Jesus Time.

I'm so naive. I think I can control everything. I shut Christ out. I want to be strong and independent on my own. I fool myself into thinking I got this. 

Um, no. The other night I finally sat myself down to do my QuietTime. And I must add, the moment I decided "Emmy, you are spending time with your homeboy Jesus" my mind got filled with things I need to do, not later but now. Please note that was the devil.

So I set up shop. I can't begin to explain how every single quiet time I was reading was addressing everything I am facing. 

It astounds me how Christ gets my attention. It just blows my mind how Christ uses His Word and the people he's placed in my life to speak wisdom and guidance to me.

The purpose of this rant, make our relationship with Christ a priority. He is literally waiting on you to give him a chance. And we may not hear him directly, but He has gifted many people to speak into your life that are full of wisdom and knowledge. Tonight's source of wisdom and knowledge is coming from Jesus Calling. If my roommate was home this one night, she would have been hearing me yelling, "What?!" "Are you serious?!" along with "Okay, I get it!!"

Missions.

Long time no see. I'm aware along and I come with my deepest apologies. 

    One of my best friends is amazing. Well that is a given, I mean she is friends with yours truly ;) But with all jokes aside, she is truly an amazing, godly young women that comes by the name of Ashley Thompson. And she has a growing passion for the Spanish language and culture. About two months ago, she went on her third missions trip to Costa Rica. And this time she felt led to go back again for an extended amount of time- 5 weeks! And with waiting on paperwork to be approved, she has had less than two weeks to raise $1500 to cover her trip. And she needs help to get there! It costs money to run organization to reach out to those who are in need and to carry out God's will! I know money can be tight, but every little bit helps. She has also created a blog so check it out and share it (Facebook, twitter, tumbler, etc)! You never know who will view it and could possibly help Ash out financially and get her to Costa Rico!

Click Here for Ashley's Blog

Recently in the life of Emmalyn...

Yes, I'm indeed still alive. Last few months has been a blur with all my business. Here's some snap shots of a weekend get away to Palm Coast, a sick puppy, pictures from running errands, highlights of my quiet times, and snap shots of my moving from my sweet first place in the adorable Riverside to a larger, homey abode with a dear friend. 

Open-Faced Bean Sandwich

Pinterest is the place to find recipes, especially when you are not creative in the kitchen. This recipe is super fast and refreshing!

1/4 can of rinsed,drained White Beans (I added in black beans as well)

1 tsp of Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

Whole Wheat Bread

Sliced Cucumbers

1. Mash beans
2. Mix in olive oil and salt & pepper to preference
3. Toast bread
4. Add sliced cucumbers

Try it!

Contagious Joy.

Okay, so this my friends is what I call an impulse post! I just thought I should share how much I adore being in the presence children. The silly, random things that they say crack me up. When I have a bad or off week, I go straight to the children's director at church and tell her, "I'm having little kids withdrawal. Can go help with them today pretty please?!" And with in ten minutes my day is made. Kids have such joy it's contagious!! Yes, they can be rather saucy and give attitudes, but I still adore them. 

Some of my favorite little kid quotes I've witnessed:

*I see a picture of bugs and turn to the sweet girl walking next to me*

Me: Guess what, I killed a cockroach today.

*She gives me a high five*

Little Girl: Oh ya? I have a pet worm.

Me: That sounds unsanitary.

*I walk into a dear families house that I nanny for on a regular basis*

Little Boy: Hi Ms. Emmy! Bye Mom! Bye Dad!

The Mom: I see he's gonna miss us. 

Little Girl: Ms. Emmy, I'm all grown up like you. I've lost my childhood.

Me: Umm, okay? 

Little Girl: Oh no! This toilet is clogged!
Emmy: Oh man, they must have had beans for lunch.
Little Girl: Let me use another one... this one is clogged too.
*Emmy checks because the likelihood of both being clogged is rather small... They both had a piece of toilet paper in them.*
Little Girl: Sweetheart, they're not clogged, you just needed to flush them.
Lilly: Ohhh, I guess they didn't have beans for lunch after all.

*2 sweet follow behind me into gym*
Emmy: are y'all little girls following me?!
Little Girl: we are your little ducklings
Emmy: let's play follow the leader!!
*I run in a circle*
*they run behind me copying me*

I brought children into this dark world because it needed the light that only a child can bring. 

Liz Armbruster

Human Trafficking in the U.S.

What is Human Trafficking?

Human trafficking is an organized criminal industry that affects every nation where people are sold for labor or sex. For more background information check out this post. When I found out about human trafficking I thought that it primarily took place outside of the US, but come to find out that Jacksonville is one of the largest ports in Florida. 

I've recently found this article on msn.com were it talks about how a teenage girls was approached by a trafficker. She worked at a diner and there was a regular customer that she would chat with and the regular customer was actually finding out more about her every visit, her birthday (find out when she turns 18), her favorite past boy friends (see what kind of guys she liked), etc. Then when she turned 18 years old, a young gentlemen that was a magical match for her, and built a relationship with her and asked her to stay with him, and quickly getting involved in the night club scene, and eventually asked her to move with him to another town to make more money. Thankfully she declined! If she had gone with him, she would more than likely been disconnected from her friends and family and be forced into human trafficking. Please, please, please read the article!


Human trafficking is on the rise in the United States. Over 17,500 victims are trafficked in the U.S.
annually and approximately 33% are American citizens. The full scope of the problem has yet to be
determined, as the crime of human trafficking is often intertwined with drug trafficking and
prostitution.

Trafficking in the U.S. often occurs in street prostitution, massage parlors, and brothels, and for
labor in domestic service, agriculture, manufacturing, janitorial services, hospitality industries,
construction, health and elder care, and strip club dancing. U.S. citizen victims, both adults and
children, are predominantly found in sex trafficking; U.S. citizen child victims are often runaways,
troubled, and homeless youth. Foreign victims are more often found in labor trafficking than sex
trafficking.*

It scares me to death to think of someone I know being tricked into this horrific activity. And these traffickers are smart, smooth talkers, and have a system. They realized that these people can be used over and over again, where as drugs you have to make more and more. If you have children or young kids or adults make them aware of this, not to scare them but to protect them. It is estimated that 600-800,000 people are trafficked every year, which is the entire city of Denver, CO.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me! There are so many ways to help raise awareness and support organizations that are doing amazing things to shut this down! You'll see more posts coming. Check out these posts!

eas5223@gmail.com

* Statistics provided by a21campaign.com 

Looking Back.

I'm aware that most of my posts on my blog, Instagram, and Facebook are about losing weight and cooking yummy, healthy food, which may be annoying to some, but it keeps me accountable, so I shall continue my dears :)

The other day I found myself browsing through pictures from the last few years and I was surprised to see how I let myself get to where I got. When I got stressed, I ate. When I got bored, I ate. My week consisted of leaving my house at 8:00 in the morning and not getting home til 10:30 at night. I didn't sleep. I relied on caffeine to function. Resulted in vertigo, high blood pressure, and getting over 200 pounds. But by going through that, it led to focusing on myself and my health. So there's reasons for everything!

With some still focusing on their new years resolutions, I've had some people ask for pointers on how to lose weight and ask questions, so check out this posts my dear friends! Along with those tips, there are two main things that have helped me!

Shakeology! 
It's an awesome shake that you can get in 3 flavors (also available for my vegan pals) made of 70 ingredients that are full of nutrients, that can benefit you in so many ways! Helps weight loss, energy, digestion, cholesterol, curb cravings, and so much more! I haven't been able to work out since last Decembers because of injuries, but have gone down 4 inches in my stomach from clean eating and Shakeology. It works! When I first looked into getting Shakeology and saw the price I was resistant to spending the money, but it has actually saved me money! It's one less meal I have to make and plan for everyday. It boils down to $5.00 for the healthiest meal of your day. How often do you pay $5 for a meal that fills you up and is healthy for you? It's worth it! After the first month and you see and feel the benefits. you'll be hooked! There's more in depth info here.

BeachBody!
It is the headquarters for getting healthy! Supplements, exercise gear, fitness programs. You name it. And when you sign up as a coach, the list expands to nutrition tips, meal planner, fitness tips, getting connected with other coaches, discounts on purchases (*cough cough* Shakeology), and so much more. Curious? Check it out! And I have the delightful honor of being involved with ShredNation too!

For some more background check out this post.

Questions? Get at me!!
eas5223@gmail.com