Sunday, November 22, 2009

EWomen '09 conference - Charleston, WV

I went to the Extraordinary Women's '09 conference in Charleston, WV this Friday and Saturday and wanted to say what a true blessing I received. I heard about it through K-LOVE and debated for several weeks on whether I wanted to attend or not, because I didn't know of anyone else that was going and I would most likely be going by myself - which I did - but, it was totally worth it. Besides, the way I see it, when you attend any kind of Christian event, you are never truly alone. God is always with you, as well as, your many brothers and sisters in Christ, whom we will all meet in Heaven one day. :) On Friday - 11/20 - the event started at 7pm & went to about 10pm. Michael O'Brien lead out in a few Praise and Worship songs, followed by Julie Clinton, who is the President of Extraordinary Women. She gave a brief announcement about who will be performing and what to expect. After she was finished, comedienne Chonda Pierce came out and gave a very funny stand-up routine. Then, there was a 30 minute intermission, at which time I had the opportunity to meet Chonda and get her autograph. After the break, the evening concluded with a mini concert from Matthew West. I really loved his new Christmas song, which will be featured in the newest Christmas movie from the Veggie Tales called, Give This Christmas Away. The video is posted on the Veggie Tales website, on the right hand side of the page. Just a quick warning - it's a tear-jerker. :) When the concert was over, Matthew came down and stood near the stage to sign autographs, so I was able to have him sign my program. I also got my picture taken with him. To see pictures from the first night of the event, you can click the link below where they're posted on my Facebook profile. It is set to public, so you should be able to view them without any problems. http://www.facebook.com/tabrownwv?ref=profile#/album.php?aid=2037747&id=1060962851 The event continued yesterday morning at 8:30am. Michael O'Brien led out again in some more Praise and Worship songs. Afterwards, Julie Clinton read a short devotion written by her daughter, Megan, from her book, Totally God's, followed by a quick prayer. Then, Karen Kingsbury came out and spoke for a little bit and read from 2 of her newest books - Princess and the Three Knights and Let Me Hold You Longer (which was a definite tear-jerker). Afer Karen was finished, there was a 30 minute intermission, in which I took the time to meet Stormie Omartian and get my picture taken with her. She also signed her book, The Power of Praying, that I brought with me. I also decided to wait in line - about a 40 minute wait - and meet Karen Kingsbury. I bought 2 of her books while I was there - Miracles (which is a devotional) and Shades of Blue, which she signed. I got my picture taken with her as well. While I was waiting in line to meet Karen, the intermission ended and Michael O'Brien came back and lead out in a couple more songs, then Angela Thomas came out to speak. I only got to hear her during the last 10-15 minutes, which I believe she was leading out in a mini bible study about God's miracles. After she finished speaking, they broke for an hour and 1/2 lunch. I walked over to the mall, which is across the street from the auditorium, and got something to eat. Also, before I left to go to the mall, I was able to meet Angela near her booth and had my picture taken with her. I didn't have any of her books, so she signed my program for me. After lunch, Michael sang some more and opened up for Mandisa, who did a 30 minute mini-concert. She wasn't feeling well . So, as far as I know, didn't stay around long after the event was over. I was unable to meet her, but it was understandable. Even though she was going through a rough time, she did an oustanding job & I commend her for being 'real' with us about her struggles. The event concluded with Stormie Omartian, who shared her testimony and the power that prayer had on her life which inspired her to write her first 2 books - Power of a Praying Wife and Power of a Praying Husband. I really enjoyed listening to her speak. Prayer is one area where I am not very good at and I have several of her books. They have really helped me on numerous occasions. If you're like me and struggle in this area, I highly recommend her books to anyone needing a prayer boost. You won't be disappointed. :) Here are the pictures from the second day of the event. http://www.facebook.com/tabrownwv?ref=profile#/album.php?aid=2037837&id=1060962851 I really had an amazing time and I'm glad I went. I'm already planning on going next year and hopefully bring some people with me to enjoy it with. :) OK. Well, this pretty much concludes my recap of the event. I'm pretty sure I might be forgetting something, but I'm really tired right now and have a horrible headache. So, I will leave it at this for now and if I remember anything else, I will add it later. Bye for now.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

I made an important decision

After 14 years & this past week, I made an important decision to "kick the habit" and quit smoking for good. I started smoking when I was 21 & quit once back in 2004 for 30 days. But stress do to work & other personal problems caused me to start back up again. I came to this decision after my best friend's mom was recently hopitalized with breathing problems, which turned out to be COPD, as well as, a viral pnuemonia. She's in her late 50's & has been a smoker since her teens - I believe. I went to visit my friend last Saturday & we went over to the hospital to check up on her mom. She had been in there for about a week & she was on a ventilator. They tried taking her off of it for a couple of hours, but had to put her back on because she was struggling really hard to breath. They told my friend that they would probably do a tracheotomy on Monday or Tuesday. My friend was very stressed out & concerned over her mom. She's usually a very strong person, but cried several times, praying that God wouldn't take her away & that she would give her a lung if it came down to it. My friend is a smoker as well & the week before her mom went into the hospital, she was sick with the flu for 5 days. She used to smoke between 1 - 2 packs a day, but during that time, she didn't smoke, or even have a desire to smoke. Then, once she started feeling better, she practically quit cold turkey. Unfortunately, after her mom was hospitalized, she started smoking again, but it was only 4-5 a day, mostly when she was really stressed. I hadn't talked to my friend all week and then she finally called me yesterday before she left work to tell me her mom was doing a lot better. The doctor's did a trach on Monday & she started off on a big tube, now she's on a smaller one. She's able to speak a soft whisper now, which made my friend happy that she could finally understand her when she talked. Plus, her eyes started looking better. Before, they were really bloodshot & now, they are almost completely white again. She said their plans are to do a barium throat test to see if she can swallow & if so, they'll be able to take her off the trach and put her on oxygen. Then, once she gets her strength back, she'll be able to come home in a couple weeks. I was soo happy to hear the great news. She also told me since last Saturday, she's only had maybe 1 or 2 cigarettes a day & would be finished with her pack in the next day or so. Once she's completely done, she won't buy any more. She's already cleaned up her house & taken out all the ashtrays. She also goes outside when she wants a cigarette. She won't be able to smoke in the house once her mom comes home, so she's eliminating all traces. So, basically in a nutshell, this is the main reason. I figure that if my best friend can do it, so can I. Plus, seeing her mom last Saturday in the hospital really put things in perspective for me. I know that it won't be easy, but Philipians 4:13 reminds me that, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." So, my plan is to take it one day at a time, and reminding myself that in my weakness, the Lord is strong. I've also bought a box of Commit Lozenges for back-up, especially for in the mornings and those other times when I want a cigarette out of bordem or after eating. Wish me luck & keep me in your prayers. I plan to update my blog on my progress on a daily or weekly basis, as time allows, to keep me accountable.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Recall Notice

I received the following in an e-mail and thought I'd share. :) RECALL NOTICE: The Maker of all human beings (GOD) is recalling all units manufactured, regardless of make or year, due to a serious defect in the primary and central component of the heart. This is due to a malfunction in the original prototype units code named Adam and Eve, resulting in the reproduction of the same defect in all subsequent units. This defect has been technically termed "Sub-sequential Internal Non-Morality, " or more commonly known as S.I.N., as it is primarily expressed. Some of the symptoms include: 1. Loss of direction 2. Foul vocal emissions 3. Amnesia of origin 4. Lack of peace and joy 5. Selfish or violent behavior 6. Depression or confusion in the mental component 7. Fearfulness 8. Idolatry 9. Rebellion The Manufacturer, who is neither liable nor at fault for this defect, is providing factory-authorized repair and service free of charge to correct this defect. The Repair Technician, JESUS, has most generously offered to bear the entire burden of the staggering cost of these repairs. There is no additional fee required. The number to call for repair in all areas is: P-R-A-Y-E-R. Once connected, please upload your burden of SIN through the REPENTANCE procedure. Next, download ATONEMENT from the Repair Technician, Jesus, into the heart component. No matter how big or small the SIN defect is, Jesus will replace it with: 1. Love 2. Joy 3. Peace 4. Patience 5. Kindness 6. Goodness 7. Faithfulness 8. Gentleness 9. Self control (these are the "Fruits of the Holy Spirit") Please see the operating manual, the B.I.B.L.E. (Believers' Instructions Before Leaving Earth) for further details on the use of these fixes. WARNING: Continuing to operate the human being unit without correction voids any manufacturer warranties, exposing the unit to dangers and problems too numerous to list and will result in the human unit being permanently impounded. For free emergency service, call on Jesus. DANGER: The human being units not responding to this recall action will have to be scrapped in the furnace. The SIN defect will not be permitted to enter Paradise so as to prevent contamination of that facility. Thank you for your attention! - GOD P.S. Please assist where possible by notifying others of this important recall notice, and you may contact the Father any time by 'Knee mail'.

Friday, October 16, 2009

Busy weekend ahead

My birthday is officially not until Monday, but I'll be starting early... tomorrow to be exact. My friend, Susan, her mom, Trudy and I will be going on a 2 hour trip to the Town of Bramwell (WV) for a Ghost walk. This is the 2nd year they've had one, and I get the chance to go. I think it will be a lot of fun. Click on the link below for the official press release from the Children's Home Society's website on their upcoming events page. There are pictures as well, which I think is very cool. I can't wait. http://www.childhswv.org/news/ghostwalk.htm On Sunday, I'll be going to dinner with my family to Olive Garden... can't wait. It's one of my favorite restaurants... also my suggestion. :) Then, I'm taking off on Monday - my official b-day - and going first thing in the morning to the DMV to get my driver's license renewed. Yay!! Then, after I come home I'll need to call the maintenance men for my apartment building to come and look at my heater... I've been freezing at night and I can't get my heat to come on. I think the pilot light might be out, but I can't get the door off the unit to check. Plus, I'd rather have them do it for me, just to be on the safe side. :) I'll be updating later with pictures and such.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

My Brother's Birthday

My brother, Gabriel, just turned 22 on Friday and we went out to the Farm Table restaurant for dinner. It was nice. I got stuffed as always. This picture was taken last year of the restaurant.. no recent photos of it. But you get the idea. This is a particial picture of a wall mural from inside the restaurant. Here's a picture of my brother and me This is a picture I took in the back part of the restaurant. It's set up kind of 60s style. This is a cool picture of an Elvis picture on the wall with his singles. The following are some pictures taken at my grandmother's house after we got done eating dinner. These are of the cake, and some of his birthday cards and gifts. This is a picture of the new go phone he got This is the sketchbook journal I gave him, since he likes to draw. I also gave him a 3 pack of pocket-sized blank books as well. Here he's holding the card I gave him And, here is a picture of the cake.

New Found Freedom by Taylor Hicks

I found this on YouTube. This was taken at the Workplay Theater in Birmingham, Alabama on 9/27/09 with the UAB Gospel Choir. I would love to have been there to see this live. This is so cool. I really think he needs to do a gospel album. I believe he could pull it off nicely. Enjoy!!

Saturday, September 26, 2009

TSMS: More Beautiful You

2 Your husbands will see the pure lives you live with your respect for God.3 It is not fancy hair, gold jewelry, or fine clothes that should make you beautiful.4 No, your beauty should come from within you—the beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit that will never be destroyed and is very precious to God. (1 Peter 3:2-4, New Century Version) I really love this song by Jonny Diaz. It really stirs something in my soul everytime I hear it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. More Beautiful You Little girl fourteen flipping through a magazine Says she wants to look that way But her hair isn’t straight her body isn’t fake And she’s always felt overweight Well little girl fourteen I wish that you could see That beauty is within your heart And you were made with such care your skin your body and your hair Are perfect just the way they are There could never be a more beautiful you Don’t buy the lies disguises and hoops they make you jump through You were made to fill a purpose that only you could do So there could never be a more beautiful you Little girl twenty-one the things that you’ve already done Anything to get ahead And you say you’ve got a man but he’s got another plan Only wants what you will do instead Well little girl twenty-one you never thought that this would come You starve yourself to play the part But I can promise you there’s a man whose love is true And he’ll treat you like the jewel you are So turn around you’re not too far To back away be who you are To change your path go another way It’s not too late you can be saved If you feel depressed with past regrets The shameful nights hope to forget Can disappear they can all be washed away By the one who’s strong can right your wrongs Can rid your fears dry all your tears And change the way you look at this big world He will take your dark distorted view And with His light He will show you truth And again you’ll see through the eyes of a little girl

Friday, September 25, 2009

Cleaning Poem

I received this in an email today and thought it was cute. Cleaning Poem I asked the Lord to tell me Why my house is such a mess. He asked if I'd been 'computering', And I had to answer 'yes.' He told me to get off my fanny And tidy up the house. And so I started cleaning up... The smudges off my mouse. I wiped and shined the topside. That really did the trick... I was just admiring my work. I didn't mean to 'click.' But click, I did, and oops I found A real absorbing site. That I got SO way into it. I was into it all night. Nothing's changed except my mouse It's very, very shiny. I guess my house will stay a mess... While I sit here on my hiney.

Monday, September 21, 2009

What's Your Blogging Personality?

Your Blogging Type is Unique and Avant-Garde
You're a bit ... unusual. And so is your blog.
You're impulsive, and you'll often post the first thing that pops in your head.
Completely uncensored, you blog tends to shock... even though that's not your intent.
You tend to change your blog often, experimenting with new designs and content.

It's been a while...

I know it's been a while since I've posted anything, but not a whole lot has been happening that's really worth mentioning. I do find it kind of funny because it seemed before when I didn't have this blog, a lot of stuff was happening, but now I can't find anything interesting to talk about. But, hopefully, I will get better at this. So, please bear with me, as I will try to update this more frequently. Thanks.

What Kind of Blogger are you?

You Are a Life Blogger!
Your blog is the story of your life - a living diary. If it happens, you blog it. And you make it as entertaining as possible. You may be guilty of over-sharing a bit on your blog, but you can't help it. Your life is truly an open book. Or in this case, an open blog!

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Otis Williams pays a compliment to Taylor Hicks :)

The following was taken from the USA Today website under Tuesday Tidbits. -- Otis Williams, the last surviving original Temptations member, paid Taylor Hicks a compliment in a recent interview posted on turkGEEK: "I really like Taylor Hicks," Williams said when asked about American Idol. "I like his deliverance, and he can sing."

So God Agreed

I got this in an email and wanted to share! On the first day, God created the dog and said: 'Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. For this, I will give you a life span of twenty years.' The dog said: 'That's a long time to be barking. How about only ten years and I'll give you back the other ten?' So God agreed. On the second day, God created the monkey and said: 'Entertain people, do tricks, and make them laugh. For this, I'll give you a twenty-year life span.' The monkey said: 'Monkey tricks for twenty years? That's a pretty long time to perform. How about I give you back ten like the Dog did?' And God agreed. On the third day, God created the cow and said: 'You must go into the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves and give milk to support the farmer's family. For this, I will give you a life span of sixty years.' The cow said: 'That's kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty years... How about twenty and I'll give back the other forty?' And God agreed again. On the fourth day, God created humans and said: 'Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. For this, I'll give you twenty years.' But the human said: 'Only twenty years? Could you possibly give me my twenty, the forty the cow gave back, the ten the monkey gave back, and the ten the dog gave back; that makes eighty, okay?'' Okay,' said God, 'You asked for it.' So that is why for our first twenty years we eat, sleep, play and enjoy ourselves. For the next forty years we slave in the sun to support our family. For the next ten years we do monkey tricks to entertain the grandchildren. And for the last ten years we sit on the front porch and bark at everyone. Life has now been explained to you.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Resisting Discouragement - Tools @ PurposeDriven.com

I receive a daily devotional from the Purpose Driven website. Today's devotion was on Resisting Disouragement. The key verse was: “So don’t get tired of doing what is good. Don’t get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time” (Galatians 6:9 NLT) In the devotion he says: Ask yourself these questions: • How do I handle failure? • When things don’t go my way, do I get grumpy? • When things don’t go my way, do I get frustrated? • When things don’t go my way, do I start complaining? • Do I finish what I start? • How would I rate on persistence? If you’re discouraged, don’t give up without a fight. Nothing worthwhile ever happens without endurance and energy. I wanted to share this because I know there are many times when I am grumpy, especially first thing in the morning. Either I'll be running late, I can't find something, or I've forgotten something. So, by the time I get ready to head out the door, I just want to give up and start the day over. Usually, for me, it seems that if I've already had a bad morning, it makes for a really bad day. I also tend to complain or get frustrated easily, which is what happend to me yesterday because I couldn't get my work done. It was so noisy and I couldn't concentrate. Finally, when it finally calmed down & I could concentrate on my work, I'd got upset because someone would want to talk or ask me a question. I wasn't mean or angry with them, but I'm sure they noticed, by the tone of my voice, that I was a little upset and frustrated. I eventually had to take a break so I could calm my nerves. There have also been many times that I've tried starting a specific project and would easily get frustrated when things aren't going the way I want them to. I've wanted to give up many times, but I've noticed from past experience that things don't always go as planned, but as long I don't give up and keep trying, things will usually work itself out. Sometimes even better than I had first planned. If you'd like to read the full devotional, I've shared the link below. http://www.purposedriven.com/article.do?method=articlePage&contentId=201822 Shared via AddThis

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Bible Shopping

This evening after work, I went to Books-A-Million and picked up the paperback version of the NKJV Women's Study bible. I've been looking for a good one for quite some time now, but just really haven't found on that caught my eye. They're so expensive and I really didn't want a great big one. However, yesterday, I went to this website called Christianbook.com - a great website, btw, to get discounted Christian books, movies, music, etc) because I wanted to pre-order Lysa TerKeurst's new book, Becoming More than a Good Bible Study Girl (very ironic, don't ya think?), which will be shipped out this Friday. I thought since it's still pending, I could probably add on to my order. So, before I left work this evening, I decided to do a search for some study bibles. It's nice because they are similar to Amazon in that they have previews of the books before you decide whether you want to order it or not and I really liked what I saw. So, since I decided I wanted to head over the Books-A-Million this evening, I thought I'd look it up to compare prices. Techncally, it was cheaper online, but after figuring in taxes and shipping prices, it basically came out the same, or a little cheaper. Plus, I have a discount card through the store, so that did help me out some. Now, I can't wait to start using it. I also picked up this devotional by Max Lucado called Grace for the Moment. This particular one that I bought combines both volume 1 & 2 into morning and evening devotions for each day. I really liked it because it offers a question and some empty lines to write down your thoughts. Of course, I prefer using a seperate notebook or journal because they never leave enough space for me. :) I really like Max Lucado's books, so I thought this would be a nice daily devotional. Plus, with both volumes combined into one, I didn't have to decide which one I wanted. :)

Cleaning

I spent the majority of last week cleaning my apartment. After recently visiting my friend, 2 weeks ago, I was impressed with what she had done with hers. I told her that I wanted her to come and help me do something with mine. Back at the end of April, my friend and her mom moved from a 2 bedroom house to a 2 bedroom apartment - not her choice. So, she had to seriously downgrade and get rid of a lot of stuff - mainly 8 boxes of books (she loves to read). It took her a really long time to get it done because she works 8-10 hours/5-6 days a week and her mom has back problems, so she was unable to help her as much as she'd like to. The only time she was able to do anything was on the days she had off and sometimes in the evening when she wasn't tired. She finally got her apartment done the week of 8/16, so that following weekend (the 22nd) I finally got to see the finished project. It looked really good. Her new place is approximately the same size as mine - and I live alone. But, somehow in the past 5 years that I've been single, I have accumulated so much stuff that it was everywhere. It wasn't really messy, just very disorganized. I used my spare bedroom as a storage area for all the stuff I'm currently not using and before this past week, it looked like a tornado hit it. So, I decided to start getting stuff organized and throw stuff away. It's starting to look a lot better now, but I not completely done yet. I have a lot of stuff that I stuck in boxes to go through at a later date to decide what I need to get rid of and what I want to keep. I also have to work on my kitchen. I don't have much counter space, so I've set up a little table to put stuff on and now it's covered. I bought some storage shelves that are easy to put together and I can use it temporarily until I can find something else to use. It's a slow process when you live alone and no one to help or offer tips. So, that's basically what I've been doing. It really didn't leave much time for my internet activities or anything else, especially when working 8 hours a day. At least I do get weekends off which is nice... more time to do stuff.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

7 signs you're addicted to Facebook

I found this in the latest issue of First for women magazine (9/14/09) and thought I'd share it with everyone. Too funny. :) 1. You've changed your status 27 times in the last 24 hours. 2. You were offended when your sister mailed you a birthday card instead of sending you a virtual cupcake with sprinkles. 3. You are unable to untag yourself from a bad photo in just 2.3 seconds. 4. Your business card simply reads, "Facebook me." 5. You refer to MySpace users as "the others." 6. You don't make a decision without consulting the Magic 8 Ball app. 7. You created a "family" goup so you can spend quality time together.

My poem Lonely Souls

LONELY SOULS CRY TO BE NOTICED BUT NO ONE SEEMS TO CARE THEY THINK THAT LIFE IS NOT WORTH LIVING AND THAT NOTHING SEEMS FAIR I WISH THAT I COULD HELP SOME LOST AND LONELY SOULS BUT I TOO HAVE PROBLEMS THAT NO ONE ELSE KNOWS I KEEP THEM LOCKED UP INSIDE AND NEVER LET THEM GO EVEN THOUGH I FEEL THE SAME I WANT OTHERS TO KNOW IF YOUR SOUL IS HURTAND LIFE SEEMS UNFAIR THERE IS SOMEONE WHO LOVES YOU VERY MUCH AND WANTS TO LET YOU KNOW HE CARES HE'S THE SON OF GOD A VERY SPECIAL MAN AND HE'S THERE FOR YOU WHENEVER YOU NEED A HELPING HAND Tiffany A.Brown 2001

Hello & Welcome

First off, let me introduce myself (extended info) My name is Tiffany and I’m a 34 year old, single Christian living in WV. I’ve never been married and my longest relationship lasted 8 years. I don’t have any children. I did have one pet – a cat named Tiffers, whom my mom took care of, but has now passed away. I’ve been a Christian for over 15 years I work as a finance generalist for a non-profit organization that serves children and families in the state of WV. We specialize in foster care, adoptions and emergency child care services, as well as other child/family care. Basically I do medicaid billing for the emergency child care shelters. I also go to the bank and do the daily deposits, when available. In my spare time, I like to read, write (mostly journaling and poetry), play video games on the PS2, Nintendo Gamecube and computer, surf the web, exercise (aerobic dance & yoga), renting movies – don’t get to go to the theater as much as I’d like to, shopping, hanging out with my friends and family, and sightseeing. Personality wise, I’m a little shy until you get to know me and then I usually open up fairly easy. I love to laugh – I was nicknamed "gigglebox" at a previous job. I’m also conservative, a great listener, sympathetic, and generally enjoy being around like-minded people. I have one person whom I consider my best friend. We’ve been through alot together in the past 7 years we’ve known each other and her family considers me one of their own. Well, I think that basically covers everything about me in a nutshell. I created this blog to accompany my personal website - http://tabrownwv.webs.com/ I will be using this as a personal blog to share with you my interests and what I'm doing. My other objective is to grow in my Christian walk, so I will also be sharing some inspirational writing, poetry, news, etc. If you enjoy what you read, have any suggestions, or just want to let me know you were here, please leave a comment. I love meeting new people, so I'll be happy to visit and comment on yours as well. Thanks & God bless.

My new website!

Hello and thank you for visiting my blogger site! If you have noticed, I haven't posted anything since 2014. That is because I have...