Christian Walk: Amazing Feets

This is an article a girlfriend of mine wrote and I am the Puerto Rican with the jeweled shoes! :) Great article!

CHRISTIAN WALK
Amazing Feets

By Laura J. Bagby, CBN.com Sr. Producer

CBN.com – The other day I was admiring my Puerto Rican friend’s fancy feet, shod in some gemstone-gilded, strappy concoction. She gushed expressively that her recent purchase was directly linked to having a horrible day. To brighten her mood, she had decided to take herself shopping and indulge in a pair of stilettos.

I can relate. Only for me, I don’t need a really bad day to lure me into the luxury of slipping on a pair of pretty shoes. Believe me, one of my guy friends knows me well on this one. Every time I innocently suggest we shop for shoes, he smiles because he
knows he is in for some giddiness on my part.

I am quite partial to the Cinderella variety, the kind that’s dainty or fancy or glittery or gold or maybe even all of the above, certainly high and girly. Perhaps it’s a throwback to my dress-up days as a child, when my older sister, Mel, and I would raid the treasure trove of Mom’s old clothes box. We ended up in some getup with gloves, scarves, hats, parasols, and heels and would pretend to be elegant ladies. Or maybe it simply goes back to just freeing up my feminine side to come out and play. Well, that’s my excuse anyway.

My tall-shoe fixation certainly doesn’t have anything to do with a diminutive stature. No, I am tall, about 5 feet 9 inches or so. In high heels, I can tower at about 6 feet. Lest you think it, wearing high heels isn’t some sign that I hate men or want to remain single the rest of my life. I have to say this now because I have had a run-in on this one.

I was with my 5-foot-2-inch roomie in a shoe store about three years ago. I had just placed yet another pair of slides on my feet and was prancing around in delight when an older and much shorter woman looked sternly into my jubilant face and wiped the smile completely away with her caustic sentiments. I don’t recall the exact words of that conversation—likely because I blocked those stinging thoughts from my memory—but the scenario went something like this:

“Do you really need to be wearing shoes that high, seeing as how you are already so tall?”

I wasn’t exactly prepared for a confrontation from someone I didn’t know and hadn’t even noticed. But somehow I had obviously unintentionally offended this frumpy, practical-shoe-type woman and now she demanded an answer.

So I shot back matter-of-factly, “I just like wearing them, and I don’t really care what people think.”

I was hoping that my curt reply, though said with a lighthearted smile, would stop
this agenda-driven woman dead in her tracks. But I was wrong.

“How old are you?” she asked, determined to get at the bottom of my perceived wrong motive.

Don’t ask me why I replied, but when I did, I felt a bit helpless in her disapproving glances.

“Uh, 33,” I choked as nonchalantly as possible, trying to avoid her gaze as I looked for the highest pair of heels I could find.

It must have suddenly dawned on her that my ring finger on my left hand was noticeably naked of a glistening rock, because she confidently went straight for the kill.

“How do you expect to land a man by wearing tall shoes like those?”

OK. That’s it. Now you are stepping on sacred ground here, Lady. Equating my spinsterhood with the height of my shoe is a ridiculous notion.

I walked away partially stripped of my confidence. I didn’t buy any shoes that day and I had to have my roommate build me back up again. It was an altogether deflating shoe day.

Fast forward to yesterday. I opted for the pair of gold wedge sandals that I recently bought. I figured they would put a spring in my step after a string of rainy days. Well, spring isn’t exactly what I got—it was more like a consistently loud clomp. I should have checked my shoes for loudness at the store, but, honestly, who does that?

By early morning, my feet had kept their metronome pace so well that I had to laugh at myself. By the evening, one of my coworkers was snapping his fingers to the beat of my trudge. I good-naturedly smiled back. Note to self: don’t walk in with these shoes on in the middle of a prayer meeting.

In the above examples, intentionally or not, I had made a very clear statement just by the shoes I chose to wear— and neither message was what I was trying to present. I wasn’t trying to showcase my feministic independence, nor was I trying to be tacky and brash. I was simply attempting to be beautiful.

Oh, but left to my own devices, my attempts at beauty fall far, far short of the glory of God. I admit that outward appearances often get the better of me. Sometimes I am more focused on external beauty than the deeper and hidden things of the spirit. But God wants me to exhibit traits that go much deeper than an attractive exterior.

In 1 Peter 3:3-4 the Bible tells us, “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight” (NIV, emphasis mine).

I read this passage and I just inwardly cringe because I know that on so many days, the spirit in me is restless and discontented and running toward shallow things. Instead, I should be running toward God.

Ultimately, my feet should be “fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace” (NIV) or shod “with the preparation of the gospel of peace” (NKJ), as it says in Ephesians 6:15, a familiar passage listing the pieces of the armor of God that are meant to eradicate Satan’s evil schemes. I have to wonder exactly what those kind of devil-stomping shoes look like. I bet they are absolutely glorious!

And while I am at it, I had best have the rest of me dressed for success as well—according to the holy ways of God. Look at what Colossians 3:12 has to say: “Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” At other places in the Word, we are told to clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Himself (Romans 13:14, Galatians 3:27).

Now, what about you? What kind of spiritual statement are you making with those fancy feet of yours? Are you choosing to walk confidently on sacred ground? If so, are you donning the correct footwear? Are you choosing to walk wisely and to make all your paths peaceful, as Proverbs 3:17 instructs? I pray that you and I as women will demonstrate the kind of beauty that is eternal, a beauty that is marked with the
extravagant love of Christ, the boldness of the Holy Spirit, the adornment of compassion, the shoestrings of kindness, and the sole of humility.

technorati tag: shoes

Student Orientation

CRAZY busy day! First Buster was barking consistently early this morning, then I let him outside and he runs after a cat. I have 20 mins to get ready and be here on time for student orientation and I am outside chasing after my nut job of a dog! I fly down the highway, praying that I wouldn’t get pulled over and I get here 2 min to 8 am for student orientation registration. I have been running around like a chicken with my head cut off ever since, up and down, up and down the stairs. It is so weird to see these students because they look so young, and this is graduate school…or I am just getting older. EEEK! Soon the school year will be in full throttle and I will be super busy but it will be interesting and it will keep me on my toes.

In other news, I will be signing my lease today….HURRAY…and moving in about 10 days EEek! I have totally be procrastinating the packing, but I will get it done.

Week 2: Loose Leash Walking and Sit

My little problem child did not fail us this week. He lived up to his reputation and was the most difficult student in the class. The things that make a mother proud! This week we worked on Sit and Loose Leash Walking. Thankfully enough Buster does the sit part pretty well but the leash walking...not so much. First of all the boy is nosy, he has to know everything and be in everyone's business. It is near impossible for me to get his attention when other dogs are getting treats, even though I am trying to give him a treat myself.

The trainer decided to use Buster as the example when she wanted to demonstrate what we were suppose to do with the dogs to get them to properly walk with a leash. He was COMPLETELY uncooperative and wanted to do his own thing. She eventually told me that she would work with me first and took another dog to use as an example. I swear every time we go to class I feel like I will be called in for a parent teacher conference at any moment. The trainer then assigned us to a aisle to walk the dog in, Buster was not having it, he wanted to take off. Then the trainer brings me this thing called a gentle leader and we struggle but manage to get it on Buster. (ref. pic below: once I get my camera I will post my own pic.) HE WAS NOT HAPPY. He wiggled and jerked in every direction possible to get the thing off. Finally after a much failed attempted he stared walking with me while still trying to get it off....but HE WALKED. I was SHOCKED I could not believe my defiant and very independent little dog was finally semi-cooperating!

So the homework assignment to to take him out for 2 walks a day with the thing and to get him to sit 25 times a day. FUN! Man....nothing like breaking a spunky little spirit.

Buster: Dreams vs. Reality

My Hopeful Dream

The Sad Reality

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**Allow me to clarify that the "Reality" isn't my dog, he just behaves much like him. Why do I always seem to get the most interesting pets.

technorati tag: dog training

New Layout

Ok I just downloaded and posted a new lay out but it needs some tweaking as you can tell, but in general I like it. So I will be back to tweak tomorrow, time to split!

technorati tag: blog templates

Soar Muscles and Many Bruises

This past Sunday a group of us went over to a friends house who lives on a lake. We had a blast! I haven't swam that much in a long time. I also took Buster with me and he had a ball, he played with a chocolate lab that was 4 times his size, he swam out in the lake and I took him out on a raft. He wanted to jump out an swim to shore but we were so far out he wouldn't have made it.

I took a try at windsurfing and did surprisingly well. I was able to stand on the board and get the sail up. I even got it moving but I realized I was going further out from shore and from the dock everyone was yelling at me to turn....unfortunatly no one taught me out to turn, so eventually someone had to come to my rescue....lol. Also, out on the water was a GIANT inflated dounut. All 10+ of us tried to get on this donut which was an adventure in and of it self. People were struggling to get on, wading in the water, falling up and being flipped over...it was like water twister...but it was a blast!

The next day I woke up soar and bruised. I had bruises everywhere from being grabbed, pulled, squished and kicked. But I would do it again.

Also on an unrelated subject, I just bought a camera on Ebay so I hope to be recieving it soon and then i will be able to post a lot more pictures. Hurray!

technorati tag: weekend

Week One: Cradle Massage & Watch Me!

Yesterday was our first day of obedience class and I am disappointed to say that Buster was labeled the problem child. His first demonstration of defiance was when we were instructed to do this exercise called cradle and massage. In the class there are 5 dogs all small breeds, a Cavalier, Pug, Puggal (pug/beagle), Mini Dachshund and my main man Bustern (Jack Russel/Yorkie). First we did the cradle massage exercise. Buster is totally distracted, he wants to see what is going on, so he has no interest in me cradling or massaging him. I look around the room and all the other owners and their dogs are doing great, the dogs are loving the massage...but not my boy Buster! He is wiggling and trying everything possible to get out of my arms and nipping at my hands. The trainer tries to put bitter apple on my hands, but that lasted all of 1 min because it evaporates and he knows it, so he just starts to nip again. Finally we had to bribe him with a bone to chew on so he would stop chewing on me!

Afterwards we did "Watch Me", which is calling his name and getting him to look at you. Once he looks at you he gets treat. Buster had more interesting things to look at and I was defiantly not one of them. After many agonizing attempts he finally looked at me and got his treat. The thing is that the kid is nosy! At home we do pretty good with the exercises but in class he is all up in everyone's business. Alas, my child was pegged the problem child and I am sure he will be used as an example. I am sooo darn proud! :P

I will keep you posted on his progress.

tecrati tag: dog training

Attack of the Giant Puppy

Monster Puppy
Originally uploaded by meseidyrod.

They called me the problem child last night in class!

I Have a Theif

My puppy....Buster is a theif and he is quick. He will snatch anything and then I have to spent 5 mins. chasing after him to get it back. He thinks it is hilarious....I want to throw a shoe at him....problem is usualy HE HAS IT! He is soooo sneaky. This morning I was sitting on the sofa putting make-up on and he was sitting next to me. Next thing I know he is taking off with my mascara....UGH! My good mascara! I yell at him to drop it....does he? No of course not instead we run around the coffee table. It has basically become a race track, we regularlly run around the coffee table.

Well tonight he head off to our first puppy training class, so hopefully with time he will drop it when I tell him too. Puppies!
technorati tag: puppies

Weekend Report: Another Classic Meseidy Moment

 

I had another “Meseidy Moment”.  I went down to the driving range with a friend of mine to learn how to hit some balls.  I was actually doing ok for a beginner but I need A LOT of work.  We are out at this driving range in the HOT sun….I think my face was melting off, so I kept wiping my face.  A one point I ran out of balls to I reach over to my friend’s spot because he has some balls left.  Between the two stations are large black metal dividers.  I begin to lean over and reach for the balls, thinking that this divider is bolted to the ground….unfortunately it was not.  I begin to put my weight on it and notice that it is starting to tilt.  The gate come crashing down and makes this huge crash and shortly afterwards I come down with it.  I slammed my hand and knee into the concrete….not cool.  I look up and my friend says “I would have caught you if I know you were going down”.  Yeah….thanks!  Now, I have a very attractive knot and bruise on my knee ….very fashionable.  Looks like I won’t be wearing a skirt for awhile.  J

Hey Guess What I Am Alive!

Ok, so it has been awhile since I have written anything.....Sorry. But there is quite a lot of interesting things for me to update you on quickly. First as you already know I have a dog named Buster. He is a handful but a ton of fun. I recently have been trying to train him to ring a bell that I hung from the door when he needs to go out. He has definitely gotten a hang of this bell, so much so I am about to toss it. Last night he was having a fit, he wanted to go outside but when I let him out he wouldn't do anything and this wouldn't be an issue if it wasn't for the fact that I have to stand outside with him or he will cry and bark at the door. UGH. Finally I just had to ignore him until he tired out. Also, I am in the process of packing and moving yet again. I promise myself that I am going to stay and this place more then a year. I put an application in on a 1br/1bath so I am praying that I get it, it will be nice to live alone again, just me and Buster. Final significant update...I have left real estate and am working as an Office Manager at a university and love it. I am go grateful for the position, not only is it a great job but it allows me to go back to school and I thank the Lord for the opportunity. I know if was Him who opened this door for me!

So I am back at a desk from 8 - 5, which will possibly mean more consistent blogging. HURRAY! Well I need to get to work right now but I promise I will be back.

technorati tag: life

Diet Coke and Mentos Bomb - AWSOME!

technorati tag: diet coke & mentos

Buster Brown

I GOT A PUPPY! He is sooooo cute! His name is Buster, he is a Jack Russell/Yorkie mix and he is a ton of fun!

Awwww look at that face!

technorati tag: puppies

Faith

My friend Kristin sent me this:

Meseidy - wrote this awhile ago - hope it encourages you though.


I've been having some deep thoughts recently. The kind that keep me up at night. The kind that plague me as I drive from here to there. The kind of thoughts that rip off the blinders and the deceit that I've somehow enabled myself to comfortably live behind. The kind of thoughts that either enable me to run toward God or choose to walk away from Him.

Faith. What is faith? Yes, Hebrews 11 gives us a great definition, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." However, my feeble mind likes to be able to SEE. I want to be able to grab hold of what I hope for and then call it mine. Is it truly faith? No. And yet, my own life requires of me faith at every turn. I must trust others. I must trust and believe without yet seeing or having full knowledge.

Allow me to explain myself. I go for my State Inspection for my car. The mechanic tells me I'm below standards and thus need a brake job. Do I think I need a brake job? No, my car stops - to me that means my brakes work. However, this mechanic (who has God plastered all over the walls by the way) tells me I need a brake job. I, in faith and trust, have to agree with him because he is much more knowledgable about cars than I am. Thus, I get a brake job.

For another example, let's think about going to the doctor's office. We may have a slight cough or a bit of pain; however, we have know idea what is causing it or how to get rid of it. So we go to the doctor and he gives a diagnosis. We have to trust that what he believes is wrong with our body to be true. For the most part, we believe him and therefore take the medicine and ultimately get better. We have just put some faith in the doctor because we believed that he was more knowledgable than we are.

Faith is more than just hoping - it's trusting. Scripture tells us that the promises of God are yes and amen; however, how often have I been caught between the torrents of two waves and questioned His promises? How many times have I been forced to see beyond what my eyes tell me I'm seeing? How many times have I been reluctant to reach out for the hand I could not see and chosen instead for what I could?

Has God given you a promise? Can you back it up with His word? Has He confirmed it to you? Then sister, believe and hold on to it. Let your faith grasp it with all your heart. And know, know that even though it may feel as though your wait for the promise is taking a lifetime, know that our God will keep His promise. You see, just like the doctor, just like the mechanic, our God is more knowledgable than we are. He knows our full potential, and He loves us so much that He's willing to stretch us. Sometimes, I feel like I'm Elastic Girl. I often wonder how much more I can stretch. I always do, and I always bounce back.

When caught in the middle between the giving of the promise and the fulfillment of the promise keep the faith. Trust in the God who sees and knows more than we do, and then take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, as well as the shield of faith and pray.

Pressing on,
Kristin =)

technorati tag: faith

GO WHITEBOY GO!!

Whiteboys can dance! I love this it is HILARIOUS! Click on the pic to view!

technorati tag: dance

A Meseidy Adventure: Lost and Rescued at First Landing

Hold on to your seats folks because this one is a doozy! Yesterday I bought myself a new bike and I was sooooo excited! I even got myself a bike rack, helmet and everything. So after a long day and having bought a new toy I decided that I want to play with my new toy. Naturally! Having at least a good 2 hours of daylight left, I loaded my bike on to the bike rack and off I went to the State Park not far from my house. It was a beautiful day and I had a new bike!

I got to the park, parked my car, unloaded my bike and I was off. It was really very nice, cool air and quiet. So I admit it has been awhile since I rode a bike, so after about 2 1/2 to 3 miles I am pretty beat. I decide to stop at a bench along the lake to read. This is where the adventure begins. I realize that it is starting to get late and this is my first time on the trail. I am thinking that the trail can't be more then 4 miles so I have 1 more mile to go. I hop on my bike and I am off. I realize I am still tired and my legs feel like jelly. Finally I reach "the end" but it isn't the end I was expecting. DUDE WHERE'S MY CAR?! I had assumed that the trail would loop and land me back at my car......but guess what it didn't! At this point it is getting dark.....very dark and I have NO CLUE where I am. There isn't a soul in sight and I don't know WHERE MY CAR IS! By this point I have gone the entire length of the dotted line (refer to the map, red trail). I start to ride up a road which I think had to have been another 1/2 mile at least! It is DARK and I am starting to FREAK OUT! WHERE IS MY CAR.....WHERE AM I.....WHAT IS THAT SOUND IN THE WOODS? In the distance I see a light.....A LIGHT! I go towards the light, (usually they say not to do this but I thought in this case it would be a good idea.) It is a contact station.....but I make no "contact" because, of course, there is no one there! Finally at this point I pull out my cell phone, first I call a friend that frequents the park, but it dawns on me that I am going to be TOTALLY HUMILIATED and he would probably never hear the end of it. I hang up and call one of my girlfriends who I know has come to this park on a few occasions...she has NO CLUE where I am! I beg her to come and get me, she says she is going to call one of the guys, I beg her not too because I feel like a total idiot. PLEASE JUST COME AND GET ME.....she is on her way. A few minutes after hanging up I see lights in the distance coming my way. First I think, Great! Someone who can help me...then I start to think No! psycho coming to kidnap me. I move myself to the side of the little building to hide from the approaching vehicle but to no avail. I am blinded by the headlights and cannot tell if this could be friend or foe. However, to my relief it is a ranger coming to my rescue!

Ranger: Mame, are you alright?

Meseidy: No! I can't peddle anymore and I don't know where my car is...can you help me?

The kind ranger loads me and my bike into the bed of his truck and off we go. When we pull out of the park we are at 64TH AND ATLANTIC......HOLY COW! (please refer to the map, greeb trail). I never would have found my car!

I have yet again managed to be an Idiotic Fool! The moral of the story is...don't do this at home and be grateful for your friendly State Park Ranger.

The End

technorati tag: biking

Daisy Duck and Her Boys

This hot mama has been hanging out in our front lawn with these two boys for about a week now. They follow her where ever she goes, it is really pretty funny. Apparently she has got that special something about her that makes these boys fight for her attention.

Yesterday when I stepped outside they came running to the door to be fed, because I have been throwing them scraps of bread every once in awhile. So apparently they are taking up residency in my front lawn...which is fine....doesn't bother me, but our neighbor's dog Skeeter has a different opinion. He barks at them and everytime he is outside he chases them down. It is pretty funny to watch these ducks quickly waddle away.

So here I introduce you to my new neighbors, Dasiy is in the middle, Donald on the left and Daffy on the right. I think Dasiy needs to stop being so fickled and pick Daffy, he is much nicer then Donald...and better looking.

technorati tag: love

Prayer Request

It is an awesome sight to watch someone who is lost begin to turn back. A co-worker of mine has shown interest in my ladies cell group and the book we are reading, after they came and visited me one day at the restaurant. To bless her I bought her the book and told her to read it on her own time...no pressure. Last night when I talked to her she told me how she couldn't put the book down and how it lead her to pull out her bible which she hasn't done in a long time. She told me she had a ton of questions and was really encouraged by the book. I told her to write down all her questions and I would be glad to go over them with her. I also told her if she wanted she was welcome to come to church with me this Sunday. Praise God she said yes.

It is apparent that the Lord is working on her spirit and I just pray that she continues to let Him do so and that she comes to the Lord. It is a blessing to watch and be a part of and I ask the Lord to continue to use me as a tool.....a soldier in bringing her home.

technorati tag: praise

The Scary Things Women Do to Look Good.....

The things we have to subject ourselves to too look good.....I look like a nauseous raccoon.

BOO!

technorati tag: beauty

Top 10 Things That Will Make Your Server Not Like You

During this short time that I have been moonlighting as a server, I have come to discover the habits of patrons that are just plain irritating.

Top 10 Things That Will Irritate Your Server

10. Asking for coffee or worse hot tea....I know you are within your right, but do you know how complicated it is to serve hot tea or coffee?

9. The addorible toddler that gets more mac and cheese on the table and floor then in their mouth and the parents that are so kind to leave it there......It is ok I was hungry anyways.

8. Saying you are ready to order and taking another 5 mins to order your food....sigh

7. Making more then 2 adjustments to your meal.......How many more things do you want on the side?

6. Asking to box up 3 leaves of lettece and a crouton.....I guess there are starving childern in world.

5. Not taking a breath while your server stands there waiting to take your order or ask a question......It is ok I have all day to stand here, not like I don't have another table and just got double sat!

4. Be on the cell phone while trying to take your order..... "How would you like your steak "ring, ring"...Oh I am sorry just a moment sir."

3. Ask them to get somthing for you everytime they come to your table..... Just ask for everything you need at once people!

2. Sitting at a table for 30 mins or more on a Saturday night during a 30 min wait, after you have paid your check......Mind if I sit with you...not like I am going to be making any more money anyway.

AND THE #1 THING TO IRRITATE YOUR SERVER IS!

1. Grab your servers arm or sleeve to get there attention....Can I grab your arm or sleeve when I need your attention?

technorati tag: restaurant