A Refurbished Life.

Just those who are closest to me know that I kind of know quite a bit about technology. I don't consider myself educated enough to work in any IT Department at a big company, but I would say that my skills are advanced. Justin and I like to stay on top of the new, exciting tech stuff for no reason but to...well, just know it. One reason I admitted this small detail is because it kind of explains my new blog title, A Refurbished Life. When I think of "refurbish" I think of something that has been redone or something that has been made better and usually in technology. Anyway, I want a refurbished life. I'm not one to normally make new years' resolutions, but here I am, starting off the first day of 2012 with a few resolutions. By the end of this year, I will be a new, more advanced, me. :)

Advanced how??

First off, spiritually. I plan to become more spiritually strong. Church this morning was the perfect kick off to my new year. We learned about where love comes from. Where else, of course, than God, Himself. We cannot love one another without the love of God. It's just a fact. So my love for others comes from my spiritual being, also known as the Holy Spirit. I mentally took a good look at the past year during the couple hours I was at church and thought to myself that I didn't show enough love to those around me. In fact, I spend way too much time focusing on me. How selfish I truly am. I know that my friends and family will tell me to quit being to hard on myself, but I'm not, and I'm not about to throw myself a pity party, either. I think back to a lot of my recent conversations and most of the things that came out of my mouth were about me. Why wasn't I asking more questions about the person I was talking to or ask about their parents or siblings or what was going on in THEIR lives? What could I have prayed for to better myself? Better yet, who could I have prayed for? Out of all the people that I talk to every day, who was struggling financially or spiritually or physically? Who could I have helped with just a smile?? All of this should have come from the love that I have within me that I just wasn't sharing. So, today I am starting to read the Bible. I will read it every day for a year until I have completed the entire thing. I will also strive to be more like Job. You know, Job from the Bible. The guy who gave up everything for God even after those closest to him kept telling him to disown God. Because of that, God returned everything tenfold because Job had true faith in God. He's always been my favorite person to read about in the Bible but I have never even tried to be like him. I will be a Jobess, if you will.

Secondly, I will become physically strong. Compared to the last resolution that I just shared, this seems really insignificant, right? Well, it's not. For the last 7 weeks or so, my best friend, Angela has been training with a personal trainer. She is becoming more toned and more physically fit. Along with that, she has become a happier person. Now, don't get me wrong, Ang has always been a happy person, but the happier she is with herself, the happier she is with everyone around her, too. Makes sense, right? Of course! I have half-heartedly been following along in her footsteps. In 2012, I will achieve what she was achieved in 7 weeks. She's pretty awesome for sticking with this and has really encouraged me to do this. This also correlates directly with my first resolution of becoming spiritually strong. Becoming physically fit will allow me to partake in more church activities because I will have more energy. I will also be much happier with myself which will make me happier around other people allowing me to successfully show love, more importantly, God's love to those people.

On a side note, if you're interested in hearing about Angela's journey through personal training, her blog is all about that! It's so interesting the things that she's learned and what she's been going through so you can read all about it here....http://angelareneroller.blogspot.com/

Lastly, I plan to be more honest with myself and others. I have always been so self conscious of everything that is me. About the way I look, the things I like, the clothes I wear, and the things I say. I feel like the more honest I am with myself, the more honest I can be with others. I'm not a bold face liar or anything like that. I just tend to hold back in conversation if I feel that I won't be accepted. Silly, right? I know. Another thing that few people know about me is that I was teased really bad in middle and junior high school. You know, the awkward stage for most girls. Well my awkward stage was just that....awkward. It started in 6th grade when my mom relocated us from one side of town to the other and I had to switch schools in the middle of 6th grade. Ah! I was terrified! At the first school, I had a lot of friends and loved to be around people. Well, when you go to a new school, it's hard to be outgoing in a whole new crowd of people. Anyway, during this new experience, a boy always made fun of me. The things I wore and the way I looked. I always took it to heart, as most girls do, and the worst day of my life approached quickly. The day that I walked into class and that boy called me a dog and barked at me in front of EVERYONE! I was mortified. To this day I have issues when it comes to that. So my goal is to put it behind me and move one and be confident in who I am. Why should I worry about what others think of what I look like and the things I enjoy when I have a perfect, loving husband who is my very best friend?

So, 2012 will be full of trials and accomplishments just like any other year. I just think this year is going to be a little more significant when it comes to the person I want to be.