DELILAH DIOR DOMINICA

 I have a sensitive stomach, sensitive skin, and a sensitive spirit; I am a sensitive person. With that being said, I have a bit of a tendency to get sappy quickly so here I go: My heart is never more full than when my entire family is together. As the third oldest of seven children and the second of five girls, our family dynamic is one that has been intentionally and strategically built. We are the product of very few television privileges, even fewer sleepovers outside the house and two big cross country moves- we have always had no choice but to choose each other. Summers used to represent game nights, so much time playing outside that I'm surprised we still enjoy grass and trees and such, and annual family vacations to the Lake House, Wisconsin, Texas and Disney World. But more often than not we would find ourselves on a long flight to Hawaii, unaware of the rare luxury this tropical paradise was and just how few people get to spend time there. We had our favorite restaurant, ...

My mother is a superhero. A real life Wonder Woman. She was a stay at home mom for all of our lives, but somehow when my friends and teachers asked me what my Mom did, it never satisfied me to say that a woman raising seven kids to love each other and love the Lord was just a "stay at home Mom". She is one of God's most astounding creations, but I didn't always see her that way. My Mom and I have two polar opposite personalities. I am emotional, impulsive, passionate, creative and forgetful. She is realistic, a planner, determined, logical and more organized than you could imagine. These character traits led to a little mini tornado in our house-hold often. Yes, she drove us everywhere, cooked us dinner every night, hosted our birthday parties, kept the house stocked with food and toys, planned our vacations, loved our friends, and loved us. She divided her time evenly amongst the seven of us, attending every game, play, classroom presentation and field tr...

--> I had a very different college experience than I imagined I would. The daughter of two college sweethearts and Baylor alums, I spent much time on the Baylor campus frolicking around the football stadium and pressing my face against the glass of the Bear cage. When my older sister confirmed she would be a Baylor Bear come Fall, I realized that in four years, I would follow in her footsteps and put on the green and gold as well. When my older brother committed to play football for Baylor, it only solidified my fate. I had always been more interested in Art than anything else, and I was nervous that maybe this wasn't exactly Baylor's specialty, but I never paid much attention to the knot this tied my brain into- I was to be the next Singletary graduate, and I would surely continue the trend.  I spent the last two years of high school making terrible decisions, spending all my time and energy on a doomed relationship rather than my studies. All the free sp...

  (March 2013)   My husband and I spend the month of March in Windsor, Canada in what we call our “lake house.” As we packed up the car and pulled up the navigation for our long road trip up north, my husband reminded me that when we returned home, there would be flowers blooming and sun shining everywhere we looked. It was hard to believe while watching snowflakes form crystal patterns on the windshield, but we all know that after Winter (no matter how long it lasts) comes Spring. Well, March came and went. Our drive back to Virginia was easy and sunny, just as my husband had said. We enjoyed our first day back in our home and spent the night enjoying a full DVR.             The next morning when I was getting dressed for the gym I realized something wasn’t as it should be. There was no sun pouring in from behind the curtains, no sound of lawn mowers and kids playing, wasn’t this Spr...

--> With Valentines Day just around the corner, love is certainly in the air. Red and pink have snuck their way into every crevice of the universe and glitter and lace are racing off the shelves. I personally have always been a fan of Valentines Day. I’m sure my affection for the holiday began in kindergarten when we exchanged Power Ranger and Lisa Frank Valentines and got to eat candy by the bucket-full before our parents could tell us “just one.” Since then, I have learned that, to most, Valentines Day means roses, chocolates, wine, smiles, candle-light, and romance.   To me, it just means love-letters. I am a self-proclaimed love-letter addict, so can you blame me for being Valentine’s biggest fan?             When we are young, the ‘love-letters’ come in the form of simple and mass-produced cards that have a catchy rhyme and a to: and from: spot. Somehow, that was all it took to convince me that a boy reall...

I have said many times before that we should look different than everyone else. We should measure our ethics and standards against the Bible rather than measuring ourselves against this world we live in . I have been hearing this message everywhere I turn lately, and today it hit me like a ton of bricks.             My husband and I took a class at our Church yesterday and at the end of the six-hour meeting, the Pastor randomly spoke about driving the speed limit. He said “The law says drive 50, but ‘everyone’ is driving 70…what does obedience look like here?” That watered something in my spirit that had been growing, but I didn’t think twice about it. You see, a few months ago my husband heard in his prayer time that he needed to drive the speed limit. All. The. Time. It makes me insane to be chugging along at a ripe ol’ speed of 55mph on the highway. My heart nearly bursts every time I’m in the pass...

Two weeks ago, I witnessed another miracle first-hand. I have had serious back issues since I was 15 years old, and this past weekend I threw my back out and was unable to walk or move properly for the better part of four days. Everyone's first question when I say I threw my back out is "Oooooh, doing what?" (Winking and giggling and raising their eyebrows suggestively...) and they are so disappointed when I tell them the truth: I threw my back out while sleeping. Literally . I had thrown my back out in the past, but this was the worst by far. I was in constant pain, my back and stomach were swollen to the point where my ribs were bruising me with every breath, and for those four days I was petty much useless. (Shout out to the best husband in the world for cooking/preparing my meals, putting me in the ice machine, keeping my Ibuprofen schedule, setting up my styling photo shoot, and walking behind me rather than ahead of me, no matter how much lon...