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MARK THIS MOMENT
I am marking this moment. The moment where I declare I am trusting God in this suffering. STABILITY GONE About a year ago as my life changed radically over night I began praying a pretty bold prayer. I literally had my “rug of stability” pulled, no, yanked out from under me. Everything I had built my life upon suddenly laying in a pile of shambles right in front of me. It was a bittersweet time, because among the mess I was in, I was about to marry the man of my dreams. From a distance it appeared as though my life was finally falling into place, but the reality was…
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SAND CASTLES AND PAPER EMPIRES
We lust after the deceitfulness of riches. We get entangled in the cares of this world. We place value in the types of friends we have. But what all of these things are actually doing is choking us from the breath of God. The part that is hard for me to wrap my brain around is the fact that none of us, are free from the tides of these traps. The tide will always come back in. That is a fact. The lies will always find a crack in our foundation to creep through with intention of entangling us in yet again another choke hold, with the goal of complete…
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WE HAVE BEEN KIDNAPPED
“Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe.” Hebrews 12:28 God’s SO big! The size of our God is just not something we can fathom. There are times in my life, when BIG moments happen… you know, the moments that stop you dead in your tracks and take your breath away. The moments where God simply blows our mind. I try and wrap my mind around what he is doing, and just simply can’t. The stitching together of our every fiber is something we often overlook. Just because we don’t stop to…
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WHEN GOD CALLS
I remember laying on my bed, sobbing my eyes out. I was miserable. Angry. Confused. Alone. I had just ended a relationship with the person I had moved to Southern California for, and now it was over, and I was left broken beyond what I even knew then. I was mentally sick from the toxic relationship I’d tried to make work, now with engrained misconceptions about who I am and what I’m valued for. I felt nearly brainwashed. I had changed my entire life for this relationship, and now I was stuck hundreds of miles away from family, crying my eyes out in a room I rented in a home…
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THE BEST PRESENT TO GIVE THIS YEAR
I am obsessed with Christmas. Obsessed. (Why you so obsessed with me... Oops, wrong Mariah song). The moment Thanksgiving ends, the eggnog comes out, the Harry Connick Jr. comes on, and I begin squealing in delight with every Christmas song on the radio -with the exception of Wonderful Christmastime- thanking God for things like lit up wreaths on street lights, house lights that change color, and my very first Peppermint Spice Latte of the season. I am a poster girl for Christmas cheer. Think the spirit of Buddy the Elf in a five-foot-five blonde. I think my love of Christmas comes from being raised in a family that really knows how to…
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WHEN GOD SAYS “PUT THIS DOWN”
Here I am again, soaking in another “put this down” moment. Face to face with Jesus and his hand so gently extended out in request for me to release the grip I have on yet another plan I’ve designed for myself. I WOULDN’T DARE CHANGE THE VALLEY As difficult, heartbreaking, and stressful this last year has been in regards to my career and business, I wouldn’t dare change the valley I’ve walked through. “It was all a waste”, the lingering thought that tries to creep in any opportunity given to do so. I GOT RESTLESS A year ago I found myself desiring more. The stable, secure foundation I had built…
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THE CURRENT CONVERSATION: LYMPHATIC DRAINAGE
Lymphatic drainage is the current conversation in the beauty world. The thing I love about this industry is how things cycle back around. Lymphatic drainage is being talked about like it’s this brand new breakthrough facial massage that contours and lifts the face, but it’s not. It’s been around FOREVER. I remember in esthetician school 12 years ago learning about it, and back then it was historic. Every esthetician knows about lymphatic drainage, however not every esthetician sees the value in making it a massive part of their facial treatment. Today I want to talk ALL THINGS LYMPHATIC DRAINAGE, and why you desperately need it in your life. Our…
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FAITHFULLY EVER AFTER
The screen of my phone lit up with his name, and instantly my stomach flipped. In the sound of silence that followed, my spirit heard the faint whisper of the familiar voice I have known my entire life. The Voice gently probed, “Are you really willing to give up everything we have in order to pursue him?” The response in my heart and mind that followed was the scariest moment of my life to date, as I heard my soul reply, “I don’t know.” THE PREACHER’S DAUGHTER I grew up in a home of passionate, faith-filled believers. My dad, now a Reverend, has been in the ministry in…
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APPLE CRUMBLE CHEESECAKE RECIPE
Happy Thanksgiving, lovelies! This year I am spending it with my husband’s family as we celebrate our first Thanksgiving as newlyweds. My husband’s favorite dessert is apple pie and mine is cheesecake, so this year I found something to satisfy both our cravings! This cheesecake is super easy to make, but it looks and tastes like something straight out of a Food Network Star’s personal recipe stash. (Do they use recipes…?) Well, who cares? It’s delicious! xo, Suz INGREDIENTS CRUST: 2 cups gluten-free old-fashioned oats 1 cup gluten-free flour 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed 3/4 cup butter, melted 1/4 tsp salt CHEESECAKE FILLING: 3 (8oz.) packages of cream cheese,…
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REAL WEDDINGS: LAVENDER & LEMONS EDITION
We were standing in front of the castle, taking a couples’ photo as instructed by my Disneyland Scavenger Hunt list. In but a single moment, I went from standing next to my boyfriend, smiling at the camera, to staring in disbelief at the sparkly ring in front of me, and the most handsome smile grinning at me from behind it. I had dreamt of this moment my entire life. I was the stereotypical girl who grew up oohing and ahhing over wedding magazines, pinning obsessively on Pinterest, and letting my head float up to the clouds as I imagined what it would be like for me someday. Needless to…