Archives for April 2015

Why I Chose the Unique Life

04.21.2015 by oul_admin // Leave a Comment

When I was a child, I had no problem speaking my mind, dressing the way I wanted to, and coming up with dreams out of this world. Frankly, I didn’t bother myself with what anyone thought of me. As I got older, I started to realize that I was different. I began to compare myself to others and base my self-esteem on what others thought of me. Thankfully, one day, I realized that this mindset was all wrong. That day I decided to be myself, I made the choice to be UNIQUE.

Since this blog is about our unique lives, we decided to start a series on ‘Being Unique’.

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.

Psalm 139:14

The wold needs what I have to bring. We all have been created for a special purpose. If I spent all of my time focusing on fitting in to a mold or being like others, I’d cheat myself out of my life’s purpose. My parent’s taught me to strive to please and honor God in all I do and not to worry about what others may think about that. I’ve encountered numerous times in my life when I’ve felt like a fish out of water, but I like to always remind myself in those situations that I bring something to the table no matter how different it may be.

It allows people to be themselves. Have you noticed when you are around people who are completely content with themselves, it makes you want to be yourself as well? No matter where my husband goes, he stays true to his personality. He is quiet, kind, and has a great sense of humor. Despite others attempts to get him to be loud or rude, he never budges or forces others to change who they are to suit him. His attitude empowers me to embrace who I am and be myself confidently.

Embracing my passions bring me joy. I’m not saying that following my passions is easy, but it allows me to push harder than I normally would. I feel fulfilled rather than drained. I have a passion for travel and for helping those less fortunate, and Kassie has a passion for track and inspiring others. We have realized that we will have take huge leaps of faith and enormous amounts of work to live out our passions.

We all have our own paths, and I’d like to encourage you to follow yours.

Via pinterest

Antonique

Because He Lives

04.05.2015 by oul_admin // 3 Comments

Happy Easter! The old hymn Because He Lives has been on my mind lately.

Here is the first verse with the chorus:

God sent His son, they called Him, Jesus;

He came to love, heal and forgive;

He lived and died to buy my pardon,

An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives!

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,

Because He lives, all fear is gone;

Because I know He holds the future,

And life is worth the living,

Just because He lives!

Easter celebration should involve less of the commercialization (the dressing up, the food, the Easter eggs, the and bunny) and be more about Jesus.

We should be more concerned about the true and living Savior. Jesus laid his life down for us in a very real and painful way. When He rose from the grave, he set mankind on a different path- a path of redemption, forgiveness, and love. We should never forget what His resurrection means for us.

Antonique

Run From Your Heart

04.05.2015 by oul_admin // Leave a Comment

Ran in memory of my mother

This is a follow-up to my last post Run For Your Life. In February, I challenged myself to run 28 times in 28 days to raise money for the races that I signed up for in March. I ended up raising $155. It may not seem like a lot, but it’s a start. This is not the end to my journey to put cancer on the run!

In my first race of the month, the Chris4Life Scope It Out 5K, around 4,000 people raced for colon cancer awareness. The money raised in the race goes towards spreading awareness, giving cancer patients resources, colon cancer research, and much more.

Kassie Marque and I on the metro

Wrote my mother’s name on the beautiful colorful chalkboard

Team Rose

That next weekend, I ran in the Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10K as part of the Massey Challenge. The Massey Challenge raises money for cancer research at the VCU Massey Cancer Center. I decided that running solo would be a great experience so I ran alone. As soon as I got out of my cousin’s car to head to the race, the cold hit me. I stood out in the cold for almost an hour waiting for my wave to start. When I finally started running, my body warmed up. Bands played throughout the race and countless supporters stood on the sidelines cheering us on with motivating signs. The groups with signs varied from an Irish Pub to a church to Team Massey. The energy was great.