Through my eyes.

As a Sign of his love for me..

 Our first baby!! Leo the cat!

 some of my pictures...

Joey!

Nature.

Some of my pictures of nature...Feel free to offer your comments on the pictures. They were taken with a simple camera (Power shot SD 790 IS- nothing fancy!) I would die for a professional camera...But this will always be my baby!

Racism.

What is being racist? my definition: making any distinction whatsoever between you and other people and treat them differently because of that. Skin color, language, nationality, accent, health conditions, age, religion, sexual inclination, height, weight, values, background, etc. It's become stupidly ridiculous how racist we all are. To a point where now we have to watch everything we say and the way we hire or accept people in our schools and work places. We do everything based on "how many blacks do we have already" or "how many browns/Latinos" or yellows or whites. We no longer care about the score on the test (which shows you how much they really studied and know!!!). We no longer care about the real abilities/skills the person has. We no longer care about who they are as a person. We no longer care about what is right before God and what is not. All we think about is differences. It is so unhealthy and destructive!!! God created us all different. God created us all unique and with the same value. Our position does not make us who we are. Our nationality does not determine our values and morals. We are all independent and unique individuals. We all deserve a chance to let everyone else get to know the real us. Being different is not the problem. The problem is what we make out of it and how we approach it. We don't need 20% of Latinos, 20% Asian, 20% Blacks, 20% G/L and 20% whites to get some variety!! That is stupid!! We need 100% people!!! people who knows or it's willing to learn, willing to teach, willing to do the job!!!! When it rains, it falls over everyone. The only difference is between using an umbrella and not using one. But that does not stop the rain from falling. I believe there is a difference between not agreeing with something, a behavior, a thought, an idea and the way we treat the person. I am convinced that God is not against politicians. He simply hates their sin of corruption. God is not against gay and lesbians; He is against their sin of contradiction to his word and the way He meant things to be. God is not against people that cheats on their partner; He is against the sin of infidelity and so on. That's why we should NOT treat each other differently...or even worse, point it out every time we have a chance. We are all human, we all make mistakes, we "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Rom 3:23) However, God loves us just the way we are. He created us in our mother's womb!!! He deeply loves us!! otherwise He would not have sent His only son to die on the cross for us, for our sins. That was our place!! to be killed and suffer all the pain and humiliation that Christ endured for us!!! and yet, we don't want to do anything with God. And yet we, imperfect, evil and undeserving people have the guts to treat each other like crap. This blog is just a burst of a bunch of things going on through my mind. I don't mean to offend anyone. I mean to make us reflect on the matter. It's my hope and prayer that we stop making a huge deal out of things that really don't matter. Things that actually make us who we are and make the world the wonderful evidence of God's amazing power, creativity and love for us. F.

Two months

So Jon and I have been married for two months already! wooray!! :) We are very happy together. We are happy to say that marriage is not all butterflies, roses and chocolates!! but it is definitely a great experience!! I would encourage EVERYONE to go for it! The difference between getting married and just living together is huge!! if you only live together, there's no real commitment. Or so I believe. Being married means that you can't just leave and break up whenever your partner starts being a jerk. Marriage demands commitment to make things work and be there for each other. In marriage we have to choose to love when we don't feel like it. There is where we start growing and really building a deep and godly relationship. Or so I believe :). In this past two months, I've learned that men are the ones who go through a lot more adjustments!!! They feel the pressure of responsibility (financial and emotional). That may not sound that bad but it really is. We women deal with emotional things...and that is a big deal to us. Responsibility of another individual's life and well being is the "emotional struggle" for men. I can not complain about Jon. I mean I could if I wanted to...but I'm blessed beyond imagination with him. SO I choose not to complain about him. At least not unless is to his face and in a loving manner. God teaches us to give thanks at all times. If we spend more time complaining rather than giving thanks to the Lord for all the good things, we are more prone to live a miserable life. The more we complain, the less happy and blessed we feel. SO I choose to give thanks for all of my husband's good qualities. And for those bad qualities or actions, I will sit down and talk to him. Let him know how I feel about such and such. Because that is healthy and godly. If I just keep everything to myself, I will end up exploding at some point and that will be worse. I encourage you to do the same. Maybe you are not married, but you can apply this to your boyfriend/girlfriend, your family and friends. Going back to why is better marriage than living together. Marriage is a sacred institution that most people want to avoid. Most of them because they feel that marriage will limit them and take away their freedom. That's stupid, immature and a big fat lie!!! Marriage gives you the more freedom that you can ask for!!!! why?? because you can have sex anytime!!! and you don't have to be afraid of getting the girl pregnant. If you do, that's alright! you are married to her!!! HA! nobody will complain, nobody will think less of you! and best of all, you won't have to explain the parents...or run away from them in the worse case!! ha! Marriage also should give you freedom to not cheat! it is still a problem that you have to fight against, but if you know that at home is the love of your life, a fulfilling sex live and the one who makes your heart smile...I can tell you that will fight harder against unfaithfulness. I mean, why destroy a beautiful relationship for something that will last a couple of days before that person also does the same to you! Another advantage is the fact that you are not alone. That other person is there always for you to encourage you, to help you grow professionally, personally, and in many other aspects of your life. If it is not like that, if it is the opposite, there is something wrong and you may want to consider counseling and prayer. I could go on on the list of all the good things that marriage can bring to your life. But I will stop here. Just remember that marriage will NEVER limit you. It will make you go on the best adventure ever with your favorite person. It should not limit you. Although both will be one in marriage, and decisions will not be made on your own but with both, It is a good thing. You learn to share, to not be egocentric and be a better citizen by doing to your wife as you would like her to do to you and doing to your husband as you would like him to do to you. That will reflect in your daily life. I love you~ Flor Slezak :)

Married!

June 12 came arround... Starting at 6:30 am, God started showing me thaht He would be in control. I had slept with curlers in my head (yes, ouch!), and now the sound of hair dryers blowing to the max woke me up. My sisters walking around the house, half head with straight hair, half with curls. My mom and dad talk and walk around. I don't know what they said. I still have another two hours to sleep. Finally I get out of bed. Ready to have my hair done and make up put on. Unbelievably, I'm not nervous nor stressed out. I'm pretty much relaxed and optimistic. The camera girls are here already!!! they start shooting pictures and record the video as Javier starts working with my hair...it's looking good! finally puts the tiara on and it's done! :) Then the make up. it looks great! I love it! not too much, and looks very natural. Now is time for the dress. The camera girls follow me everywhere and capture every moment! i feel like a rock star! My three sisters work hard to tight up my dress. They are nervous and about to cry to see me with the dress on!!! I love them so!!! anyway, I finally have the dress on...and I am ready to go!!! we started with the pictures by the door. With my dad and by myself. I loved it!!! :) then, walking down the stairs to get into the Limo...my sister Kizzy is already crying her eyes out!!! poor thing!! I love her to death!!...As soon as I walk out my door, my neighbors had come out to see me and say goodbye!!! so sweet of them!! they clapped when I walked out my house. I felt so special!! In the Limo, I finally start getting a bit nervous, but it soon goes away. We arrived at church by 1:20pm. The ceremony was supposed to start at 1!!!! haha, but it's Latin America! everyone was late!!!...cept for the american groom!!! :P (sorry sweetie!) anyways, after some pictures outside, we finally start. "...This is the end of a beautiful friendship...but the beggining of love..." Thank you Norah Jones, for that beautiful song to which the parents and and the bridal party walked down to!!!! my three sisters, Jon's best friend, brother in Law and my brother (now, the other brother in law!). finally, the song starts..."Hace mucho no sentia, lo que siento en este dia, no puedo explicarme nada, solo tengo tu mirada aqui clavada entre mis ojos. Solo tengo un raro antojo de extranarte cada dia y ser parte de tus dias...una cancion amor, de la penumbra siento que nace una luz, siento tus manos y presenciento que eres tu que estas muy cerca, no puedo creer que tu amor abrio mi puerta..." Thank you Gianmarco!!!! I loved walking down to that song~ The title is "una cancion de amor (a love song)". My parents cried their eyes out!!!! when It turned around, now as Mrs. Slezak, my dad had his face completely wet!! He made me cry. He was happy to see me happy, but also sad to let me go...and so was I. But now I am married to the most amazing man I have ever met!!! He is my brother, my lover, my inspiration, best friend, my husband and new reason to live!!! Of course all stories have two sides. that was the pretty one, Now all the bad things that happened: We had to cancel out honey moon and loose the money due to some people disagreeing with the way we were doing things. I can't go into details, but we did not have a wedding night nor the honey moon we had planned and looked forward to. We were mad, sad, disappointed and lost our money!!!!! At the ceremony, they goofed and did not play the two worship songs completely as they should have. Basically played them as transition songs....:s Also they set up the sand wrong. Instead of candles we wanted to mix sand from our countries symbolizing the union not only of two people and families, but of two cultures and countries. We had to use very little sand to make it enough for the bid glass that was for us and the two small ones that were for our parents. they did not put Jon's sand, only mine...:s Then, we were an hour and half behind on schedule, so we didn't take as many pictures as we wanted. Plus, the Limo service was only until 4pm...we needed to be at the reception place at 4:30....so my best friend's dad came in his car to pick Jon and I ...the bridal party got a ride from the Limo to a certain place, then they had to take a taxi...and of course did not make it to the reception on time and we had to start with out them. That same night we had to get to the airport at 3am, to make it on time to our flight back to the states. so no sleep!!! HAHAHA It was a beautiful ceremony and very fun reception!!! we loved it!! there were looooooots of mistakes and OOoops!! and down sides to the story, but you know what, God is good!! He had everything in control!!! we could not get completely married then, and had to redo our wedding here in the States with a legal Officiant. which was a very nice and intimate wedding. Jon's family was able to be present and our friends. We also broadcast it online for my family to watch. It turned out pretty good and God was glorified!!! He is good!!! He supplied what we needed...and specially made it special for our families and us. We are happily married and pretty much enjoying it!!! :) Pictures by Ann Davidson.

suitable helpers.

Today I was watching wife swap. It is a really interesting show that basically swaps two wives from two families living 25 thousand miles apart. They are usually very different families but in the end both learn something good from the "mom/wife" given. This last episode though, caught my attention because it was an "evangelical" family and an atheist family. I don't have much to say about the show perse or the atheist family. However, the christian family got into my nerves. The father was treated as a king, as well as the young boy, because the mom said that "the bible says the man is the head of the house". That is totally 100% true. Men are supposed to be the head of the house; that's how Christ stated it. Nevertheless, she went overboard, all of them did. Neither the father or the boy helped at all with house shores. They had gone to the extreme thinking that mom/wife is the same as maid. I also remember the mother mentioning that God made women as a suitable helper for men. Which by the way is one of my favorite verses about marriage. However, God also said that men MUST love their wives. Now, if we all understand what Love is, we know that God did not mean to say that women would be men slaves. The Bible says that Jesus loved us, and that's why he gave his life for us. Jesus himself said that "he who wants to be the first, must serve the others(must become the last)". Jesus himself said that He had come to serve and give his life for everyone. If that is what Jesus did, and He said He loved us...what do you think Love means? what did God mean when He commanded men to LOVE their wives??? did He mean that men would just work outside home, come back, and sit in the couch for the rest of the night?? oh, and just lift their feet when their "suitable helper" comes with the vacuum?? I don't think so. In a Christ centered home, there must be love, and help. That is what God had in mind when He created man and women (among others things). Yet, we as women, must understand that we live in a world that shouts out loud feminism movements, "freedom", independence, etc. They are all good things if we first understand that we have to apply them according to God's word. Men should treat women as capable human beings, just as men treat men; they should think of women as independent and responsible as they do of other men. Women are to be respected and loved. As well, Men are to be respected and loved. They(men) are the head of the house, they are the ones with the last word. That is the way God design it to be. why? I have no idea, it could have been the other way around and then men would be the ones complaining about it and not women. But it had to be one way. And God is good, He is wise and sees the big picture. He never makes mistakes. Everything is made perfect and beautiful because it is made by Him. So women ought to summit to their men. We must respect them, be that "suitable helper" God created us to be. That way we are honoring, not only our men, but God. No matter how awful men are, as long as we obey what God says, we will be blessed. That said, Men should do their part as well. And we women should not allow men to step over us. God said, men are the head of the house but He didn't say women are the feet. He took a bone out of Adam's side(rib)...not thigh!!! I just read a commentary on what the Bible says about women submission to men. We are told to submit, we are not told to obey everything our husbands say. They are told to love us, not to force us to do things. So it is a give/give. Not a give and take because that would be like: "I will love you if you submit to me" or " I will submit to you if you love me". God is clear with his commands. He did not conditioned any of them. He simply said it and we should obey. However, it is definitely easier said than done. I'm not married yet, but I want to be Jon's suitable helper and submit to him. I pray that he will love me the way God commands he to. My life is in God's hand. As well as yours my dear beautiful one. Don't let the evil one convince you otherwise. God rejoices and blesses those who obey Him. Love and submit to your man. Respect your men, let them know that you trust them as the head of the house. Plus, in the end, they are the ones who will have to stand before God and respond as the house's head... We... we will have to stand before God and respond as the suitable helpers. love, F.

Genesis 1: 31

I started reading Genesis again. Tonight I wanted to continue my reading of Genesis 2. However, as soon as my eyes caught the last verse of the first chapter, I couldn't go on.
I could hardly take my eyes off that verse. And what does it say?

 "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day"
Genesis 1:31

 It may not seem like a super deep and powerful verse. But guess what? It is. Read the first sentence again. The context is of The earth's creation. Including men. Yet, it also talks about you.

Every time God creates something or somebody, He takes time to review His work carefully. He stays still and appreciates what He, The ALL mighty, has made!!! He takes time to see if what He just created is good or not.
Well, He made YOU in your mother's womb (Isaiah 44:24; 49:5). He created you. He saw you, stopped and said: "This is good", "She is good" Actually I believe He said "She is perfect and beautiful!"

God does not make junk!!! Everything He has made in the heavens and under the heavens is beautiful and perfect in His time and image!! I know this because He said it : "and it was VERY good."

In your mother's womb there was no, JC Pennies, nor Mary Kay, or Maybelline to hide the spots on your skin or to enlarge your eyelashes, or even dress you with a 345$ pair of shoes. That concept of beauty doesn't come from God. He sees you every morning when you wake up with awful breath and baggy eyes and He knows you are perfectly and beautifully made. 

So many times we want to change the way our nose looks, or eyes' color, our hair color, our skin color, etc. We hate the way our legs look in a swimsuit, we hate our breast size, our butt size, even our feet (YES! I have a friend that would not wear sandals because she hates her toes!). But we forget that God made us perfect ~that said, don't take me wrong. We DO need to exercise and eat well. Loosing or gaining weight in a healthy manner is also pleasing to God!~ Yes! God wants us to take good care of the body He gave us! Don't go around looking like a beggar or all sloppy. Take care of yourself! but do not forget that you don't need to change who you are and how God made you. You are beautiful just the way you are! you are VERY good!!!

 Is your nose too big? is it too small? are your lips to big or too small? do you have freckles all over your body? none? you hate your hair?? are your sister's hips way better than yours?? wish you had green/brown/gray eyes?? NO, NO and NO! Christ loves you the way you are! He wants you the way you are!! He made you perfect!!! so now suck it up and live with that truth: YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL JUST THE WAY YOU ARE BECAUSE GOD MADE YOU THIS WAY AND HE DOES NOT MAKE MISTAKES!!!! not even tiny ones!!

 "God saw [you] after He made [you], and [you] were VERY good..." F.

A life of worship.

It is wonderful how God works in our lives. Lately He has been reminding me of all the blessings in my He has given me. He is so good. His love NEVER fails. Christ did not lie to me, He loved me. He loved us. He loves us. I feel this great urge of doing more for Him. Doing more for others to come to know Him. I just don't know what. It is tough living in a world where young girls get lost in the wilderness of this ridiculously twisted world, I want to do something for them. It's awful to see guys follow the wrong path, just because the world says it's right, I'd like to help them. I hate to see people divorcing. Not fighting to preserve what God created as a means to shape us, bless us, bless others and bring Him glory; I would love to do something for them! But I know my "doing" will not be the key, but Christ's perfect love showed through what I do. By now, I am just praying for God's vision to show me where He wants me. where should I help, Who should I talk to and what exactly He wants me to do. You know, God rejoices in those who are willing to follow Him, to obey Him. He blesses the work of our hands when we do things for His glory. He answers the prayers of the righteous. They could be a big YES, a big NO or a "It's not time yet, be faithful and wait". They are all the perfect answers. That is because He is God and He sees the big picture. Time is in His hands. So I want Him to be happy with me. I want my life to be a living song of worship to God. It is my life's goal to make it to His presence and be told: "good job!, I am proud of you!" because in the end, it is only God's approval the one that really matters. So if you are out there, reading this, please pray with me. Or talk to me, let me know if I can be of some sort of help to you or somebody else!! Love, F.

counseling

We started our pre-marital counseling. We have Rick and Twinky. They lived in Spain for 20 years!! both are super out going and loving. We are so blessed to have them do our counseling. I really believe God is great! He had it all planned out when Rick and Twinky decided to come back to the States. They are perfect to do our counseling in so many ways. My favorite is because both have been exposed to what is like to live in a different culture. Although i have lived in the States for a year already, there are still cultural barriers for me. There are things I need to get used to. And so does Jon when it comes to my culture. Even though I am living here, I will always be Peruvian. There will always be things that I will want to do my way. Like cooking as often as possible, eating rice as often as possible, maybe even speaking in Spanish from time to time. Jon will as well want to do things the way he's been used to. Maybe celebrate Christmas the way they do here in the States; the way he approaches birthdays is different as well, among other things. We are just coming to understand how complex marriage is. Complex as a pain in the butt and an everyday headache maybe, yes that complex. But more than that kind of complexity, complex as for all the things it involves. The necessary hard but good things. It is a commitment!! It is not about me or Jon. Marriage is about God. If we love God, if we obey God, then we will be doing things the right way. That doesn't mean that it will be all stars and roses! But it will be a heck a lot easier to deal with problems. On the other hand, marriage is also not about me, but about Jon. It is not about Jon, but about me. It is about sacrifice and not being selfish. We will be one in Christ. I will have to submit to him. Like the church is submitted to Christ and loves him and respects him. Also, Jon will have to love me. Like Christ loves the church. Unconditionally, with sacrifice and service. Finally, we both will need wisdom to communicate, to build up each other rather than take each other down. We will need a lot of prayer. Prayer for strength, patience, perseverance, faith and love. I am really looking forward to all this. I know right now it is easier to say that it will be to take when the day comes, but its true. It will be a new chapter of my life's journey.

changes

My life has changed a lot in the last year but that's not it. Now that I look back and think of all the people that played a role in my life's story, I too notice how much their lives have changed. It's crazy. I can't believe we graduated from high school 6 years ago. I can't believe most of them are done with college. Others, started a family. I, myself will be starting a family June 19th the day I get married. WOW! I am getting married. I moved from Peru to the US to go to school. I will finish my career in a couple of years and hopefully will plan to have my first kid then. Incredible, amazing, unbelievable, beyond my understanding. That's the hand of God working in my life. Through fire and storm. that's how He has shaped me. I would not have it any other way. God knows best. I miss my friends, my family, my FOOD!! and even sometimes, the smog and loudness of the traffic. Things I never thought I'd miss, I do. I bet I will miss something else tomorrow. And yet, I think it's beautiful. Everyday is new. Everyday brings a new adventure. I may not see it at the moment. I may not notice how things are changing little by little. But they are. Maybe not where I am right now but somewhere. Somewhere, today something new was just born. I will see it tomorrow. So will you. I love you all. From the inside out. F.