Lightning struck twice

This is how my windshield looked the first time it was smashed July 25, 2008.

This is how my windshield looked the second time it was smashed September 1, 2008.

I don't know why this past summer was so harsh for me. As you can see "lightning" struck me twice on a wound that was just healing. In July my windshield was smashed by a tire tread on I-16 40miles from Savannah. I looked to my left and when I looked back, to the road, something black was falling from the sky. I was so shaken, and shocked I kinda kept driving for a second like "what just happened?" I actually only assumed that it was a tire tread because the car in front of me had maneuvered out of the way of another piece in the road. My only other assumption was that the car in front of me had rolled over the first piece causing it to fly up and smash my windshield.

After two weeks with a rental car and my account a $500 deductible short, (that I had to hustle my hind off for!!!) I finally got my baby back with a shiny new windshield. Yay!! I'm driving , but still kinda paranoid cause that was such a freak accident. Well on my way to photograph the Welcome Home Hip Hop event September 1, Labor day, I'm driving and talking to my friend Becky (safely on my blue tooth!) and I clearly see the back tire of the car in front of me roll over something that.... ta da! flies up and smashes my windshield on the right side. AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!! I'm furious. This all happened at night near construction on 75/85 in a matter of seconds. The first thing I say is "Are you kidding me??!!" I'm trying to flag the car down cause I'm pissed and I don't want to pay for this AGAIN! Well they couldn't even understand me, and then they were going on 400 and I didn't have any toll money. I mean I knew they were not "responsible" to pay because it was an accident, but tell that to my bank account. Well all I could do was go to the event, photograph people hoping they wanted to purchase my work, and get some MORE money for this windshield.

After talking to like 4 insurance reps, I'm frustrated and feeling powerless. Who has $1000 in deductible money to pay for a windshield that gets smashed twice in 2 months? Thank God for the last insurance lady who found and better option for me. She called a mobile glass company, got me an estimate just for the windshield under $200.00. Praise the Lord! Well I didn't have the money that day so they came the next day when my check hit my account. That day I went to church thinking I don't have enough left to pay any bills on time, but when I got home and looked at my account, and another check had been deposited in my account by accident. Praise the Lord Again!!! God knew what I needed because that payment was supposed to come that next week and I would have had late fees on my bills.

I don't know why this windshield business happened to me twice. I can only say that God is truly in control because both times I walked away with my life. Sometimes he has to remind us that even when everything is taken away, destroyed, or out of order, God is a God of Restoration. So I continue to put my trust in HIM. I have had other stressful trials in the last few months, but God has truly restored me and supplied me with ALL my needs. I am so grateful. What has God done for you lately?

60 MPH is the new full tank

So since the recent gas shortage has gotten everybody changing their gasoline options, I have decided to drastically change mine. Well it is drastic for me, because I usually drive 75-80mph. (flow of traffic...hey this is the 'A') I have decided to start driving 60 MPH pn the highway to conserve the gas in my tank. On Sunday, I had a little over a half of a tank, and that was that night. Monday through Friday I have to drive approximately 35-40miles each way to work. What I noticed by Wednesday was that I was one notch under a half of a tank. That's pretty good considering I went to TACO MAC with the gang after acting class too. Anyhoo, by Friday my tank was at a quarter of a tank and you might say "Go Fill Up!!" but I knew that I probably wouldn't have to until Saturday after class. I was correct. I sometimes wait to get gas depending on how much money I have at the time and the price did seem to go down when I got it.

Overall, I found that though I may piss off a few people driving that slow, it tremendously saved me a huge amount of gas. You should try it for a week and see don't your pockets thank you for it. I also noticed more of my surroundings and wasn't as rushed when I got to work. That's another thing, make sure you leave in enough time to get to work. Just putting in my 2 cents...that I saved driving along with the regular slow pokes. The S-L-O LANE!! LOL!!

The Last Day

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyPI2r9lW3g

This song reminds me that there are still so many things to look forward to and to reach for daily. God has given us assignments while we're here. Let's all pass with flying colors. Remember, there is no retest.

Kaiesha

It's Not All About You!!!

This weekend (August 9, 2008) I had an experience that reminded me that sometimes I need to stop focusing on me. I was leaving my apartment to go to Walgreens to pick up a photo. As I'm walking down the steps, my right foot slips and I am slipping down the steps, but I don't fall. I am basically holding onto the rails for dear life. I'm shocked, a little nervous, but ok, despite the fact that the kids in the hallway are trying not to laugh at me. I tell them to go ahead and laugh, cause I had laugh at myself as well.

As I'm going about my day, I realize that my hand is burned from sliding down the railing and my neck, back, and head hurt. On my way to this audition it gets worse, so I call my mom and she tells me to soak and take tylenol cause it's gonna hurt worse. Around this time, I get turned around and can't find the audition.
After about 25 mins of driving around town I'm getting frustrated at the amount of gas I have just wasted and missed the audition. So I recite the scripture "All things work together for good to them that love God..." so I changed my attitude and at this same time I saw two homeless men on Ponce Deleon. One sleeping the other just standing in the August heat. The Holy Spirit stirred my heart to feel compassion toward them. I was complaining about a mulititude of things trying to get to this audition, heat being the major thing since I rarely use air in my car. I thought, "I know if I'm hot, then they are definitely burning up."

I quickly turned into a gas station, purchased two big bottles of water, and drove a whole block just to go back to give them some water. As I drove over to the men. It dawns on me that my passenger window doesn't roll down, yet I am still trying to talk to the guy through that window. All the while there are cars behind me trying to figure out if I'm driving or not. He's looking at me crazy like why is this car here, so I roll down the back window, and I guess he saw the bottle and came over. I ask him if he'd like a bottle of water, he says thank you then I offer another for his sleeping friend. Then he kinda gives me a look of surprise and gratitude, and I say God Bless You! My spirit is overwhelmed that God's love could be shown through me.

After that, I drove down through little Five Points thinking of how many more homeless people could have used a cool drink. I was thinking of how I could do more for those less fortunate than myself. As I parked my car in lil 5 points, I realized something that God has been trying to get me to see in the midst of my trials. First of all my back pain had gone away. I was so busy focusing on the needs of someone else, I had no time to focus on my pain. God wanted me to see that thinking of others, serving, being and present help in the time of someone elses need, puts my life into perspective and allows God to bless (heal, deliver, restore...) me in my time of need. Things could always be worse, so when I get wrapped up in my issues, I am reminded that others hurt too, it's not all about me.

I am the one I want

Well I guess I've started a blog. It started with an e-mail that I sent to my friends and family about thinking of others instead of dwelling on your own problems. I will repost that for you soon. Apparently it blessed a lot of folks and I was inspired. Well Hope you will get to know me, love me (I'll settle for like) and be blessed.

If you take a close look at my profile pic, you will see my name and a "plus one," I'm hoping to add in the near future. I was looking up my family tree and since I started with my name, I had to go back and add my parents names and their parent names. Well as I looked at my name, underneath it says +Add Husband. I saw this, laughed, and said "heck yeah I want to add him!" The only thing is I don't have one to add yet. So I took a picture of that and we will just see how long it takes for that "plus one" to be added to my family tree. For now I will love the "one" I already have... Me!