You moved, again?

Yes. It is true. We moved again.

But...

This time it is a permanent move. Or at least a move intended for us to plant some roots.

So, how did we end up in Upstate New York anyway?

Well, after trying and trying to move up here and Travis being unable to find a job. We finally started to settle down in Houston, coming to grips with the fact that we would be there for at least five years, or so we thought. In a sense we finally stopped trying with our own efforts and we began learning how to be content right where we are.

And then it happened.

The Lord opened wide a door of opportunity for Travis to work up in New York. At first we were thrown off guard. I had planned to teach and he had planned to continue his career at ITC. We both unintentionally continued on with this void in our hearts. Feeling as if we were wandering around aimlessly, like we weren't where we were supposed to be. (Let me add also that yes I did miss my family, however, I wasn't complaining and miserable about it... this wasn't the reason we moved). Honestly, we missed a lot about NY, the seasons, the mountains, the fresh air, things to do outdoors, etc. Anyways, back to the story... so this company had a phone conference all with Travis and loved him! They decided to fly him up to the port of Albany to interview in person. They offered him the job on spot, and we were AMAZED! It all sounded too good to be true. But, there was one issue... we were still recovering from our loses in DR and quite frankly we didn't have the money to pick up and moved cross country, again. So we prayed.

Lord, if you want us to move, then you must provide the way. Even though we desire to be up there, we cannot do it in and of ourselves. Let your will be done.

And then the first miracle happened. They offered us a relocation package. The miracle part, they DO NOT offer relocation packages, ever, to anyone! Whoa Lord!! Thank you!!

So we continue the process of finalizing this job and the day we hear they are ready for us we begin packing. 36 hours of straight packing we hop into our truck and begin the 48 hour journey (which normally takes 30).  During the middle of our packing one of Travs' sweet uncles comes by and tells us that the Lord laid it on his heart to give us a certain amount of money, so he acted in obedience and gave us the gift. This is yet another blessing from the Lord because we had car trouble in New Orleans, and this money covered exactly what we owed the mechanic. WOW!! After the truck was fixed we continued on... we were so determined to get up there asap that we didn't even stop to sleep (yes, probably not the smartest thing we've done).

Hillbilly style*

*My hubby driving :)

*Proof that I drove this massive haul! (and going on 50 hrs of no sleep!)

We finally reach NY on Sat. night and Travis started work on Monday morning. I naturally start to worry and be anxious about my vocation. What am I going to do? Where am I going to work? How much will I make? Worry worry worry! A week or so later I apply for a job at Grace North, an awesome church! I wasn't too confident because they didn't even know me... but I interviewed anyway. To be honest, I thought I totally blew the interview. I never really interviewed before because the Lord has always just handed me jobs... so I was a bit unprepared to say the least. The next day I get an email from the pastor who wants me to take a spiritual gifts and personality test to see if I would even be a good fit for their staff. A couple days after I hand that in, he tells me that he needs me to fill out an application, and by this point I'm trying to now get ahead of myself... but I'm getting excited!!

So, officially as of today... I am offered a job at Grace North (and for those you who know me, know that my calling is to ministry and I love being creative). I will be the communications coordinator & event planner... basically I get to be creative, everyday!

Yayy!! So now we are both doing what we love, and with the Lords divine orchestration of our lives, the vocational void is no longer present! God is so good!

And now its time for the Baggett's to settle down :)

Be Blessed!
*D

www.wix.com/dnbaggett/design

Finally, a chance to blog :)

I finally have a day off, but only because I'm feeling a sicky... So you take the good with the bad! :)

This past week has been so crazy and the Lord has put me into so many situations that I have really had to wrestle with... for so long I have just adapted the views of everyone around me, but I have rarely ever thought for myself. For example:

Last week I worked in a severely low functioning special education class for three days. I have worked with special education for a very long time, and it's something I am not uncomfortable with. But this population was different from all the others I have experience with. They are teenagers, in junior high, and all bound by wheelchairs. They could barely move, unable to speak, were fed through feeding tubes, and had to wear diapers. I mean take my heart out of my chest and rip it into a million pieces here!! Some days its very hard for me to work in this environment because it does hurt my heart so bad. Two of the teens would occasionally lift up their delicate heads and muster up a smile at me, and that makes everything worth it. However, this third boy would never open open his eyes, and never ever move on his own. He slept all day at school and frequently would make this little noise like he was agonizing in pain. So as I sit in the classroom and just look at him, I can't help but wonder, "why, Lord?". I mean truly the only thing this 14 year old does is breathe, he doesn't know when someone is talking to him, he can't see, is he even aware of anything? And if not... what then is the point of life if he is merely breathing? I don't have an answer... just something I've been wrestling with. Modern medicine is amazing and has enabled some amazing miracles, but what if this boy was supposed to be with sweet Jesus and modern medicine is prolonged his life here just to exist? I don't know... and please don't think badly of me... It's just when you witness a day in their life, it makes you wonder....

On a POSITIVE note... I had something awesome happen at the public High School here last week. After I got done taking roll for my class this sweet girl raised her hand and asked if she could say something... she went on to say two of her guy friends got in a bad car accident the night before and they were in severe condition and asked if we would pray for them. Well obviously I wanted to jump all over that and pray right then and there, but as a teacher I am not allowed. So as she started to sob, I stood there with a heavy heart and clueless how to handle this and keep my job. The whole class was silent except for her little cry, and then this 11th grade boy stood up and said "come on guys! She means this! We need to pray right now!!" So everyone bowed their heads and he prayed for these two boys in front of the whole class, unashamedly... wow. I was blown away! Praise the Lord!!

The Second Positive note! Travis' love for the Lord is growing daily, and I have to give the glory of that to the Lord! The ladies who took the prayer challenge are now on day 16 and I can first hand say I have seen the Lord working in his life. He is blessed to have today off too, and he's running around doing things around here with his ipod in his ears singing sweet worship songs to Jesus. There is no time that makes him more attractive then when he's loving our Lord. If you aren't actively and intentionally praying for your husband, I encourage you to! It's the best marriage revolution you will ever experience!!

Be Blessed ya'll!
D

If there was one thing I wanted YOUTH to BELIEVE...

(This has been on my heart for some time now... and it's time to get it off my chest!! It's not one of my "cheery" make you feel good blogs, but its real and its raw :) )

As I sit here and think about the sweet teenagers that I sub for, and other young teens that I just know from moving around so much, I can’t help but be heartbroken when I think about the way they believe that their actions do not have long-term effects on them… Specifically their actions regarding impurity.

 As I sit here and think about the sweet teens that I sub for, and other young teens that I just know from moving around so much, I can’t help but be heartbroken when I think about the way they believe that their actions do not have long-term effects on them… Specifically their actions regarding impurity.

If I could give one message to the youth, one message that they would actually believe, take hold of and APPLY to their lives it would be this…

No matter HOW appealing it is to mess around with the opposite sex, there is absolutely no positive outcome from it. Not one, not even half of one. That is the absolute truth, because believe me I have been there! I desperately want them to realize that they do not need boyfriends or girlfriends in Junior High and High School, save it for college! Those are the best times of your lives that you never get back… they should be spent hanging out with your girls or your guys enjoying life with no responsibility of work and money.

Perhaps you think I am a hypocrite because I did indeed have a boyfriend throughout High School, and I did indeed make poor choices. But, now that I can look back on it, I can honestly share that it was utterly destructive on my life. It wasn’t worth it to lose my girlfriends, it wasn’t worth it to have a boyfriend and all the drama that comes with that, it wasn’t worth it to slowly give myself away, and it wasn’t worth it to have to carry the pain and memories with me into my marriage.

If youth could only see how devastating immorality really is, if the temporary “high” could no longer blind and seduce them they would be so much better off! Even too, that “high” does not last very long, especially if you are a believer, because the Spirit inside of you will rid you with guilt. Not only do you walk around with a guilty conscience from the Lord, but you worry about your parents catching you, you worry about what your friends might say, and you worry if that boy/girl will even like you tomorrow! It’s truly is the best way to waste your precious teenage years…

And after that, after you realize that “fun” is no longer appealing to you, you finally want to settle down with that amazing man/woman who loves the Lord and who is capable of having a great marriage…. You have to share with him or her all your dirty laundry, every person you have fooled around with and given a piece of yourself to. As you tell them, you feel humiliated and full of regret. Oh how you wish you could go back in time and choose to do the right thing. How you wish you have saved ALL of yourself for that special man or woman who you have finally met!! And then, you get to wait for their response… will they forgive you and give you a clean slate? Or will they choose to wait for someone who has “not even a hint” of sexual sin in their past? You won’t know until you get there… but believe me that is the most painful conversation you will ever have to have with your future spouse.

Instead of completely disregarding what I wrote… think about it, soak it in. If it seems like a feat that is too big for you then I encourage you to take it one situation at a time, and “DO THE NEXT RIGHT THING”! I promise you it will make your life much more enjoyable and in the end, you will thank me and believe me!!

 

Love ya’ll!

D

Product of the WEEK!

Happy Monday ya'll!!

So the weather is starting to get a bit cooler (well not so much here in ol' Texas, but for all you northern folks I know it is... and I am oh so jealous!!) and the cooless has inspired me to do a "product of the week"!!

This week I am zoning in on Satin Hands & Lips, because that skin during these seasons needs a bit of extra attention. I'm a northern girl and I KNOW the uncomfortableness that dry/cracking hands and lips brings. LUCKILY, Mary Kay has designed this fabulous product that fights this irritation and leaves your hands more "satin-y" than ever!! Believe me, it's AWESOME! They offer it in non-frangrance, peach, and my favorite, VANILLA!!

This week I'll run a special for this SET (Satin Hands & Satin Lips) $5 off AND free shipping!! If you refer a friend, I'll give you $10 off AND free shipping!!

Check it out ladies! If by chance you don't love it, which I have no doubt you will, MK backs all their product with 100% satisfaction guarentee! They are THAT confident in their product!!

email me at dbellanti@liberty.edu or check out my website: www.marykay.com/dnbaggett ((You can place your order here or via email and I will alter the price for the deal of the week!))



Be Blessed!!
Danielle

Have your way

I think one of the most difficult aspects of Christianity for me to accept is the idea that God desires to be fully in control of my life. Its not that I don't want him to be!! I want Him to more than anything else in life. I just struggle sometimes to find the balance between trusting the Lords good and perfect will and trying to plan things out anticipating the Lord to help you see it through. I guess that's where His peace comes in and if the Holy Spirit in me grants me that overwhelming peace, then I walk in that direction.

"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you." Isaiah 26:3

And that's my prayer for yall today!! That you can find the peace of God to navigate you through this crazy and unexpected journey we like to call LIFE

Be Blessed!
Danielle

At what AGE does your skin begin to age? You'll never believe it...

Some guessed in their twenties...


Wrong.


I was SHOCKED to find out that your skin on your face begins to age at the ripe young age of SEVENTEEN!! Oh my word! That is so young! Therefore, my face has already begun creating those oh so lovely fine lines and wrinkles for a whopping SIX years...


the sad part. I have done NOTHING about it, up until 4 days ago that is!


But, with this newfound knowledge I am now choosing to combat it... not necessarily to never have wrinkles, but rather to have my skin in the best possible condition I can. I mean lets be honest, your face is the first thing people see on you... not your outfit or jewelry. Anyways, I just began my journey using Mary Kay Time Wise Miracle Set.. and I absolutely love it!! (I had Travis try it last night and we woke up this morning and told me his face felt amazing ;))

The TimeWise® Miracle Set™ provides incredible age-fighting results to help you maintain younger-looking skin. The set offers 11 age-defying benefits in one skin care regimen: cleanse, exfoliate, freshen, energize, hydrate, smooth, firm, soften, protect, rebuild and reduce fine lines and wrinkles

That's enough information today... soak that all in and I'll give you some statistics about Time Wise Tomorrow!! You will be amazed!! (Oh and did I mention, all MK products have a 100% satisfaction guaranteed!!)

If interested... check out this line on my website: 

www.marykay.com/dnbaggett

Be Blessed!!

Danielle

ps- ladies don't forget what truly matters... 

Proverbs 31:30 - "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; 

but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

Website!!

I now have my own website you can look through all our fabulous products & order from me!

Check it out!!

My Mary Kay!

Be Blessed!
Danielle