Christmas shopping because the season is here already, others may feel a bit discouraged because of the financial investments that this time of year brings. For some of us, the question may be "In this kind of economy, how do you manage to go out and buy gifts to give AND still keep your lights on?"

Well, I think I may have an answer to that question friends! Pick what works best for you and your family.

1) Set a certain limit to how much you can spend this year on gifts.

2) Keep in mind that Christmas is all about the birth of Jesus Christ, and it is not about how many expensive gifts we can give or receive.

3) Call this year's holiday "The One Special Gift Christmas" in which everyone in the house only gives one gift. This is exciting for children and adults alike to be able to focus on what they want to give as their one special gift.

4) Be practical! Sensible! Handy! Useful! What I mean is, buy gifts that could be used at anytime, any day of the week, even everyday. In example, some Christmas' ago, one of my sisters bought me a Toucan Sam Fruitloop cereal-bowl-cup; in fact, it came with a little box of cereal and a designer spoon sitting in the bowl-cup. I thought it was the coolest little gift, because one thing, I love cereal; and another thing is that it was wide enough to be a bowl and eat out of it, but it was also tall and narrow enough to be a cup and drink the left over milk out of it. It was indeed groovy, and I LOVED THAT GIFT. I used it basically EVERYDAY. Unfortunately, it ended up being mistakenly broken. Remember that practical gifts are awesome, and they are usually CHEAPER, like $1, $3, $5, you get my point. Dollar Tree is a great store for buying practical gifts.

5) Pick out about four or five different things that cost like one buck, and assemble them together in one pretty gift bag to give as one whole gift. It is such a creative idea. You can buy anything that you think the person will like, and give your gift a theme, like "Relax Pack". So for a relax-pack, you will place in a basket or gift bag something like a bottle of lotion, bubble bath, face mask, and a bag of their favorite chips. This gift is perfect for women. For guys, you can do the same thing, just purchase a different set of items.

6) Put your creativity to the test, and make the gifts for your loved ones. Gifts that were personally designed and created usually has more value and sentiment.

Anyway, HAPPY SHOPPING, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!

6 Ways to Know that You are Ready to Move on

With all the hype going on about love and relationships, it's easy to lose sight of your initial preference for a significant other, and you will find yourself signing a settlement.

Sure, with all of your friends and family nagging you and telling you that you need to hurry and find somebody to make a life with, it ends up making you feel like you're in a race, and that maybe you really are some sad case, right. Wrong!

For the record, everyone is granted their own life to live, therefore, make your decisions very wisely in everything that you do, because if you make any bad decisions, YOU have to deal with the pain of those errors, not the fan group that talked you into a specific relationship or marriage. Always do what is right for you, and never make hasty decisions; and hey, do your research. Evaluate what you like about the person and what you don't like about them.

Now, if you are currently in a dating-relationship or even long-term friendship that you are beginning to question, here are some tips to help you discover if you are definitely ready to let it go and move on:

1. If the person has cheated on you and/or mistreats you.

2. If you hate to see them coming your way.

3. If you no longer feel in love with them and/or have lost the desire to marry them.

4. If they have been more of a hinderance than a help.

5. If they often stress you out and/or somehow manages to always get you in trouble.

6. If you don't see any good future being with them what so ever.

What Causes Gray Hair?

Ok, so here's the deal; I was looking in the mirror doing my hair one day, and I discovered several gray strings of hair. Being in my 20's, I found this quite interesting. Hey, but after all, who says that only senior citizens get gray hair. Right?

Honestly speaking, at this point of no return with the only option of dying my hair, I have learned to embrace my gray strings and groom them with just as much love as I do the jet black strings of my hair. I feel pretty cool having a little gray hair, and interestingly I think that salt-and-pepper hair is about to become the new blond.

I'm starting to realize that having these gray strings in my hair is not so terrible; but it makes the statement that I know what storms and trials look like because I have been through some, and the fact of the matter is I MADE IT! So now I look at my gray hair strings as "TROPHY STRINGS". How many trophy strings do you have? Be proud of your hair; go ahead, sport your trophies.

Anyhow, with the thought of gray hair on my mind, and in my hair, I figured I would do a little research to help us all who have ever wondered..."Uhhh how did that get there?"

According to the Scientific American Newsletter, the first gray string of hair usually arrives around the age of 30 for men and 35 for women. However, persons within their teenage years can begin to gray, and when that happens it is usually genetic.

Gray hair starts within the pits of the scalp, which are called the follicles, and below each follicle it's like a hair-producing factory where the cells work together to produce colored hair. Also, keratin is in the mix, which helps to grow the nails and outer layers of skin as well. Hair melanin comes into play, and has two shades—eumelanin (dark brown or black) and pheomelanin (yellow or red)—that creates different colors. Hair that has lost most of its melanin comes out gray, and hair that has lost ALL of this pigment comes out white.

Now for the main event, over time the hair follicle production system rebuilds itself, and the [melanocyte] stem cells could gradually reduce, and that is what leads to the loss of pigmentation in hair.

Does stress cause this? "There is evidence that the actions of stress hormones referee the signals instructing melanocytes to carry melanin to keratinocytes," according to Jennifer Lin, a dermatologist who conducts molecular biology research at the Dana-Farber / Harvard Cancer Center in Boston. "Basically, if that signal is interrupted, melanin will not distribute pigment to your hair."

So, there you have it my friends, hard facts and possibilities as cold as ice-water being spontaneously splashed on your back. It's possible that stress and stress-producing illnesses can very well cause gray hair.

Well, in the words of the ones who came before us: Eat healthy, exercise, get good rest, and stop worrying about everything. If things don't pan-out as bad as you thought it was going to be, guess what, you worried in vain. Ewww!

Is the Economy Really Responsible for the Bags Under Everyones Eyes?

Have you been losing sleep over your finances? Although it's 2009 and things still seem to be sanking, could there still be any hope with saving money? Perhaps we have the wisdom of our grandparents or great-grands to squeeze a dollar out of ten cent. Ha! Franklin D. Roosevelt on my dime says "You're joking right? I'm not a magician."

It seems all to recent when we heard on the news about the few career areas that experienced lay-offs. Now, nearly every one of us knows at least one person who was laid off from their job, or we very well may be that person who was laid off. So now what do we do America?

All I can say is we must hang on for dear life, and remember that this is not the first recession. Ahhh, that's right, there was a recession back in the 1930's that was much worst, in fact, they called it "The Great Depression"; and guess what, they survived!

I have discovered that history repeats itself; and because the people of the 1930's found a way out, I honestly believe that we will too. Let's just sit tight and try to enjoy the ride, or maybe learn something that we can all share with the next generations to come. Hey, let's do our best and let God deal with the rest. Get your sleep at night, God is still awake.


QUICK TIP: Make saving money fun, then it actually doesn't seem so bad. See how many coupons you can collect. Have a family? Get the family involved in the game.

QUICK TIP: Gentlemen, if you can't afford to take your girlfriend/wife out to dinner, stay in and cook that special dinner for her; 9 times out of 10, she will melt in your hands. It's a very sweet idea. If you need recipe ideas, go to www.marthastewart.com or stay posted on upcoming recipes on this blog. Now if you don't exactly know how to cook, it's ok, don't burn the house down! You can do a lunch-in-the-park setting in which you use all cold-cuts. Now if you can't fix that, you're on your own (smile).