The Makeup Brush Gospel

Photo cred: nicolewmakeup.com

I originally wanted to share with all the female readers of my blog a quick and easy Pinterest find on how to clean your makeup brushes. Who would have thought that through the process of cleaning my brushes I would learn more about the Gospel?? (are you laughing at me yet?) It's true though!!

Let me explain.

A friend of mine recently told me about a quick and easy way to clean your makeup brushes by just using warm water, Dawn soap and a splash of vinegar. She raved about this homemade concoction so I had to try it for myself.

My first victim was my brush that I use for my bronzer. If I am being completely honest, and you know on here we keep it real, that brush was disgusting. Anyone who wears bronzer can relate to having a brush that is always brown and messy. I let it get outta control though, it was so dirty and gross (You're welcome for the mental image). I wanted to take a Before picture of my brush to compare to the After picture but I was too embarrassed to let all you ladies see how messy I can be sometimes.

With a few swirls in this homemade Pinterest potion my brush was clean within seconds!!

I was amazed at how fast the gunk came off and I knew for sure I had to share this with y'all! I immediately regretted not taking a Before picture though. Without a picture of what my brush was like before you would have a hard time believing just how awesome it looked after. Without a Before picture my brush just looked like another clean brush.

And then BAM that's when I realized something.

As Christians we often hide who we were before the Gospel out of embarrassment of people seeing how messy we once were. It took me years to finally share my story because I was too afraid of people knowing how dirty and disgusting I once was. Instead I just shared my life after the Gospel and hoped that people would still get the gist of it.

Without a Before picture, my life looks just like another Christian who goes to church.

If I don't share my story of my life before Christ, how would someone know just how sweet it really is?

We share our story of our lives Before the Gospel changed us so that God may be continuously glorified in the After picture as well.

Without the sharing of our stories, some people may never know that God can change the hearts of:

Addicts

Liars

Cheaters

Thieves

Alcoholics

Lust-ers

Gossipers

Those people might feel like they are stuck in their patterns because no one can relate to them.

Our stories are proof that nothing we do can make Jesus love us any less.

Our stories are proof of how powerful the Gospel really is.

Our stories are proof that Jesus can make anyone clean, no matter how dirty you once were.

So I encourage you to share your story because through it you are making the power of the Gospel known to those who feel like they are stuck in their sin alone.

That one time when my mom thought David Wallace was my pimp...

I am not really sure what the rules are for talking about pimps when you are writing a faith-based blog. But I figure since I am not actually employed by a pimp it would be okay to talk about it.

For those of you who don't know, Andy Buckley from The Office (the guy who plays David Wallace) has been a customer at my Starbucks for about a year and a half now. He is a really nice guy and we've become friends over time but I never let him in on the secret that I know who he is. I figured that he wants to be treated like everyone else and be kept on the DL.

We usually talk about his vacations, trips and family life back in LA and he would ask me questions about my family, you know, BFF stuff.

So one day Andy came in and I took his order and then my mom got in line behind him.
And this is when the best story of my life began...

"Hello Mother" I say as my mom walks up in line

Andy looks at her

"That's my mom!" I say to Andy

Andy and my mom introduce themselves to each other and she still has no idea who he is.

When it's Andy's turn to pay for his coffee he tells the manager at the register "I'll also pay for whatever this lady is having."

My mom being the polite lady she is turns down his offer due to the fact that her drink is very expensive (which may or may not have to do with how high maintance it is).

"No no no, please let me buy your stuff for you! Your daughter is so good to me!" Andy says while holding a wad of cash "Look, it was a good day for me." Flashing my mom his dolla-dolla bills y'all. But in a non-pretentious way...if that's at all possible.

All this is happening while thoughts are racing through my moms head.
Who is this man?
How exactly is my daughter so good to him?
And what do you mean it was a good day for you?

So after some hesitation my mom let him buy her a drink, even though she is in the midst of one of the most awkward moments a mom can have in parenthood.

I later on cleared it all up.
I informed her who Andy was.
Why he probably had so much money.
And then it all made sense to her.

And that's the story of that time when my mom thought David Wallace was my pimp.

Happy National Sibling Day...Yesterday!!

You know what would have been awesome?
If I wrote this post yesterday.
But alas I did not.

Happy National Sibling Day To All My Sisters and Brothers! (I mean that in the literal sense, not in the Christian sense, but I still have love for y'all too!)

Happy National Sibling Day to Brandi-

My older sister who lives in Fort Worth.

The one who made me eat dog food...deodorant...lotion...

Tried to get me to stick my hand in the lobster tank.

And vacuumed up my hair...while it was still attached to my head.

The one who lived with me for 7 years.

And the one who didn't know that donkeys have teeth.

Happy National Sibling Day to Matthew-

My brother who lives in San Marcos.

The one my older sister and I used to dress up in women's clothing.

The one who tries to set me up with his college friends (awkward).

The one who won't admit that he likes the fact that he has three sisters.

And the one who is 9 years younger than me but is still overprotective.

Happy National Sibling Day to Haley-

My sister who loves chicken.

The one who makes up songs about chicken.

(Ok guys, she really loves chicken.)

The one who came out of the womb wearing high heels.

The only one in our family who has a country accent.

And the only girl in our family who gets to drive Grandaddy's truck.

Happy National Sibling Day to Tyler-

My brother who is 17 years younger than me.

The one who people think is my son.

The one who could beat me at any sport I challenged him to.

The one who loves going out to eat with me at sports bars.

(Yes, I take my 12 year old brother to sports bars. Is that weird?)

And the one who will always give me the biggest/longest hug every time he sees me.

Happy National Sibling Day...a day late!!!

Because do we ever do anything on time in this family anyway?!?!

That one time when I thought I was white...

"That one time when..." is going to be a new series here on the good ol' blog.
It may or may not be faith-related.
But one thing's for sure, it will probably be a ridiculous story.
Let's be honest, ridiculousness happens to me more often than I'd like.
So here it is, the story of when I was convinced I was white.

The other day I met my dad downtown for one of our bike rides. We always bike on Town Lake (or Lady Bird Lake for all you non-Austinites) and we usually meet up down there.

So my dad rolls up on his bike and says:

"Hey Traci, I got something for you."
"Oh yeah, what is it?"
"It's your birth certificate."

*well I am glad my dad felt his biking skills were mad enough for him to bike downtown with it hanging out his back pocket. thanks padre.*

As I open up my birth certificate to look at it for the first time ever I see one thing that rocks my world.

It says my parents are WHITE.

"Dad, am I white?"
"Traci, what are you talking about?"
"My birth certificate says that y'all are white."

*Dad just blows it off as he starts to take off on our ride*

"Dad, why is this not a big deal to you, it says that I am white!! I thought I was Mexican!! Have the past 28 years been a lie??"

My dad never responded. He just laughed at me.

Later I told my mom that my birth certificate said that they were white. And she laughed at me as well.

Looking back on it I realize that we are obviously not white, however that would explain how I can not properly pronounce my last name, or how I avoid the mariachis like the plague. Or how Tejano music just doesn't get my juices flowing.

But despite all that I am indeed Hispanic, so no need to panic.

And that's the story of that one time when I thought I was white.

No need to adjust the color on your screen.
This is a tan I got after working at a summer camp.
Mexican indeed.

Lessons from Grandpa: Faith, Family, Finances and Football

Relaxing at one of his favorite places: the beach

Two years ago today my Grandpa passed away from battling pancreatic cancer. It doesn’t seem like it has been two years, actually for me it seems like he hasn’t really been gone. When I visit my Grandparent’s house in Georgia I still expect him to greet us at the door, and for him to sit in his usual chair in the living room when we gather around to watch Georgia football games. I think the reason that he isn’t just a memory is because he left such a great legacy, one that still makes his grandchildren strive to be like him even two years after he has been gone.

You see, my Grandpa didn’t leave his family with just memories of his laughter, his jokes and his competitive nature; my Grandpa left his family with lessons rooted deep in theology and love. His lessons left us longing to be better people. I wish everyone had been able to meet my Grandpa and learn from him a thing or two about how to live life.

As I look back today at his life well lived, I want to share with you a few things my Granddaddy taught us about faith, family, finances and football.

Faith:

My Grandpa wasn’t always a man of strong faith (which is proof of just how awesome God’s redemptive work can be) but when he found his faith he didn’t just stop there, he worked on feeding his faith so that it grew stronger everyday. I learned the importance of seeking the Lord day after day and my Grandpa revealed that to us in his (almost) daily emails of encouragement. My Grandpa also taught me the importance of living in community. It took me several years to take my Grandparent’s advice, but when I finally found a community of women to live life with I realized what they had been trying to show me this whole time. While I was encouraged by my Grandpa’s faith in the several years leading up to his death, nothing was more encouraging than hearing about how his faith was still strong even on his deathbed. Before my Grandpa passed away, he was confined to his bed due to lack of strength but even then he continued to seek the Lord. During a time when many of us would want to give up, he sang songs and read the Word with his children while lying in bed. That is the kind of faith that I want, a kind of faith that doesn’t fail to worship the Lord even though your body has.

Family:
My Grandparents always stressed the importance of family and sticking together no matter what differences may arise. My Grandpa was the cornerstone of our family foundation and my Grandma was always there to support him as well. Looking back at their 50 + years of marriage, that is what I want to model my marriage and future family after- a family that walks in faith together, a family that travels across the US just so they won’t miss out on their grandchildren’s lives who live in different states, and a family that constantly welcomes others into their home as if they were their own. While no family is perfect, I am thankful for Grandparents who took the time to model a family-life worth living.

My grandparent's on a boat ride

Playing cards games- one of our favorite things to do

My Grandpa serenading the family :)

Family dance hour :)

Grandaddy painting my little sister's nails

Finances:

If I was to look back at my Grandpa’s career it would be easy to say that I want to model my finances after his because of the blessings he received later in life. To retire on a lake front community in a beautiful town in Georgia wouldn’t be a bad dream to have but it wasn’t about that. When my Grandpa would talk to me about finances, he wouldn’t teach me to be smart with my money so that I could be wealthy beyond my wildest dreams. He taught me to be smart with my finances so that I may bless the church and other people with what I was given. He taught me the importance of giving to the church and supporting those on missions. I learned that it’s not all about the money, it’s about being a good steward with the blessings that I have been given and blessing those around me for the sake of making God known.

Football:

Grandpa and UGA mascot "Hairy Dawg"

If you were to line up our family members and ask us who our favorite college football teams were you would get a variety of answers- teams ranging from the Longhorns to the Aggies (I know, how does that even happen??). We all have our respected teams but on any given University of Georgia football game day you can bet we are rooting for the Bulldogs. Being an alumni of UGA, my Grandpa was one of the biggest Bulldog fans I ever met (something that was passed down to my brother, much like a southern birthright) and that passion and energy for the game and the team was transferred into every one of us. He taught us about good sportsmanship and how to yell at the refs (in the most Christian way possible, of course) and he taught us how to be good competitors. I also learned from my Grandpa that no matter what the season looks like you never give up on your team. He loved those Bulldogs and I bet he would have been super proud of their last two football seasons. He also taught me about the art of tailgating. My Grandpa and his friend would get to the stadium at the break of dawn on Georgia football game days and spend the day tailgating and making new friends. They would find their next meal by making new friends at a different tailgate site, which is why he was so good at living in community! ;) This is why I enjoy writing articles about the Georgia football team so much, it feels like I am writing a little bit about my Grandpa as well.

UGA game day

I wish you could have met my Grandpa and learned some things from him that would really make you want to change the way you lived your life. You can however meet my Grandma and she can drop some bombs of wisdom on you. After all, it takes a pretty special lady to accompany such a special man.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I am going to spend the day eating lots of chocolate, watching a whole lot of sports and living in community-

Because it’s what my Granddaddy would have done.

Go Dawgs.

We miss you Grandpa!! :)

Ode to Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs

The most amazing thing happened today.

Like seriously, I'm not overreacting for dramatic effect.

It really was THAT amazing.

I stocked up on Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs at Target.

(Clearance-style)

Every year I wait for these little suckers to come out.

I love me some Peanut Butter Cups, but the Eggs are ten times better.

Dare I say it- they're eggcellent.

If you haven't ever tried them, you better get up on that!

After all, they are on clearance now for all you ballers on a budget.

:)