New Pictures, yAY!

Yay, new season. New pictures. Last time I took a self-pic was back in November and before then, in July!

July 2009

November 2009

March 2010 (today!)

Yaaaay, I like the new one (and the older ones too)! :D:D
Enjoy your mid-week!,

P.S. Looks like I take a new pic every four months! Haha, I didn't plan that I promise! :D

In Christ,
whit

What Matters Most

Those things that matter most in life... that's where I strive to dwell. To be at a point of contentment, yet a desire to grow higher in the Lord as well; that's a great place to be. That's the place where I am, and I can smile simply thinking about it.

We have a slew of happenings occurring in the next few weeks and coming months. My family isn't as active as I'd like them to be, but when we do go out together, surely it is a sweet treat.

First up is our annual baseball game at The Durham Bulls Stadium. I love going each year, experiencing the fanatic-like atmosphere, filled with happy kids and just-as-happy adults. Cotton candy, funnel cakes-- good ol' classic junk food that fills the belly. YUM.

The food. The food is the best part (of anything, lol!), besides the great view of the grassy baseball field from on-high and the announcer's voice gearing up the crowd with baseball classics such as "Take Me Out to the Ball-game" and similar sing-along activities and tunes. Ahh, I love it.

Do I follow the game? Sure I do, whenever I'm not chowing down on my expensive goodies, taking note of the surrounding families in their Bulls paraphenelia, or catching glances of the fascinating stadium workers with those heavy trays of delicious snack foods. The scenery is far too distracting for me to become loyally absorbed into the game-playing. The surrounding activity is far more captivating. Experiencing the wind in your face and the warm weather is enough for me... getting outdoors and just being there is perfect in itself.

In early July, after the fourth of July crowd, off to Wilmington Beach we shall go! Me, my mom, younger sister, and my mom's friend will take a short vacay to the beach and soak up the summer sun at my mom's friend's beach house... hmm, the beach was such a fond memory-- yet, I check my pictures and I haven't been since summer 2007? Wow, that long, huh?!

Here I am at Myrtle Beach in 2007 for our annual family reunion. I don't plan on buying a new bathing suit because I'll more than likely be buying an umbrella, a beach chair and a nice beach towel. They will come in handy for the coming years, AND for the following month!

Yep that's right, another beach trip in early August with my good friend Gabrielle and her friends, to celebrate her birthday. My birthday is actually that following week in August so, this will pretty much be a gift to myself as well. Ahh... what matters most-- quality time with the people you adore, in the places you adore.

My time at Wilmingtom Beach next month will be a time for relaxation, reflection, ponderance and time alotted for my God. I miss missing my God and I consider Him often, very often. In my thoughts, in my time alone, in my lonliness, in my aloneness... in my happiness, in my temptation and in my trial. I see myself soaking up the sun on the shore, cozy book in hand, iPod handy with sweet gospel tunes and cold beverages nearby. This is how life should be... a vacation every day, sincere time spent with God and pure thoughts always.

Whitney

6/21/09
Check out the beach chair I bought yesterday at CVS! It was originally $17.99, on sale for $9.99. I paid for it with $10 in ECB's, so nothing out of pocket! It's reeeally cute, really bright. It's a 5-position long-back chair. I love it! :)



[As of June 3, 2010 I have deleted the picture of me on the beach. Too many weirdos were clicking on it. WATCH your website, folks!]

Love you, Miss you, Praying for you

Friendships.
So, I'm over here contemplating.

Listening to music on Blip.fm [http://blip.fm/Child0fGod] and browsing through some old pictures on my parents' desktop computer. I don't normally get too personal here on my blog... which is strange, yet not-so much...

But, while browsing the pictures I'm seeing those of old friends... friendships I made before Christ saved me in 2006. I broke a lot of friendships after I got saved. I Corinthians 15:33 says "Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners." I took this scripture to its extreme, far beyond what it's probably intended to mean; God have mercy. I completely stopped talking to these persons, instead of loving them where they were, yet not conforming to their habits.

I was never hateful to anyone [praise God], but I began to drift from a lot of the people in my life that I once called "friends." I think about it now, and I'm thinking in my heart "I didn't have to stop talking to those people entirely..." ...they were good friends who at one time we shared the same interests-- but once I gave my life to Christ, I felt as though I needed to break those friendships.

It's almost as though these people have been removed from my life completely [which they have because we no longer communicate]... as if they died. But, praise God they haven't literally died. I wouldn't wish that upon anyone.

This is for me, not necessarily for "my blog" or anyone else. This is my blog and it's an account of my life-- dedicated to my Father in Heaven. The pictures below are those of old friends who I miss and who I'm going to begin praying for... I love them and miss them as friends in the sense of people I'd hang out with for fun, not in the sense of brothers and sisters/friends in Christ. I don't miss the old habits or the flawed nature, because I'm a new creature in Christ, but I do miss them as people.


Cherie, Gabrielle & Me, 2005.
Best friend Gab gave her life back
to Christ again this past week.
Glory. We still talk.


Sade & Me, 2005. Talked to Sade in February
of this year after scrounging up her phone
number from friends.


Shana & Me, 2006. Me & Shana met with
Bre [below] and another friend sometime
last year and had a "reunion" at Chili's. It
was really fun.


Me & Bre, 2006. This was at a football game.
We had crazy-fun together.


Bre, Me & Shana, 2006. My old friends. I do miss 'em.
Shana actually ended up transferring to another school.

God forgive me for any wrong I've done in thy sight. Have mercy upon my soul O God, according to thy lovingkindness. Wondering what the success of/key to friendships is. Praying for authentic godly love friendships in my life and in the lives of God's people. I thank You Jesus for the godly friendships that you have blessed me with thus far and help me to continue to pray for those who are still lost. Thank You, Jesus.

Luke 9:25
For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?

1 John 2:15
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

1 John 4:4
Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

Lord I love You,

Whitney

A Thousand Words Thursday #2

July 2008. Tree fell on our house. Nobody died. Testimony, testimony. Say, "Thank You, Jesus."

As my mom says... "Respect the storm."
Romans 12:14 says "...bless, and curse not."

A Thousand Words Thursday #1

May 2007. A cross in my front yard... my God is amazing :) :)

Status Update #2

Snippets

• I just finished up my "Working Willingly" tasks today. I love accountability, it's such a beautiful concept-- a concept that could have only been designed by our Lord. Glory to God.
• I've been working diligently on the brand new Mystery Shopping Blog. Be sure to join us: http://mysteryshoppersuniteblog.blogspot.com. If you're not a mystery shopper and want to be one, you can learn how to become one.
  
• I plan on going biking today. The weather-man said it's supposed to be 60 degrees. I feel like a nap, but a quick ride around the neighborhood will be refreshing! I cannot wait for spring & summer!! ;)
• I meant to tell you that I have since given up Coca-Colas. I used to love those things, but not anymore. Also, ALL caffeine and cafinated beverages (coffee, tea) I've quit. Just caffeine-free and decaf or nothing :)
  
• Bible study is at 7:30 tonight. This is the first time I'm going to try and go to Bible Study at this church. It's 30 minutes to and from, so it seems like a chore. But, I know it'll be worth the drive.

Leisurely To-Do List (ABC Order):

• Buy a rocking chair for my room (man, I have been looking for a good rocking chair since summer time of last year! I checked Roses, Cracker Barrel, and even a furniture shop in the country... *sigh!* I need my perfect rocking chair! :(]
  
• Sign up for a library card
• Watch G. Craige Lewis videos again

Breakfast

Made some omelets today-- my favorite breakfast food! I'm a breakfast food junky. It's my absolute favorite meal of the day. I have labeled this post as "cooking" because baking deals with you know, treats and sweet-stuff :) Enjoy.



I also made some chicken fajitas yesterday that I ate for dinner and I'm eating for lunch right now! lol. Good stuff; I didn't take pictures of those.

Couponing at Wal-Mart

I had a wonderful time at Wal-Mart yesterday!!
I love couponing!!!


I'm not keeping all of this; I'm giving some away.

Here's what I got:

3 BIC Twin Razors (14 ct) $2.94 - $2 Q = $.94 each
1 BIC Sensitive Razors (12 ct) $2.57 - $2 Q = $.57
2 Cascade Rinse Agent $3.13 - FREE Q = Free!!!!!
2 Dove Deodorant Trial Size $.97 each = $1.94 - $1.50 Q = $.44 total

Total in Coupons/Savings = $15.76
Total Spent on Everything = $3.83

YIPPIEEE. I love it, lol!

Reminiscing

I was just thinking today how much I miss college life. Well, not all of it. Particularly, the jobs that I held on campus. I used to work as copy editor of the campus paper and at the radio station. WZMB 91.3 FM Greenville. Now, THAT was a fun job! *big smiles* The only bad part about it was the fact that I had to wake up at 9 a.m. and head to the radio station. I got to play whatever I wanted on the air-- so fun. I played nothing but Gospel & Christian music the third day I was on the job... Tye Tribbet, the Clark Sisters, Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers-- these were some of the amazing artists that I played on air. I'm smiling now, hehe.

I remember that switchboard, the mic and the headphones... Man, what a fun job. Who wouldn't want to sit on their behind all day, taking listener-requests, chatting on air and listening to music all day?? This was fun for me while in school, but I honestly couldn't have it as a 9-5 job. I feel like I would get bored and have to quit or something... LOL. But, really. Music is my life, GOSPEL music that is-- ONLY Kingdom music. It's all I've listened to since I began living for Christ. I love it. Since I'm reminiscing here, check out a pic I took of myself in the DJ Booth a few months ago... hehe.

Later,

Mark 1:14-15.

Status Update #1

Hi everyone :) I hope everyone is doing well. This is the first “Status Update.” I’ll use these whenever I haven’t blogged in a little while, to catch you up with all that has been going on.

Thank You, Lord

I feel like I’ve been MIA (Missing in Action) from howdeeplyineedyou—time apart from this blog I cannot bear... :-\ yeah, dramatic I know, but...I do love this blog. I really do see it as a ministry tool for sharing the gospel of Christ through the things He shows me, speaks to me and teaches me; it's like a Testimony. This entire blog is a Testimony of the beautiful sovereignty of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ--in every way. So I graciously thank God for choosing me to undertake such a delightful, yet precious responsibility. He’s awesome and worthy of all of the praise.

God Speaks

It’s been wonderful lately around my way. I hope things are well with you. God has been speaking so abundantly too. I just love it; it makes me smile from ear to ear. Yesterday evening my dear mother and I had an overwhelmingly great conversation that lasted hours—I didn’t even track the time, but I know we were still chatting by the time 11 p.m. rolled around. We talked about “the deep things of God” [see I Corinthians 2:9-12]. She shared some testimonies with me that she hadn’t before, like the one with the baby and mama bird who nestled in a tree directly outside of her window pane. That testimony was truly reflective of the way in which God speaks to us—through the comfort of pleasantly peaceful and thoughtful moments.

I was chatting with a fellow blogger earlier this morning about this very thing. About how there was just such a great wealth of information disclosed from the Lord throughout the conversation I had with my mother. It was so strong that she and I literally sat and marveled at the Lord [see Revelation 15:3, John 17:24]. We marveled at God’s glory; glory that we as fleshly/human beings cannot behold with our natural eye—that’s how GREAT (as in “big”) God is! Yet, it is so amazing and purifying to just sit and think on the godly and holy things of the Lord [see Joshua 1:8]. I do this a lot, and I found out just yesterday while chatting with my mom that I’ve been calling it “daydreaming” (see labels on right-hand panel).

Anywho, after describing my thoughts on how abundant and rich the knowledge of God is with the fellow blogger, I searched biblegateway.com for a scripture that could describe the feeling of marveling at God's glory. God led me here:

Psalm 139:5-6 says

5Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.
6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.

...it really was a good night bonding with my mom. It was a Psalm 139:5-6 night!! ;)

Lately it seems as though we have been drawing nearer to one another... ever since the Lord saved me in 2006, it got difficult to maintain and reconcile my mom’s ways with my new Christ-centered lifestyle [see I Corinthians 15:33]. It’s a blessing--just knowing how God works in the lives of His people by planting common ground along their journeys path, in order [for Christ] to be a witness unto the both of them... what an amazing testimony of the Lord.

[Majority of scriptures added immediately after excerpt above was written].

Mark 1:14-15,

Whitney

My Baby Girl-Cat

Her name is Bitty and she first debuted [ ;) ] in my previous post throughout a series of pictures. You can see them later by searching the labels.

Bitty usually visits me in the mornings if I have my door open—which is hardly ever—but yesterday morning I had my door open because I happened to be awake since I’ve been working from home lately, planning mystery shops and beginning a second blog. This is the most curiously explorative and intuitively-precious cat you’ll ever meet. Honestly. I wish you knew her as well as I do. She’s so adorable.

As I mentioned, on this particular morning (2/3/09) she came to visit me and she was so bubbly and delightful......... I know why! She’s a “Mama’s Cat,” if you know what I mean—she’s very fond of my mom and ya know the folks with a 9-5 job are gone throughout the day, so I’ve therefore convinced myself that she only came to visit me because her Mama Cat wasn’t home! Lol. She’s rarely this playful with me, so that had to be it ;) AND I filmed her little antics:

I love this baby cat.

This is about 0:55 seconds short... and kinda dim, lol.

I'll do better next time.

I must admit that she was quite annoyed with me
when I started filming her--can't you tell? She turned her
back on me, hehe... so, I eventually cut the camera off ;)


Archived picture of my boo-boo lounging:

Look at those precious mis-matched spotted paws! ;)

God bless,
Mark 1:14-15.