"You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden."

I have friends that come and go. Is there something wrong with me? Do I push people away? I was walking to the train station the other day thinking about this to myself and it puzzled me. How come my friendships never last? I couldn't figure it out. Then Jesus spoke to me through Pastor Carl Lentz

My sister Shauna encouraged me to watch "Carl Lentz @ Fuel Conference" on YouTube (a must see!).Carl Lentz is the lead pastor at my church hillsong NYC, and he said "you were never called to fit in, so please stop trying." Once I heard him say that it all made sense to me. Pastor Carl then quotes the bible saying,

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-- his good, pleasing and perfect will."-Romans 12:2

OMG YESSS! I feel as though I'll connect with my friends but then I'll out grow them. I'm always working on bettering myself spiritually, physically, mentally and emotionally. Therefore things I used to do I out grow. Example, I used to go to clubs, bars, and lounges a lot but then I realized it was poison to my mind, body and soul. Now I can't remember the last time I been to a bar or club. I would always leave the bar or club feeling empty. When I started to read the bible more I slowly transformed into a different Nicole. This has a lot to do with so called friendships dissolving into thin air. But hey, "I wasn't made to fit in".


"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot."-Matthew 5:13


                                                (photography by me)

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."-John 15:5

Jesus has blessed you so much...why do you only see what you don't have?

(Photography by me)

I don't know if you experience this, but sometimes I find myself thinking about what I don't have instead of giving thanks to Jesus for all that he has blessed me with. Jesus has blessed me with all that I ask for (and I ask him for a LOT of things). However, once I receive his blessing I find myself thinking about the next thing I'm going to ask for. I'm going to work on appreciating Jesus endless gifts to me.  I've asked him to give me love, peace of mind, strength, faith, hope, money, a job, friends, support, grace, happiness, food etc and Jesus has always provided. Therefore I shouldn't be a selfish child and keep on taking without realizing all that Jesus has already done for me.

If you suffer from this as well, I challenge you to make a list of all of the things that you asked for and Jesus has given you. Place it on your wall as a reminder and hopefully you'll realize how blessed you are.

"Take your time and enjoy your current blessing before you ask for another blessing"-Nikki B

As I look into my future what do I see...

WEST ELM has to be the best furniture store EVER!!!! It's up the block from my job, which means my lunch breaks are mostly spent looking around and day dreaming about how I'm going to decorate my future home. I could be having the worst day ever, but I walk inside West Elm and suddenly I'm filled with happiness. I could stay there all day walking around smiling.

I declare that I will have West Elm furniture in my home! If you want something in this life no matter your circumstances, you have to have faith that you can obtain your goal. I may not have the finances right now, but I believe in my heart that West Elm was made for me. By working hard and saving my money, I'll be able to achieve my dream.

One of my many visits to West Elm (photography by me)

My dream bedroom set 

Living room couch

 

The lamp for my bedroom

Organic Blown Glass Pendant for my kitchen

Living room lamp (I love trees, and fell in love when I saw this lamp).

Glass Orb Chandelier for my dining room

All the little tools I need to make different dishes from scarch

 My dream Fridge!

My dream shower!

Chandelier for my bathroom

My home will be filled with candles....

And scented diffusers



 Look beyond your circumstances and paint a picture of the items you want. With hard work and faith, you'll receive your blessings.

"Home is where the heart is."

-Pliny the Elder



EATING OUT AND DRINKING TURNS INTO FAT!!

It's gorgeous out! And I've been going out to restaurants, drinking , and having way too much fun eating whatever I want.!!!!



I'm way too excited about this jumbo frozen margarita!...calm down there Nicole...geeessh!



Second drink? Really Nicole? I basically licked my plate clean...and look at my gut. - _-

My fun doesn't stop there shawty! Another day, another frozen drink!...full of calories, I know :(

I enjoy going out to restaurants, (I mean who doesn't). However, I'm noticing the pounds  are starting to come back on (goes on scale and my eyes pop out of my head). I'm not making smart choices. I'm still going to go out and have fun but there's a limit. Instead of me having two drinks I'll have one. Instead of me having a jumbo glass (do I want a bad liver?), I'll have a normal size glass. It's going to be an everyday battle, however I take my health very serious. Now I'm determined to make smarter choices for the rest of the summer.

I haven't worked out in over a week but today I did jumping jacks, squats, lunges, arm circles, butt lifts, push ups and light weights. It felt good to see myself sweat and feel my body get sore. I'm learning to enjoy the pain. 

 Arm circles help build arm muscle. I do this for at least three minutes.

 Time to tone! LETS GO!

 Toned arms are sexy

 The hardest thing for me to tone is the back fat on my arm...wish I could melt it off or something lol



"I made a commitment to completely cut out drinking and anything that might hamper me from getting my mind and body together. And the floodgates of goodness have opened upon me - spiritually and financially."
- Denzel Washington 

"A time to weep and a time to laugh"

The other day I felt under the weather because I was missing Alberto. The feeling of missing him is unexplainable. I don't usually talk about my relationship however I opened up to my sister Tati. She not only listened to me and gave me encouraging words, she surprised me with a spiritual card (photo above) that instantly made me feel better. Her kind gesture brightened up my whole day.

It wasn't easy for me to open up to Tati at first, but I'm so glad that I did. Her card gave me so much comfort and means so much to me. She wrote a beautiful message inside that touched my heart. She's so sweet! Love her! 

There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace.

-Ecclesiastes Chapter 3

LUNCH TIME THEATRE

 

 

 I'm a volunteer at Biondi elementary school and I receive pure happiness working with the children there. On June 12th I directed Lunch Time Theatre with the graduating 6th graders. They performed a series of three minute plays that they wrote. I rehearsed with them for about two months and was so impressed with their performance. The 6th graders parents were invited out to enjoy food as they watched the performance.

  I've grown to love each and every one of them individually, and miss them already.

 

 

                                                                         

"just as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”-Matthew 20:28

Women's Independence Day

        I'm hosting my first women's independence day on June 30th! Yay!
                               


What is women's independence day ?: a celebration of women and a place where you can connect with other females.

My Goal: is for us to share with one another an issue that we may be facing or have faced that made us feel alone and disconnected from others. By doing so, we'll realize that we share common issues and that we're not alone.

I'm encouraging all attendies to give advice to one another and also have an open heart to receive advice from one another.

I'm so excited for this event. I believe that I'm called to serve the people. This event means a lot to me becasue my goal is for each female to leave my event feeling happy and full of joy knowing that she's not alone but has a sisterhood that she's able to connect with.