Separating From Ed

     I thought I would share a tip that I recently discovered regarding making a decision. I am horrible at making decisions, especially when the decision involves other people. I tend to pray quite a bit over choices that I have to make that I consider to be "life-changing" or otherwise bigger than which cereal to have or the t-shirt to wear each day.      Some of these decisions, or perhaps a vast majority of them, do not require as much thought on our part as we give them. This ultimately strains and stresses me with unnecessary worry and angst. I know that I can give all of my worries and cares over to God, and I know that He hears all of my prayers, which I am so grateful for.      But in my life, I don't always hear God's answer, or I don't hear it right away. Sometimes I am too distracted by earthly things or I can't quite myself to hear His voice. However, I do know that God can give me the freedom to choose my own plan or make decisions. Perhaps H

     Oatmeal is great. I ate it every once and a while in high school, quite a bit during the summers after my freshman and sophomore years of college, nearly four days a week as a junior in college, often as a senior in college, and on and off after I graduated.      But now, something has changed that will forever impact how I eat oatmeal.      I present to you, waffled oatmeal.      Waffled oatmeal is the same, wholesome oatmeal that your mom or grandma would have ate, but the crunchy version. It is like no other breakfast food that has came before. It has all of the same nutrients that regular oatmeal contains, but in waffle form.      For those of you who don't know, I absolutely LOVE waffles. My dad and I started making "'Oh Boy' Waffles" from the Better Homes and Garden 1969 cookbook about four years ago. It is my favorite recipe. Whenever I had my best friends or boyfriend stay the night at my parent's house, this was my go-to weekend recipe. I

     I think it is about time that I wrote about how much I love Jesus, although, I'm not sure that I can actually write all of that in words. Jesus is incredibly indescribable and words from the human language are limited. I am going to try to tell some of my stories, anyways.      I want to take some time to tell about and thank a few crucial people and organizations that have dramatically influenced my walk and life with Jesus. I first was introduced to the concept of sin and the need for a Savior who offers redemption in a formal setting at an A.W.A.N.A. club when I was three years old. I have fond memories of the singing, dancing, memory verse time, and Bible lessons on the felt story boards. Then, when I was in elementary school, I attended Release Time, which is apart of Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF). It was there that I truly know and remember committing my life to Christ, confessing my sins, and accepting Him into my heart.      Throughout the next six years, I con

     The first story that comes to my mind when someone asks me to tell about a childhood memory or something funny that has happened in my life is easy to think of. The kids that I work with at school have been writing memoirs lately, and to give them ideas, I like to tell the following story:      One time when I was about six years old, I went sledding with my dad, uncle, younger brother, and maybe one of my cousins. My family was visiting my dad's parents and brothers in Minnesota for Christmas. One of my uncles, Dan, lives near a park reserve that has a large hill that is now used for tubing. However, back in the day, it was just a hill, some trees, and wildlife. Source: http://thescopepopculturescience.blogspot.com      We trekked the long eighth of a mile (yes, I used runkeeper.com to figure this out) from Uncle Dan's house to the hill and waddled to the top (hello, Christmas Story). It was decided that since my brother was younger, he would sled with my dad an

     In my opinion, whole grains and whole foods are a truly powerful, and simple, way to drastically improve your life, prevent disease, conquer health challenges, and overall, feel better. Choosing to add whole foods into one's chronic (lifelong) diet may seem daunting at first, but can be one of the most beneficially things a person could do and it is very easy to get started.       Whole foods are foods that are not significantly altered from their original, naturally occurring state. The three whole foods of interest are, in general, whole grains, whole fruits, and whole vegetables. Examples of common whole foods in these realms would include grains, such as whole wheat bread or brown rice; a fruit, such as an apple; and a vegetable, such as a carrot or crown of broccoli. Of course, this short list is not exhaustive, but they give a glimpse of some foods in each of the areas.      Whole foods are the opposite of processed foods. Processed foods may have key nutrients taken