What to do? What to do?

So I have decided to start cooking meals on Monday nights from the delicious recipe books my mother bought me. I am really excited for this task and yet a little nervous too. I'm hoping everything works out well... we'll see :P
Monday is a semi-quiet day in the life of me. I am still on break from school, I don't start til February. So, I am sitting here in the church copier room with an open cook book, trying to figure out what in the world I should make for dinner starting next Monday.... hmmm Right now I am thinking a Mediterranean Pizza or Pizza with Onion Confit... we'll see what happens. I am most excited about the dessert! I love baking desserts of all sorts! So I am going to try and make something extra delicious and special! It is definitely going to be chocolate or have chocolate in it, no questions about that.
Now that I wrote about chocolate.... it is all I can think about now... I am starting to wish my passion ice tea was a chocolate frappucino mmmm....
Well I should get back to working on Threads of Hope stuff or find a way to make myself useful.
Be blessed today!

It's time to make time...

Last night was one of the harder nights I have had sleeping for a long time now. I felt fearful and just when I would overcome one fear another would arise. I dozed off for about an hour but awoke feeling even worse. Suddenly my heart was beating really fast and I felt terrible and there was nothing I could do. I had my worship music playing on my ipod but still I was restless. I decided to distract myself by playing games on the computer, it worked. I was distracted but the moment I thought about sleeping I was fearful again. I was up until 7 a.m. I even got to see my little sister, Anna before she went to school. I thought about just staying up for the rest of the day but decided against it... I knew I would be cranky. I finally dozed off and got out of bed around noon. I awoke with a resolution, I needed to spend time with Jesus today. I brought Zach lunch at the church around 12:45 and while he was busy working I spent time with God. It felt so good! I forgot how peaceful and wonderful it was to just be with God and not let the busyness or distractions of life carry me away. 2009 was not an easy year. It was a year of hard transition and adjustment but God carried me through and provided me with so many blessings.
I gained so much this past year, after having to leave so much behind in Boise. I have made new and wonderful friendships and have received a lot of guidance and answers to prayers. On top of it all God provided me with the most wonderful boyfriend in the world, Zachary :)
God is so faithful and amazing! Even during the hardest of times and transitions. I hope this post encourages you to sped time with your Savior in your own special way.
God bless and keep you!
Aimee

Just for FUN

Dear Readers,
As I am sitting here, in my room, sleepless, I decided to write to you about some random but fun information.

Random thing #1. Psychologists believe that when you sleepwalk or talk in your sleep you aren't, actually, dreaming. Interesting huh?

Random thing #2. In a moment of crisis, if a lot of people are present they are less likely to help. Reason: Each person thinks someone else will do something. You are more likely to receive help if there are only a few people present.

Random thing #3. Cholesterol is only in animal products! So, when you see on a box of cereal "Cholesterol Free" know that it is a scam to get your money. It didn't have cholesterol in the first place.

Random thing #4. Of all the nutritional needs that increase during pregnancy fat intake does not. On top of that most women don't even need to increase their protein intake because they already eat too much in their daily diet.

Random thing #5. Many major clothing brands and stores use child labor in other countries. To find alternatives look up "Free Trade" items and take a stand against modern day slavery.

Random thing #6. If you are ill, watch "You've Got Mail". It's amazing :)

Random thing #7.I am selling bracelets for an organization called "Threads of Hope." The bracelets are made by children and families in the Philippines as a means of income. By selling these bracelets these children avoid being forced into prostitution or sold into prostitution by their parents in order to gain money for food. If you would like to know more about Threads of Hope just email me at athompson@desertvineyard.org :)

starting off right...

Many of us begin our New Year with all sorts of goals. A new year brings a fresh new start. It brings us hope and encourages us by presenting us with a clean slate. I have such goals for myself, I too feel the encouragement and hope brought about by the cheer of "Happy New Year!"I am determined to make healthy decisions, the first of which is doing yoga every morning before I begin the tasks of the day. This may sound easy enough but now just add sleeping issues and the difficulty level rises greatly. I find myself awake til 1, 2, or 3 in the morning until I finally fall asleep! The result... I don't wake up til 11 or 12! Needless to say, this goal is going to take a lot of discipline. But I have hope and optimism on my side which makes this endeavor all the less intimidating.

Another of my goals... to drink less sugary coffees (whether or not I use non-fat milk) and to stay away from chocolate as much as I possibly can...unless it's "free trade."

A less healthy but far more fun and exciting goal I have for this year is to cook and bake the different meals and treats from the cook books my mom bought me this Christmas! :)

Well tomorrow, I should say today, will be my first official yoga day... pray I can even wake up in the morning to do it. Now that it is 12:39 a.m. I am going to try and get some rest. I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday season and were greatly blessed!

When Innocence Cries

Many people live in realm of "ignorant bliss." Sure the world has some kinks and quirks but nothing to horrific...right? WRONG!
Today one of the most horrific events of all is taking place...Modern day slavery.
We tend to think that slavery was abolished way back when and are blind to the fact that Modern Day Slavery is taking place all around us.
Little children are being sexually exploited and sold as sex slaves in brothels, by pimps and in some cases by their own parents. This is not just going on in distant foreign cuntries, this is happening right here in the U.S. Read the following article to get a glimpse of the horror of child-sex trafficking in the U.S.
This is an article from the Antelope Valley Press, November 16, 2009.
Authorities acting on tip continue se arch for missing girl
" Fayetteville, N.C. (AP)
- Authorities acted on a tip Sunday and searched a wide area in sounth-central North Carolina trying to find 5-year-old girl reported missing by her mother, who has been charged with human trafficking and child abuse involving prostitution.
Capt. Charles Kimble of the Fayetteville police department said several agencies spent the day looking for signs of Shaniya Davis between Spring Lake and Sanford, which are about 25 miles apart. Kimble would not elaborate on what information officers had recieved. They suspended the search at dark. The area included woods and some homes, police said.
"We're following up on a tip. It seems to be good, so we're out there looking," Kimble said.
The N.C. Highway patrol sent a helicopter to aid in the search , Lt. Everett Clendenin said. Shaniya hasn't been seen since Tuesday, when a surveillance camera recorded the man charged in her kidnapping carrying the girl into a hotel room.
Earlier Sunday, authorities arrested Antoinette Nicole Davis, Shaniya's mother. Police did not say whether the charges against Davis, which also included filing a false police report, were related to her daughter's disappearance, but The Fayetteville Observer reported that arrest records indicated they were.
According to arrest documents cited by the newspaper, Davis "knowingly provide(d) Shaniya Davis with the intent that she be held in sexual servitude" and she "permit(ted) an act of prostitution."
Shaniya had only been living with her mother since last month. Davis reported the girl missing Tuesday morning from a mobile home community in Fayetteville, and authorities began searching nearby wooded areas."
Please keep little Shaniya Davis in your prayers!
Terrible things like this are happening all over the U.S. and shouldn't be met with deaf ears and blind eyes. We can make a difference if we only take a stand.
Don't be silent, speak up for those who have no voice and be an advocate for the innocent.

Oh for cryin' out loud

I had to take a moment from my evening to share with you about my crazy dream! For Halloween I was a zombie ( a pretty believable zombie, I might add.) I went to sleep that evening and was suddenly in ZOMBIE LAND! To my own surprise I wasn't overcome with fear at the sight of the "walking dead" quite the contrary, I was ready for action! I was overjoyed to find that in my hand was a gun! But not just any gun...Brett's BB gun! You can only imagine the damage I inflicted on those terrifying creeping corpses.

Myself and a large group of people, also fighting the zombies, found shelter in a large building/ apartment (it's hard to know, dreams can be so obscure.) There was a young girl occupying the, rather well kept, building. She was more than happy to lend us assistance...however, I feel that she was a bit perturbed when I informed her that we may have led the zombies to her hideaway.

Sure enough the beasts arrived and we all began to battle fiercely, (me with my trusty BB gun.) Unfortunately my trusty BB gun did not prove faithful... suddenly I was firing nothing but air at a stalking corpse. I frantically pulled the cartridge out and called out for assistance. Noah approached me, informing me, in a most believable way, that he could fix my not so trusty friend. I watched and waited while Noah fiddled with my gun only to see him walk away with it. I was outraged! I ran after Noah, yelling at him to let me have my gun back but it was to no avail. Amazingly enough I was strong enough to keep one zombie from bursting through the bathroom door ( clearly a product of my Nordic heritage.) Sadly enough I cannot tell you how this battle for life came to a close, for with a jolt I awoke and found myself back in the reality of classes and drowsy days.

Pre-Halloween

I don't really know the best way to begin a blog... is it "Dear Reader," or do Ijust burst in to whatever it is I have or want to say?? I suppose this will have to suffice for now.
I am very excited for Halloween! Zachary and I are going to a party :)
Zach is going to be a zombie and I.... well...I am not sure yet what I will be. I am thinking of being a zombie with Zach, a vampire or maybe a hippie. We'll see what happens.
Anyways, today was pretty non- exciting. I studied all day for an online Psychology mid term :( It was a huge bummer. Tomorrow will be much more fun though. In the morning I am going to make cinnamon rolls, unfortunately I grabbed orange flavored instead of original... who knows how that will be, haha. I will be spending most of the afternoon baking goodies for the Halloween party and then, maybe, by that time I will figure out what I want to be.
Well it is nearly 11 and I am sleepy so I will end this here.
Have a blessed Halloween :)