Tag Archives: power

A Year In Review: Celebrating 2 Years of ‘Faith It ’til You Make It’

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Today marks exactly two years since I posted my very first article to this blog site, two years of pursuing just what I love to do: write. Every year in my first blog post of the year I recap all that has happened in my life in the past twelve months and I share all that I wish to manifest for myself.

part of the caption I wrote a year ago today.

It’s safe to say 2021 did not go easy on us. This year has been a rollercoaster of challenges, yet so full of opportunity.

I did it!

Shortly after kicking off the new year, I received my freelance writing diploma. When I decided all those years ago to forgo traditional college and pursue my passion, I knew I was taking the unconventional route. But, I knew in my heart I was making the right decision for me. Just fifteen months after starting the online program, I completed it. It felt amazing to have some physical form of validation that my dream of being a writer could be a reality. Little did I know, a big storm was coming…literally.

The view from my apartment of the snow-covered ground on the morning of February 15th, 2021. See article: https://faith-it-til-you-make-it.com/2021/02/28/snow-storm-in-the-south/

In February, my state of Texas was in for a big shock when we were hit by a snow storm. My city almost never sees snow so to experience a snowfall of this magnitude was, in part, exciting. What we did not expect was for homes state-wide to lose power for multiple days during the dead of winter, my own home included. We were lucky that we were supplied with all necessities to get through the cold, but for other families many tragedies and financial issues resulted from the prolonged power outage.

See article: https://faith-it-til-you-make-it.com/2021/05/10/turning-twenty/

May was personally one of the greatest month’s of this year. I turned twenty years old on the third of May, and even got a birthday wish from an actress who starred in Selena: The Netflix Series. Also during this month, I posted to my blog the first real interview that I had conducted. A month earlier I had virtually met and conversed with two amazing women with disabilities and got to learn and write about their lives for my blog. This was the greatest opportunity I have gotten in my writing career so far and it garnered me the most exposure to eager readers I’ve ever had this year.

See article: https://faith-it-til-you-make-it.com/2021/05/20/in-conversation-with-shannon-dugdale-and-renee-dollenmayer-living-boundlessly/

Just two months later, I was given another great writing opportunity in which I shared Tammy Le’s story to my blog. When I watched the viral video that showed her heartbreaking reaction to her damaged wheelchair that had been mishandled by airline workers, I felt her pain. I wanted to get her story out so, in a spur of the moment decision, I took a chance and personally reached out to her. She allowed me to conduct my second true interview. That article also reached a wide audience and I will always be grateful to Tammy for allowing me to write for her.

See article: https://faith-it-til-you-make-it.com/2021/07/31/flight-risk-why-we-should-care-about-airlines-mishandling-wheelchairs/

2021 was the year that myself and many of my loved ones contracted Covid. It was in no way easy, but we are so lucky to have overcome the virus. In lighter news, the baby cousin I introduced on my blog last year turned one!

My adorable baby cousin Emily turned one in September!

Also, we learned that she will be a big sister to a little brother coming this Spring!

In late October, we found out the gender with cupcakes! It’s a boy!
Another cousin is being added to the crew!

This year came with many surprises, both good and bad, but that’s all part of growth. Still, there’s always things in life that remain constant no matter what and for me, that is my friendships. In the spirit of keeping my favorite tradition alive, I spent the eighth New Year’s in a row with my best friend!

Eighth new year’s spent together & counting! Here’s to 2022!

Many of the goals I vowed to manifest for myself and for this blog a year ago have already come true. I never expected to get the opportunities that I have so early in my writing career, but it showed me the true power in manifesting what you want for your life. On the other hand, I learned the importance of patience. You can speak your wishes into existence, but just because they don’t all happen immediately doesn’t mean they never will. Whenever I felt discouraged or self-doubt in my capabilities, I had to remember that big opportunities will come to me when they are meant to.

I find that ever since changing my upload schedule to be on a monthly basis, I am more proud of the work that I am putting out. Just as I had hoped, this year I was able to write about a variety of topics from fashion to sports, free-writes that just might be my favorite, and of course disability. In 2022 I hope to challenge myself to work beyond my niche and receive more opportunities in other areas that interest me. A goal of mine still is to reach a larger following someday and while I got a taste of that this year, I will keep speaking it into existence until I have a consistent following on this blog. Also, a dream of mine that I hope will come to fruition in the near future is to write for and see my name recognized under articles for various magazine companies. I feel that the only way I can eventually reach a wider audience is to get my name out there. In honor of the new year and another year writing for this blog site, I’d like to present to you my new custom-made logo!

Thank you to my cousin Brandon for gifting me my custom logo!

If you have been following me on this journey of creative bliss thus far, thank you for sticking with me and I hope you only continue to enjoy my writing. Nothing makes me happier than knowing my writing engages readers. Moving forward, the possibilities of what I could write about on this blog are endless and I am eager for another year on ‘Faith It ’til You Make It’.

Snowstorm in the South

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These are words not often spoken in my home state, but two weeks ago, Texas experienced a winter storm like never before.

Icicles hanging off the State Highway 195 sign in Killeen, Texas on February 18, 2021. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

At the start of the week, we were eagerly anticipating the rarity that is snow in Texas. This time however, the snow did not melt away the second it hit the pavement and instead continued to pile up overnight. In the morning, when I looked outside my window, I could see we were left with the beautiful sight of white snow blanketing the ground. Such elation would be short lived however, as things took a turn for the worse. No amount of preparation could’ve had us ready for the events that would unfold.

My view of the snow that morning, Monday, February 15.

In the cold of the night, as temperatures dropped to record-low numbers, several places lost the one thing keeping people warm through the night: power. Homes statewide, including my own household and those of many loved ones, went twenty four hours to multiple days without electricity. In the meantime, families struggled to make food and other necessities last them until the storm passes.

Residents of Austin, Texas waiting in line at a local grocery store during the snow storm via The New York Times.

While losing power is common during inclement weather, these sudden outages were due to a process called a rolling blackouts. This is an intentional power outage across a certain area as a means of conserving energy when supply is low. Many families were kept in the dark as to when they would become the next victim to a blackout, or how long this intentional outage would last.

In addition to losing access to heaters, cities across the state made the decision to shut off water services to prevent pipes from freezing. Unfortunately for some residents, it was too late. Thousands of homes experienced water damage resulting from bursted pipes. Even when water was restored, boil water notices were set in place due to possible contamination. Certain areas of Texas are still under these boil water advisories.

Scenes of the storm’s aftermath were headlined on every news outlet and can only be described as utterly devastating.

Top news headlines covering the tragedies during Winter Storm Uri.

The number of freak accidents such as house fires or carbon monoxide deaths continued to rise daily. As if the hardships of this pandemic haven’t already been daunting, people were left struggling to fend for themselves not only physically but also, financially. Whether it’s due to house damage or costly bills, the financial consequences of this harrowing week are just yet another conflict individuals are having to face days after the snow storm.

NBC News reports on increased electricity bills due to the freeze in Texas.

As snow in Texas happens so infrequently, I wish this could have been a time of joy after months of tribulations. But, it’s hard to make light of a situation that left so many in distress. The blizzard not only caused property damage and financial crises, but also environmental devastation for many animal species native to Texas.

Headline for CBS DFW News regarding the harm Winter Storm Uri brought upon Texas wildlife.

Now two weeks later, in true Texas fashion, temperatures are back to humid conditions. None of us could’ve ever guessed there would be a price to pay to see some snow in the south.

~~~

Houston, Texas one week apart via Ricg92 on Reddit.

I’m back! I hope you enjoyed my end of the month post for February. If you did, make sure to share it with everyone you know! You may have noticed that I changed up the design of my blog with a new background and homepage image. I’m very excited about this new look and to continue writing for you guys. If you’ve read this far, thank you for reading and remember to stay tuned for a new blog post each month!