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The true question when it comes to the phrase, “Let go and let God”, is that sometimes we just don’t know when it is precisely that time. There are so many that rely on God for everything, but they never do their part. Instead, they sit idly by because they would prefer God do all the work for them. I am quite guilty of being that kind of person. I am often reminded of the parable Jesus tells in the Gospel of Matthew about the 10 virgins. I don’t want to be like the five foolish virgins and not bring extra oil while waiting for the Bridegroom. Nonetheless, I catch myself, from time to time, hoping that God will do not only His part but mine also. I know that if I don’t change my ways, I will definitely run out of oil when I need it most.

On the other hand, one of the biggest issues I face most often is that I try to do things within my own strength. I can sometimes become so exasperated because I want to control every single situation and outcome. I want the end result to be a certain way, and I use everything I have in me to try to make it so. Unfortunately, in the end I am only disappointed to find out that the end result is far better than I could have expected, and I have wasted all of my energy and time trying to do it my way. No matter how much I like to “control” situations, it is always better when Jesus takes the wheel.

Recently, I went through a break up that I never thought would happen. I broke up with Disney. As a Christian, I could no longer sit by and allow this new “woke” Disney to be a part of my life. When I say I broke up with Disney, that also meant that I had to change everything in our house because 99% of it was Disney themed. So, I’m sure you can imagine just what kind of break up that was. It wasn’t like I just had to be rid of a few pictures here and there—I had to get rid of our entire home decor. I tried to justify that “Alice and Wonderland” and “Cinderella” wasn’t just a “Disney-thing”, but conviction began to set in every time I looked at one of the characters from the stories. They were all Disney made. I tried so hard to control the way I felt about it all, trying to justify why it was acceptable to continue my Disney obsession, but God had other plans.

The amazing thing about having a relationship with Jesus, He is always working on you. Change is always taking place as long as you allow Him to change you. Besides, He is only changing you for the better. There are more and more things that He is removing from my life because it is no longer good for me. Control is definitely one of those things. Honestly, relinquishing control is the most freeing feeling one can have.

Just recently, I closed my Facebook account. I prayed and prayed because I was trying to figure out what was keeping me from having a deeper relationship with Jesus, and the solution was given to to me clear as day.

One Tuesday night at prayer, I was praying about having the wisdom to know what God wants for my life and my relationship with Him. Immediately, I CLEARLY heard that I needed to close my Facebook account. I struggled the entire week because I argued that all of my memories were there. I began to feel like I had no control if I didn’t have all of those memories right at my fingertips. Needless to say, Holy Spirit worked on me pretty quickly. I had no excuses anymore. I was definitely given the wisdom I asked for because I immediately found a way to save all my memories instantly. Excuses, what are those? That’s the thing…we always want to come up with excuses for everything so we don’t have to change, but that is all it is…excuses. Sometimes we can be so terrified of change that we miss the amazing things to come. We sit by praying for God to do something major in our lives, but we refuse to change. The truth is, in order for something major to happen we MUST change. We MUST do our part. We MUST prepare. We cannot sit and wait for God to do everything. He will give us the wisdom to do the things necessary in order for the big miracles and blessings to take place. We must be ready. We must be willing. Yes, we are supposed to “Let go and let God”, but we still have to get up and do our part.

Everyday I will continue to ask myself if I am doing my part. I don’t want to be unprepared and not have any oil for my lamp. So, ask yourself, are you doing your part?

I looked back at my posts to see when I last blogged. WOW!!!!! April!!!!! Really!!! My last blog was in April?!?! I remember the old saying, “Time flies when you’re having fun.” In all actuality, it seems like the older I get, the faster time flies by. Not that I’m not having fun because I’m having the TIME of my life. (I had to throw that in there…haha!) Nonetheless, time is going by rather quickly, and I don’t believe it is just because I’m having fun.

I turned 47 in May! It seemed like not too long ago I was only 39. I honestly feel like that was just a FEW years ago…..not 8 years ago! In no way am I complaining about my age…I have no problems getting older. I am just flabbergasted that time is indeed slipping away. I suppose this is why we should cherish every single moment we have with the ones we love.

When I first began this post, I was initially going to talk about “time” and what has been going on in my life. Well, it seems that God has been showing me something else to write about. PEACE!

I’m not referring to the “hippie” kind of peace most people like to think of when someone brings up the word peace. I am talking about a peace that surpasses ALL understanding.

Before I came to Christ, my life was extremely chaotic. Even during the “better” times of this chaotic life, I could never find peace. I read all of the books about finding my inner peace because I knew if I did, life would be very different for me. I was the queen of the Self-Help movement. I admit that I even went down the path of spiritual Enlightenment because I was so desperate to find PEACE.

When I met my husband, I noticed something so different about him. He had a certain peace and joy that I could not comprehend. As we dated, he shared all of these amazing things that Christ did for him, and he shared everything like he personally knew Him. In all my years growing up in the Catholic Church, I never experienced anything like he was describing. I’m not saying that Catholics have not experienced this…I am simply saying that I never did.

About a week into our dating relationship, I decided I wanted to give my life to Christ. Of course, I didn’t tell him that because I wanted it to be my own experience, and I didn’t want to make him feel like I was doing it just for him. I suppose I had my own selfish reasons. Well, the day I did give my life to Christ, I felt a peace and joy I had never experienced before. It was a peace that surpassed ALL understanding. It was a peace I wanted to give to everyone.

Unfortunately, this true peace is not something you can wrap up and give someone. Most often, it is not something people want to take freely. Sometimes, like myself, they are so wrapped up in political battles, religious battles, celebrity battles, etc. that they don’t want to relinquish the feeling that comes with those battles. Some are so addicted to drama and misery that they would feel empty if it weren’t there. I am guilty of that. Because of my addiction to drama and chaos, Jesus could have been staring me straight in the face (most likely He was at many points in my life) with the gift of peace, and I still would have refused it. That is exactly how so many people are. We can’t get so wrapped up (no pun intended) in the world that we ignore the true peace Christ can bring to our lives.

My husband and I recently watched the sequel to “Unbroken” (“Unbroken: Path to Redemption”). If you ever have any doubts about the peace that only Christ can give, then you should definitely watch this movie. Here’s just the synopsis of the two movies. You absolutely must watch the first one to truly understand the torment, Olympian, Louis Zamperini went through in order to completely grasp how miraculous his path to redemption really was.

UNBROKEN

“As a boy, Louis “Louie” Zamperini is always in trouble, but with the help of his older brother, he turns his life around and channels his energy into running, later qualifying for the 1936 Olympics. When World War II breaks out, Louie enlists in the military. After his plane crashes in the Pacific, he survives an incredible 47 days adrift in a raft, until his capture by the Japanese navy. Sent to a POW camp, Louie becomes the favorite target of a particularly cruel prison commander.”

UNBROKEN: PATH TO REDEMPTION

“Haunted by nightmares of his horrific experiences, World War II hero Louis Zamperini meets Cynthia Applewhite, a young woman who becomes his wife. Zamperini’s personal demons soon threaten to destroy his marriage — until he hears the stirring words of the Rev. Billy Graham in 1949. Embracing his newfound Christian faith, Louis starts to turn his life around by learning to forgive his former oppressors and spreading the message of peace and love.”

Peace is what many of us are lacking. If you can find that true peace, Facebook would be so much easier to peruse because it wouldn’t be overtaken with arguments and hate just because we may disagree on views. We can agree to disagree and still stand for what we believe in without spreading hate. We can forgive those who have wronged us without holding on to bitterness and resentment. The way I see it, if someone like Louis Zamperini can forgive his oppressors, well what is stopping me? Peace is where your life ACTUALLY begins. Choose peace! You will never regret it.

This will probably be one of those blog entries that offend many, but please keep in mind that these are simply my opinions and revelations. Just because this is my revelation doesn’t mean that I am trying to push my beliefs and opinions on you. This is simply for anyone who might want an explanation because they may feel the same way. So, here it goes….

I have always loved Disney. As a child, we were never in a position to take a Disney World vacation, and I was completely fine with that. During my first marriage, I began to collect Disney plushies because for some reason it helped me to find the happiness I was lacking. I finally went to Disney World as a honey moon during my second marriage. After that first trip, I made a choice that I was going to find ways to go to Disney World as often as I possibly could.

I was so obsessed with these trips that I began doing the whole Disney bounding thing, and when I did, it was to every last detail. Don’t get me wrong, it was a blast. It was such a delight when my present husband (the most amazing man I have ever known….aside from Jesus, of course) volunteered to Disney bound with me. I had an amazing time on our first trip. We celebrated our 2nd anniversary in Disney, and I do not regret it at all. I got to do the whole Disney experience with the man I love whole heartedly. Our second trip was very much the same….we chose the character and Disney bound the part. On our third trip, we took my step son with us. Again, we had a blast. However, on the last day at the park, Magic Kingdom (my favorite park), something changed. I lost my desire to go to Disney World again.

I didn’t thoroughly question this feeling. I thought it was simply because I needed a break from the large crowds. Admittedly, it was EXTREMELY crowded, but crowds never bothered me before…I was in the happiest place on earth. Till the beginning of this week, I could not pinpoint the reason behind my nonexistent desire to return to Disney World.

A few days ago someone told me about a movie they thought was quite controversial. Through the conversation, I felt that I needed to watch it to understand. I tried to read some reviews but only found mixed emotions. I renewed my Disney + subscription (I had cancelled it all because of the agenda they were pushing in what I thought was a cute movie, “Godmothered”.) so I could watch this movie, “Turning Red”. I was horrified! The insinuations throughout the movie is what really horrified me. The content and symbolism around certain things and situations were ghastly. Sure, the rebellious 13 year old wasn’t something to brag about…I thought that was horrible too. However, it was everything else that made me sick to my stomach. I couldn’t even watch it till the end. I won’t even go into the details because there are enough reviews on the internet that you can research for yourself. However, that movie caused me to reach a major turning point in my life. I guess you can say “Turning Red” caused my “Turning Point”. (Okay….maybe it was funnier in my head.)

Now, when I say that this is a major turning point….IT IS A MAJOR TURNING POINT. I was that Disney fan that surrounded herself with Disney. Our home has “Disney” themed rooms for goodness sakes. Nonetheless, at that moment, I decided that my relationship with Disney was over. Again, this is not to persuade you to boycott Disney. This is simply MY revelation. If you love Disney, by all means….carry on.

Just this morning, I began thinking back to all the Disney movies I’ve watched and loved. Sure, we all love movies with happy endings, but when rebellion is promoted in order to get that happy ending…..that’s another thing. There are some that lessons were learned from their rebellion, but there are others that victory occurred because they rebelled against their parents. This has been a consistent theme, but it wasn’t until “Turning Red” that I realized where this “rebellion theme” is headed. It is a huge disappointment to have this type of revelation because it means that an agenda was being pushed ever since the beginning. The difference with the latest movie is that now the parents have to give in to what their children want to do. Don’t dare discipline your children because we now fear that they are unhappy or unsafe? I am in no way comparing abusive parents to parents who discipline. There is a crucial difference between the two.

Looking back on my own rebellion, I realize that my parents’ discipline was for my own good. While I may have felt sheltered, it was to keep me safe and keep me from an early death. It took years for me to realize this, and all I can say is that I wish I would have come to this realization so much sooner. I could have saved myself from years and years of heartbreak and struggle. While many will say that I have been brain washed, I say that you are so far from the truth. Looking back on the horrible things I’ve done and how immorally I lived, it is obvious that I was not brain washed….if I were, I would not have been in rebellion for so long. I chose my own path. I chose to take the test over and over and over and over again. So many things could have been prevented if I would have opened my eyes to see that the only reason my parents disciplined me was because they loved me and wanted what was best for me. I know it pained them to see me going through my adult life with nothing but trouble. No parent wants to see their child going through tough times. The day I gave my life to Christ is the day that I realized the worldly views tainted my entire life. I was reborn—a new creation. Praise Jesus! Now, He guides me down the path I must take.

Apparently, this revelation I had about Disney is just another part of me that I needed to come to terms with. As much as I want to deny it, I do believe I was making my love for Disney an idol. After all, my goal was to surround myself with Disney memorabilia as much as I could. Thank goodness we have a small home! While I do have Disney decor all over our home, it will take some time to make a transition. However, a transition will be happening in some of those cases. One step at a time. For now, I am getting rid of those things that I can easily be rid of.

In conclusion, my opinion and revelation about Disney is my own. I do not condemn anyone who is where I was. While my husband does not like Disney, he allowed time for me to develop my own conclusions. So, I believe that he will be completely shocked about my revelation. So, if you are a lover of Disney or the new movie “Turning Red”, that is your opinion. When it comes to change….we have to be ready for that ourselves. No one can force change upon us.

Peace and Blessings!

Today I was reflecting on how different my path is now as opposed to the path I used to walk. It is shocking how our perspective on things can be so tainted when we are on the wrong path because we are so caught up in the world. I didn’t realize that my views were controlled by the latest worldly trend, which extended so far beyond my control. I am not referring to fashion or anything like that…I am speaking of material things, relationship statuses, etc. I had such a void in my life that I sought out people, places, and things to fill it….only to throw them out like the latest, out-dated fashion. Sadly, nothing seemed to matter because the void was always there. No matter what, I always took the wrong path.

For so many years I kept searching for something or someone to fill the void, and the only thing that search led to was nothing but disappointment. I depended on things, people, places, jobs, etc. to make me happy. When I saw that I didn’t find the happiness I was seeking, in whoever or whatever it was at the moment, I’d leave and search elsewhere. It was a very vicious cycle, and I didn’t know how to end it. The problem was, I was trying to do everything in my own strength.

The day I accepted Christ into my life as my Lord and Savior, my perspective on life completely changed. I saw the horrible person I had become. I saw Biblical morals, and I saw how I changed those morals to suit the way “I” wanted to live my life. The “don’t judge me until you’ve walked in my shoes” mentality was anything but right, but at the time that was my mentality towards everyone who I assumed was judging me. Of course, I didn’t see anything clearly because I didn’t understand what it meant to have a relationship with Christ, and that was a vital piece I was missing.

You see, I was very dedicated to doing “church work” and going through all the motions, but my relationship with Christ was not one to give testimony about. My life was full of sin and bad morals. I did as much as I could to put on this perfect “front” when I was around fellow church members, family members, colleagues, etc., but the truth of the matter was that I was ashamed of the life I led. I used my position in the church to cover my life of sin. I was so ashamed, so in order to cover up that shame I became dishonest about so many things. I had relationships in which we lived outside of marriage. I made myself believe that because the ways of the world changed, the morals of good relationships changed as well. After all, according to the order that relationships go nowadays, I was just following the trend. You’re supposed to try it out before you buy it, right? It seemed like it was the thing to do…test out the relationship before buying a house together, having a family, or getting married. After all…it is better to test things out before you make that commitment. If it didn’t work during that “trial” period, then it definitely wouldn’t have worked if we would have gotten married. My perspective was so deluded.

I recently saw a post on Facebook that asked the question, “Do you believe in living together before marriage?”. I perused through the comments only to find a plethora of agreements that couples should live together before marriage. The scarcity of comments referring to Biblical teachings on marriage only clouded my presence with sadness and fear. Sadness and fear for those who are still living with a tainted perspective on what marriage truly is and how important it is to keep God first in your marriage.

I have experienced two marriages in which God was not first. Both relationships started with us living together before marriage. Both relationships did not keep Christ at the center. Both relationships did not use the Bible as guidance. Sure, I thought I did the “church” thing by keeping a position as music director through it all, but my relationship with Christ was missing. I just didn’t get it! Needless to say, neither of those marriages lasted, and I have my self to blame because I just didn’t get it. I did not understand what it meant to have a covenant marriage. I didn’t understand what it meant to keep Christ first in my life and in my marriage.

When I met my husband, he first showed me the importance of having a relationship with Christ. Even though we were just in the beginning stages of a relationship and getting to know each other as friends, I soon realized how wrong I was regarding my views on how relationships were supposed to look. Our conversations were centered around Christ and the importance of Him always being the center. I noticed a joy and peace about my future husband that I had never experienced in my entire life. I wanted that joy and peace more than anything. The day I surrendered my life to Christ…I soon experienced the joy and peace I so desired. The void that I had lived with for so long was immediately filled with a love I had never truly known. Knowing how special I am to my Father was and still is the best thing I have ever come to understand. I have not wanted for anything because my Father takes care of every single need and then some. I am a child of the most High God, and I know who I am in Him.

The craziest part about my perspective is that when I was living in the world and viewing everything according to worldly values, my life was ALWAYS a struggle. Ever since I surrendered my life to Christ and my perspective has changed according to His Word—the weight of the world is no longer on my shoulders and the stresses I dealt with are no longer a part of my life. Since October 14, 2018, I have had peace and joy that is so difficult to explain sometimes. It is a peace and joy that only comes from Christ and changing my perspective according to His Word.

My previous worldly views are now guided by His Word and what He says is true. My path may be the least traveled, but it is a path guided by the Word of God and my relationship with Christ. My perspective and decisions are now guided by the Holy Spirit and no longer tainted by the world. It is constant work to be sure that I am living for Him and the way He intended me to live. I still fail at times—sometimes I fail miserably, but I know that I am His child and I am loved. As long as I continue to seek Him daily, He will always guide me through every circumstance, decision, relationship, etc. As long as I keep my eyes fixed on Him, my perspective will not be tainted by the world any longer. Praise Jesus! Perspective is EVERYTHING!!!

It has been quite a while since my last blog post. There really isn’t any reason for that except that I allowed the judgement of others to prevent me from writing again. Isn’t it funny how it is so easy to allow others to determine our path…our steps? I had to ask myself that very question, and it has taken this long for me to actually have an answer. God does have a plan for every single one of us. As my husband likes to jokingly say, “It’s our density (destiny).” He is a huge ”Back to the Future” fan. All jokes aside, God has a plan, and He directs our steps. However, we have to understand that the enemy does not want us to fulfill the plan God has for us, and he will use people, places, and things to stray us from the path. Sadly, I’m sure he’s used me to try to stray someone from their God-given path. The enemy knows exactly what hurts us, what pushes our buttons, what causes us to quit, etc. The fortunate thing is that he’s not very clever, so he will use the same tactics over and over. It is our job to overcome those things so he can’t ever use them on us again. Sometimes that is easier said than done, but we have a good God who loves us and will give us strength to overcome. Fortunately for us, He already knows what we are going to do before we even do it. Isn’t it so amazing that God knows your every step, even before you were born?!?! I am just overwhelmed by Him. In a good way, obviously.

So, here I am giving this another go. So much has changed since I last posted, but God’s hand has been in all of it. At the moment, I am no longer teaching music. For now, God has me working with my husband in our glass business. Since I’ve been there, I have worn many hats: customer follow ups, quoting showers and insulated glass, quoting window/door replacements, scheduling, and now marketing/advertising. Let’s just say that I love what I am doing now. The most challenging hat was window/door replacements, but God definitely got me through it until we found someone to fill that position. It is funny how He will download some of the oddest things to our brains when we need it. Anyone who knows me, I am sure they never would have imagined me working for a glass company. Honestly, I never thought I would do such a thing either, but at the moment that is exactly what God is having me do. We can make all the plans we want, but He will always direct our steps as long as we allow Him to and are obedient to what He calls us to do. I am working on the obedience thing daily. Today is one of those days. I was composing a Facebook post, and God clearly directed me back to this blog. I have no idea what His plan is, but I am being obedient.

So, here I am again. I am back after a long hiatus due to allowing others to direct my path instead of allowing God to direct my steps. Praise Jesus for second chances, third chances, etc. I am relying on the strength God gives me to overcome any obstacle put in my way. To God be the glory….Amen!

Attention! Attention! Attention! I am so happy to report that I have made it through my first five months….and quickly approaching month six! I committed to going to the gym 3 days a week, and I am happy to report that I’ve stuck to it and completed my fifth month of training. During this time, I have only missed two days due to sickness (one of those I could have completely prevented). So, what has been changing since I began my training?

Some of the biggest changes I have experienced is that I definitely have more energy than I have ever had. I would have thought that waking early and working out Monday, Wednesday, and Friday every week would cause great exhaustion, but it has had the complete opposite affect on me. I have been getting the best sleep every night, and the night sweats are completely nonexistent now. The bloated feeling that seemed to become a normal day to day feeling is almost nonexistent now. I feel so much stronger, and the confidence I feel about myself is entirely different. It is almost difficult to explain….it isn’t a cocky type of confident feeling. It is more like I feel good about myself because I know that I am no longer being lazy; I am heading in the direction towards better health.

While there have been so many positive changes, there are quite a few things that have not changed. My eating habits have not changed in the way they should. The holidays made it very difficult to even “think” about eating healthy because let’s face it…I LOVE SWEETS!

Sugar is my worst enemy. That one time I could have prevented my sickness….the one I mentioned earlier…..well that was all brought on by the enormous amounts of sugar I was consuming. The comforting idea about this entire journey is that I knew I wouldn’t knock out all of my goals at one time. At least I am still on the right track.

My husband and I just returned from a much needed vacation, so now is a great time to knock out the next part of my goal towards a healthier me. I really thought that making the gym a habit was going to be the most difficult part, but I was completely wrong. Eating completely healthier is definitely the most difficult journey in my book. I have been cursed with a love for sweets, and I must be delivered from it. Because my eating habits have not really changed, there hasn’t been any weight loss in quite some time. That is to be expected. Afterall, did I really think that I could continue eating the way I was just because I was going to the gym? (I honestly hoped it worked out that way.). The ugly truth is that diet and exercise do go hand in hand.

When my in-laws moved into our home after Hurricane Ian, I strongly believe I began to stress eat. Not that THEY were stressful, but the entire situation was a bit taxing. Now that they are in their own place and we have returned back to a “normal-ish” life, I can develop some sort of eating plan. The first thing that I decided to remove from my daily lifestyle was carbonated drinks. I honestly feel that even though the Stevia sodas are supposed to be better for you than a regular diet soda, it is still not good for you. So, I stopped buying them altogether. I’m implementing more water into my day (even though I was supposed to be doing that from the start–shhh, don’t tell my trainer). I am not eating near as much sugar as I was around the holidays, but I still feel that I’m consuming more than I should. I would like to get to the point that I have eliminated sugar completely (the unnatural kind).

I am also planning to consume more fruits and vegetables rather than processed snacks. I know, that alone will make a world of a difference in my weight loss. My husband and I are also being more disciplined about fasting three days a week. Let me clarify that this fasting plan is not for weight loss, it is for our prayer life, so we are not being strict about all of those intermittent fasting plans out there. I would rather consume much less food than fast, so the only way I would ever fast is if it is for good reason….prayer and a closer relationship to God is DEFINITELY a good reason.

Now that I have made going to the gym a habit, it is time to make a healthier eating lifestyle a habit. There are so many “diets” out there. There are also the diet shortcuts, but none of those things are permanent. I recently found out that there are many people taking some sort of diabetic drug for weight loss. My trainer has been researching it and found out that once you start, you must continue taking it for the rest of your life. It’s no different than a diabetic who needs insulin for the rest of their lives. I don’t want to have to take a pill or a shot to be able to stay slim. I don’t want to have to go under the knife to remove fat from my body. I strongly believe that a healthy diet and a disciplined exercise plan go hand in hand, and I am determined to prove to many that if you do those things…you don’t need all of the drugs and surgeries to lose weight. I am determined to prove that hard work, determination, and perserverance is the ONLY way towards a healthier lifestyle. We should all know that in life there are no shortcuts. The same goes for weight loss, there are no shortcuts. What happens if you stop taking the weight loss drug? What happens if you continue living the same way you did before the surgery?

So, the rest of my journey begins. Over the next few months, I will be conquering this healthy eating lifestyle along with continuous exercise. I will be conquering this whole weight loss thing because I will be putting all of the good things in my body instead of the horrible things I’ve lived on for so long. I have 47 (almost 48) years of bad habits to break. This will definitely be one roller coaster of a ride. Stay tuned….

I know you’re probably wondering…when looking at new blogs, we automatically think, “Oh no, just another person taking a stab at this blog thing.” Well, you would probably be right, however, do you really know who I am?

My name is Tansy Waguespack-Bibeau, and I am here because I have a story to tell. Yes, I am one of those women who hyphenate my last name only because I am a teacher, and I am called by both names. Therefore, I answer to almost anything. Ms. Waguespack, Mrs. Bibeau, Ms. Pineapple, Ms. Bubbles…I’ll explain that another time.

Currently, I live in Slidell, LA and have been here since June of 2017. Let me give you a little history of who I am before we get to why I’m here.

I am originally from a small, little, South Louisiana town, along Bayou Lafourche, called Lockport. I’ve had a very interesting childhood growing up in such a small town. Our schools were small, as well as our churches. After I graduated high school, I was quite eager to move away from home. I mean, what teenager wouldn’t be? So, I went to Louisiana Tech, but unfortunately, the world pulled me in, and I only lasted 2 quarters. So, this little bayou girl made her way back down to South Louisiana and stayed there until my sister graduated from high school. My sister and I are 5 years apart. During that time, I successfully built up a private piano/voice studio and was music director for Our Lady of Prompt Succor in Golden Meadow. I took a class, at our local university, here and there…whenever I could afford it, that is. Then when my sister graduated, she decided to go to Louisiana Tech, and I decided to go back with her. We were roommates and classmates all at the same time. While there, I met my 1st husband, and we ended up getting married before I graduated, but during the beginning of that marriage I managed to lose my relationship with my sister, develop a rocky relationship with my mom and dad, and graduate all at once. I may write about that life experience at some point because it definitely was a learning experience. Anyway, we were only together for a very short time, and then we divorced. I managed to make my way from Ruston to Shreveport during that time.

While I was in Shreveport, I was finally living my life on my own. I won’t deny that it wasn’t a struggle, but I was so proud of myself for being able to live on my own and not have to depend on anyone. My relationship with my sister was somewhat rekindled, and my relationship with my parents was getting better. In 2008-2009, I was teaching music/choir in a middle school very close to my apartment. I found out from one of my Nicholls college professors that one of the high schools on the bayou was looking to start a choral program again. It was always my dream to teach high school choir, but for some reason, that was never a possibility while I was living in North Louisiana. So, needless to say, I jumped at the interview. I was given the job immediately, and I accepted eagerly. I finished out the school year, and completed the summer portion of my Alternative Teaching Certification Program at Louisiana College. I moved back down the bayou before the summer was over. I never thought I would be back in South Louisiana, but there I was. A few failed relationships happened, and another failed marriage. To be honest, before Christ, I was a pretty horrible person. When you live in the world, there are so many lessons you end up learning because of your own idiocracy (I do know that word doesn’t exist in the dictionary, but it seems appropriate, all things considered).

So, how did I end up in Slidell, LA? I was in a relationship that I thought was going somewhere, but in the end it was going nowhere. Unfortunately, I did not see any of the signs. I ended up moving here for him because it was closer to his work. Little did I know, that after moving, I would end up on my own again. Honestly, I was very relieved. So often, we are able to actually “see” once something comes to an end. After time passed by, I decided that I was going to do things differently in the relationship department. Again, that will be a story for another day because that decision became one of the biggest and most rewarding life lessons of my entire life.

I met my amazing husband who is my world. I was very apprehensive about moving to Slidell to begin with because I had no desire to live in Slidell, LA. However, I do not believe that I would have met my husband if I weren’t living in Slidell. So, I am so very thankful that I did move here because life has taken a turn that makes everything from my past a lesson I can share with others. Hopefully, my mistakes can help someone else.

After 19+ years of teaching choir, music, and drama, I decided to make a career change. I now work with my husband in our glass business as the marketing and advertising manager. Again, that story is for another day. Both my husband and I are part of the worship team at our church, and we are living our best life in our tiny house with our tiny dog. We have so many blessings to be thankful for, but my biggest blessing is that God gave me the husband He planned for me.

While this blog may not be the typical blog you read from other people, it is my blog, and I am definitely not like other people. I have done things so differently that the only word I can use to describe myself is UNIQUE. I intend to write about whatever it is that is on my mind. I feel that I have been given a gift, and I need to share it. I have so many thoughts, ideas, things I love to do, things I love to see, things I love to share, etc. I’m not looking for a specific audience, because that means I am thinking too small. My desire is to reach whomever I need to reach. I don’t intend to make this a private blog because I do not feel that keeping my life private and keeping my life lessons private will benefit anyone. In today’s society, we tend to give everyone the “social media” version of our lives, but why is that? Are we that afraid that people will look at us differently? Are we that afraid that people will judge us harshly? Why should any of that matter? We need to face reality, and look at life just as it is. Yes, it IS full of happiness, accomplishments, things to be proud of, but it is also full of difficulties, problems, disagreements, tragedy, brokenness, etc. Why hide the things that most everyone struggles with?

So I do hope that you choose to follow my blog. It doesn’t mean that you have to read everything. Simply read the things that interest you. Please feel free to comment and share your own thoughts, ideas, stories, etc. I would love to hear from you. Until next time….God bless you all, and I love you!

I know we are in a phase that, like me, many of you probably never even dreamed of. I never would have dreamed that I would be out of school for as long as I have been. Today is April 1st, and we have been out of school since March 13th.

But wait…I had huge plans!

On March 24th and 27th, my choirs would have participated in their very first festival and district assessment under my direction. My students began working on their festival repertoire since the beginning of January and have worked extremely hard since then. The majority of my choir students are beginners and have no music background whatsoever. So, for me to say that they were “festival ready” is a BOLD statement and a HUGE accomplishment. When I learned that we would not be returning to school until April 13th, I knew that our festival aspirations weren’t actually going to happen.

Not only did they cancel, but there were no intentions of rescheduling. Immediately, I felt a wave of disappointment for my students because I knew how hard they worked for these performances.

Well, that was one of my plans thrown to the trash.

My second plan was the vacation my husband and I were FINALLY going to be able to take together. My husband has his own glass business, Ben’s Ameriglass here in Slidell, LA, and they are always extremely busy. Therefore, the opportunity for us to get away whenever we want is very rare. It has been 5 years since I’ve last visited Disney World, and when I say, I LOVE DISNEY, it is definitely an understatement. So, one can only imagine how ecstatic I was when my husband told me to go ahead and book a Disney vacation. We planned to leave April 3rd, drive to Florida to visit his parents for a few days, check into the Animal Kingdom Lodge on April 7th, visit Downtown Disney (I’ve yet to have the opportunity to experience that.), go to Magic Kingdom on the 8th, go to Epcot on the 9th, go to Hollywood Studios on the 10th, leave to go back to his parents for a few days, then finally return home. I planned to take off of school for four days so we could miss the Spring Break crowd, so that meant I would have a week of no school after our vacation. A nice time to catch up on rest and relaxation. The best part about this entire Disney vacation is that my husband volunteered to Disney Bound with me. So, I spent months planning our attire and getting every little detail together for every single outfit. Everything was ready! Our reservations were made, our outfits planned, and my excitement was on overdrive.

When we heard that WDW was closed till March 31st, I still had it in my mind that we were going. Call it stubbornness if you must. It wasn’t until the beginning of last week that I even talked to my husband about selecting a possible reschedule date…you know…just in case. Yet, I still had hopes that we were going. Suddenly, Disney announced that parks were closed indefinitely, and our stay at home/social distancing order was extended until April 30th.

So, that was another plan that was thrown to the trash.

We make all these plans, but sometimes what we don’t realize is that we are not in control. By no means, do I believe that this virus was created by God, but I do believe that God already knew this was going to happen. He will take something as bad as this pandemic and use it for good. Look at what is happening in the world around us. People are turning to scripture and prayer for consolation. Families are spending more time together. So many are coming to the realization that our lives don’t have to be as busy as we were making them. Sometimes, we just have to BE STILL. Be still and know that He is God, and He will supply our every need. We can make plans and we will continue to make plans, but we have to realize that He knows THE plan for our lives.

Even though this is a time where so many are living in fear and panic, I trust that my Lord and Savior has my life in the palm of His hands. Because I know this, I do not fear. We can look at the plans we had and find something good that came from them even though they may not have happened. Our festivals may have been cancelled, but I know what I can do that will benefit my students even more next year when preparing for festival. Our Disney vacation has to be rescheduled, but we are rescheduling during my favorite time of the year….CHRISTMAS! Always trust that He has our best interest at heart. He loves us so much!

Until next time….God bless you all, and I love you!!!