How to Travel for Almost FREE!

So my wonderful hubby and I have been so blessed. My husband would say that he has traveled a LOT in the past three years for next to nothing. In Prov 22 it says He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD. And my husband has had a lot of favor since he has met me! LOL It's true! 

God blesses you through other people isn't that right!?!? Right so I feel that when opportunities pop up then you need to take advantage. I LOVE TO TRAVEL! 

Tip #1 Tithe and Give an offering above and beyond. My husband and I are some givers, mostly to build the Kingdom so if you want some of this come to church! 

Malachi 3: 10-11 says: Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,That there may be food in My house,And try Me now in this,”Says the Lord of hosts,“If I will not open for you the windows of heavenAnd pour out for you such blessingThat there will not be room enough to receive it.
“And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakesSo that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground,Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,”Says the Lord of hosts;

Ok the tithe just protects the devour from collecting and collecting! I have been tithing and having more money leftover by the next pay period and I have been saving and still enjoying life.  

But remember to sow into the Spirit! So many are sowing into the flesh that only you reap fleshy benefits, health issues, drama, etc. Dr. Charles Stanley explains this principle so well check it out here! God loves a cheerful giver, 2 Cor 9:6 says:

 Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

My Pastor always says to NAME that seed. If you go to the store and you want to buy seeds to plant at your house, there are names for those seeds. If you buy sunflower seeds you will not grow daisy's! So be sure to name that seed. My names are: traveling, children, more seed etc... 

My hubby and I have been under some good teaching and anointing. Our Pastor teaches the Word and the Word only. My hubby and I practice the principles and live by faith. We always sow into the man of God and the church. I feel like what you do for others, God will do for you

Tip #2: Be a blessing to someone and they will be a blessing to you! 

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Luke 6:38

My Pastor blesses the leaders and others in the church. He has blessed people with vacations. One of the vacations was a cruise! My hubby has been on two and has not paid for it! 

I am just saying be a blessing to people! It is not about what you can get but what you can give! But it is like if people are good to you you want to do something special for them to show your appreciation. 


So my hubby have been flying and staying at some really awesome places for next to nothing.

We just got two vacations for FREE! There was a deposit but we get that back. So one word I will say is: TIMESHARE! 

Tip # 3: Take advantage of the resources out there. Prince, my hubby and I have been to Vegas twice. Stayed in the luxury resorts, yes we had to sit in a Timeshare presentation and no we did not get one. They see 1000's of people a day I am sure they get 100 bites! Don't you eat the samples? Don't you use coupons? This is the same thing but bigger. I just booked two more trips, one to Wisconsin Dales and the other to Cocoa Beach, FL. Yes we have to pay for the flight but hotel stays are expensive as well! 

Post by Prince-Andre Khalid Corbett.

Know that faith without works is DEAD! So although my trips are not FREE I still get great discounts and deals! So look around take advantage of the resources out there. God will take care of the rest. I feel bad when people look at their situation and think that God does not want us to enjoy life here on earth. God gives us people that have knowledge and resources to use. 

And know that it is not just giving that will bring the blessings, it is living righteously, being obedient and having that personal relationship with God. If you do not believe me go and read some of these scriptures! 

The Roaring 20's: Reflection of my Preparation Years pt. 1

For some reason I have been thinking quite heavily on my 30th birthday which will be September 10th. I have been trying to figure out what I wanted to do. So many ideas. My top choice was to go to Napa Valley and just go on a wine tasting spree. Unfortunately at this time, the money and timing are not in sync! I have some pretty cool plans though I am excited about.

As I was thinking about my life, I came to the realization that my twenties were just preparation for the rest of my life. I was nervous about turning 30 but thinking about where God brought me from, through and over I am so blessed. I have learned a great deal and have grown so much mentally, spiritually, naturally, emotionally and relationally (NOT A REAL WORD but you get what I mean!).

Over the next few blogs, I will be in reflection mode where I will share different lessons that have made me a better woman, friend, family member, worker, wife and more.

Let's begin at age 20!

It was 2004/5, I was in my second year of college in Marshall, MN. I could not stand it there! I hated the smell of manure and corn fields. It was 3.5 hours away from the Twin Cities. There wasn't really any shopping or night life. The after party was at Wal-mart! The bars was where we all went to party. The black students were seriously divided by student life support groups. TRIO and the BSU. The black boys were with the white girls and it did matter back then! Everyone's hormones were raging and many of the students were losing their virginity, sleeping with each other, and with a lot of people all at once. 

I struggled in my studies and I just wanted to get out of there. I was failing classes, withdrawing and just not taking it seriously. One thing that was great for me were the few friends that I did have and getting my first real live boyfriend! NO NAMES! 

I stayed in the dorm that year because the previous year some girls and I got an apartment and that messed us all up! 

I thank God for the friends I met in Marshall because I would not have survived. That year I had an epiphany! 

• Lesson 1: Higher Education is not for the broke people that want to stay broke! People go to school to get specialized education to help them in life. I realized I was playing too many games and wasting too much money! I finally realized that these classes I am failing and withdrawing from, I still had to pay for them. I had to get my mind right. When sending resumes they were going to ask for GPA and I was embarrassed to put my GPA on it. If I wanted a decent or good job/career I needed to get my act right.

• Lesson 2: This degree is not just for me. I would reflect on the day my mama asked me about college and I said I was not going. She attacked me, twisted my arm behind my back and climbed on top of me on the floor. Mind you I was 5'9 200 lbs and my mom 5'6 150 lbs. She tickled me until I said "Ok I am going to college". I remember my mom always saying you have to be better than me. I thank God for my mother. Many parents get jealous of their children or mess them up emotionally and do not want what is best for their children. I remembered that day and realized this degree is not just for me but for my mom, my future children, my future spouse (I wanted to be sure I had something to bring to the table as well), the people who are looking at me for hope and encouragement and people who thought they could not do it!

• Lesson 3: The friends you came with may not be the friends you leave with! I lost a few close friends that I had went to school with since the 5th grade. Friends grow apart and I feel like that was best for me and everyone who part ways along life. In a lot of my friendships I was like the tag along which was not fun. I did not have a voice. The separation was great. I felt like I had found a certain identity that got me through what I needed to go through. I was sad and confused about our splitting but have not regretted it one bit! 

While in Marshall, I started getting depressed. Like I said I hated it there. The support there from the university was crappy. I had to get away. With those few lessons I understood that I needed to get away! I decided to do the  Walt Disney World College Program and got accepted into it. I also decided that I need to transfer schools and get back on track. 

• Lesson 4: Sometimes you just need to get away! So many people stay in a place that just is not bringing any fruit. Your unhappy and  just stuck. I had to get away, as I closed out my 20th year of life I went to the most happiest place in the world Disney World. I had a blast, I was rejuvenated, revived and ready for what was next! You just have to get away from the madness and reevaluate life! 

That was the start of the preparation process for my future! It took me 9 years and maybe more but I feel like I am in a great place! 

Stay tuned for more of life's lessons in the 20's! 

Thank you for reading! 

Cicely Renee

Locin N Rockin!

I go through these phases of where I want to cut off my locs and do something different. My hubby "Forbids" it lol! Well he is lucky that some how after my "I want to do something different" moods, I get inspired and want to try all kinds of styles with my hair. I struggle because the back broke off which seasonally happens even when I had "unloc'd" hair. (Is that a word?) So then I want to hide it and so many of the styles I like are where the hair is up and I get a little self conscious.

I have been bouncing from one hair stylist to the next trying to find someone with reasonable prices and quality work. So I ended up doing my hair which wasn't as professional looking as most but I needed it done.

I found this youtube gal a week ago who does a lot of loc tutorials and I am so excited! I love her attitude, personality and style! Her name is Franchesca here is a style that I think is very nice.  check her website out: http://www.franchesca.net/ and visit her youtube channel! 

Here are some of the styles I have tried and am getting better with everyday:

 Playing with accessories-------------------------------------->

 Side french roll

 Sorry it is so dark :( ----------------------------------------->

Still working on them!!! 

There are many stages in the loc lifestyle and with every stage comes new options! I am really enjoying my hair. What are some of the styles you like to wear?