montrose – By Leslie Salazar

Hold Her Arms Up

It’s hard to believe that everyone has difficult seasons and that sometimes, life is not at all how you planned or hoped it would be. Everyone goes through it.

How do you react when it happens to you?

How do you react when it happens to someone else?

These last few months have been difficult for me. Which is why I haven’t written in a few weeks. It has been hard to find beauty in my mess, mostly because I was avoiding anything God related and anything life related. I wanted to live in my own world that didn’t include people, rules, words, expectations, responsibilities, anything at all. I always get to a specific door, where on the other side my destiny and my ministry await, but I get too scared to walk through so I stand at the window, looking in at what I could have and who I could be.

And today, I am finally at the crossroads where it’s time to make a decision.

I am either in. or I am out.

And both have consequences and sacrifices, but I have chosen to stay in the fight and be in.

Walking out this season, I have realized that I haven’t been myself. These last few weeks, maybe I was grumpy, or moody, or irresponsible, or rebellious, or aggressive, or restless, or anxious, or unsure, or sad, or mad, or confused.

And maybe all of them all at once.

And then, as I recollect, refocus, relight the fire… I have a glimpse of grace. Grace is when God chooses to take me back and love me anyway. Grace is God allowing me to feel His love and His presence, letting His word take my heart, my mind, and my thoughts captive so that my eyes can lock with His.

Grace is…. Him & I once more.

And then I think to myself…… wow, do I even do that for me?

And one step further, do I do that for others?

The answer is no. I judge myself and hold myself to a standard, which is not wrong, but it’s exhausting when I have my eyes on my own strength and not what He can do. I take myself out of the fight because I didn’t get it right the first time…… but what if this is the 10th time and I am still not getting it right? His strength, not mine.

And then to those around me…. I expect them to walk without failure, to be kind, to be present, to be available, to love me, to support me, to protect me. Yet, I haven’t quite figured out how to do all those things for myself, much less for others.

So here’s an apology. To myself, to you, and to God, I am sorry I haven’t extended grace and I am sorry that I have expected too much out of you. I get it. It is inevitable to make mistakes and miss the mark because we are humans.

Forgive me for not extending grace to you and to our battles. Each person fights their battles and feels like they’re drowning so I am sorry if I haven’t made that process easier for you.

And to God, my sweet sweet Jesus… Forgive me for taking this life for granted. For taking so long to lift my hands to worship and for standing outside the window, watching, instead of turning the knob and stepping in by faith. Fear has gotten the best of me and I dropped my eyes to look at the road, rather than keeping them locked with your gaze.

I also ask that if you have friends around you in difficult seasons, that you hold them up and show them the same grace we have received.

The Bible says in Exodus 17:10-12

So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset.

Aaron and Hur held Moses’ hands up because if they went down for any reason, the battle would be lost. This is the same act we should do for each other. You never know when someone might be on their last ounce of strength and when they need you to simply hold their arms up until the morning comes.

Don’t be so quick to judge when your people are not themselves. Life can be tough so let’s hold the arms up and win the battle as we stand right next to them.

Forever Dancing In His Love,

Leslie Tatiana

Summer Time Fine | Hair Change

I LOVE Summer. I am the girl who could live in bathing suits and in the sun all day long and not get bored or tired. Along with my love for Summer, I am obsessed with taking care of my hair, and working in the salon industry for 4 years has made that possible!

I started working at Hue Salon back in October and though I was only there for a few short months, I was able to see the raw talent of each stylist. The work they do is like no other and not only are they in the heart of Montrose, where creativity and uniqueness flow, but they themselves are also just as creative and talented.

One particular favorite is Zack (check out his insta @Zackerychapa). He has both colored and cut my hair these past few months and earlier in May, I was able to get in to lighten my hair & get it summer ready! He only colored this time though, I still need to come in for a tiny tiny tiny tiny trim (obviously I’m growing my hair out LOL) I wasn’t able to get my photographer available to take pictures of my hair so I did a few selfies to share his work (but hello, selfies are just as good!)

I love that it looks different depending on how it’s styled and what light you’re in. It can look very cool and blonde or very warm and caramel toned. Ya’ll I am a naturally BLACK haired girl and the fact that Zack was able to get my hair this light without damaging it is SO amazing. Pure Talent. Also with a little help of a process called Smart Bond by L’Oreal. It is a new product that is designed to protect and strengthen hair during bleach or haircolor services. The product is added/mixed into the color bowl and applied at the same time, all together. There is also a second step before shampoo, and an option for at home care. I have previously tried Olaplex which is similar, but I prefer SmartBond because it doesn’t slow down the process of lifting like Olaplex does.

Not only does Zack listen to what you want, but he also holds a good conversation. He can talk about almost anything and loves to laugh and be recorded and tagged on social media…. Is there anything better!?!?! My first few weeks at Hue, Zack was one of my first friends and we clicked right away because of his great sense of humor and ridiculousness!

If it is your first time into the salon, they offer $20 off here and you won’t regret getting your hair summer time fine with Zack. Look for inspiration, and book your appointment! He has reasonable prices and works weekends and evenings.

XX,

Dancing in His love with FRESH new hair,

Leslie Tatiana

Embrace the Mess

MAY 1ST YALL!

If you know anything about me- May 1st is my favorite along with May 30th, my birthday. Since my 18th birthday, birthdays have been a huge deal for me, both good and bad. I’m not kidding when I tell you that God always does something crazy in my life as my birthday comes up. I have learned so many lessons as each year passes and sometimes, I make them more difficult because…. HELLO?! Human. And other times, I simply ride the waves and accept the lesson. Nonetheless, I am in the middle of learning something now, and it’s no coincidence that my birthday is in 29 days.

I have been so overwhelmed with my mess. I look at the people around me, friendships, church family, social media, etc. and I think to myself “why can’t I be more like them? why am I such a mess?”

I am tired of trying to change myself to match others.

I know that life isn’t supposed to be all tears, all drama, all indecisive, but the truth is that is where I am, and that has to be okay because it’s temporary. It’s so hard to admit that you are not 100% okay and that you are still a little broken, still a little confused, still a little mess. But then why would I need God? The whole process of healing, of forgiving, of moving on, of letting go, of growing doesn’t happen over night. That’s why it’s called a PROCESS.

I was thinking all day yesterday about who I wanted to be this year, what I wanted to accomplish, what I wanted to let go of, what I wanted 23 to be about.

And I realized it’s so easy to try and change everything I hate about myself in 4 weeks, key word, TRY. But let’s be real…. I’m gonna be exhausted, still the same girl, and only bitter that I wasted my entire month. So instead, I am going to accept who I am, where I am at, and just focus on each day that passes, as I look to my goals. People around me are always challenging me, making me better, and correcting me so that I am the best me I can be. This isn’t a bad thing. But it is easy to get wrapped up in trying to be the best leader tomorrow, the ministry director at 3:00pm, pastor at 3:01pm. And I always want to speed up the process and just get it done already, but then I am reminded there is beauty is the whole thing, not just the destination.

So here are the things I struggle with. Filtered and controlled, they serve a purpose but regardless, I will choose to love myself where I am today.

I talk too much…. But this is such a gift because I will always have something to talk about & not be afraid to get on a mic and talk away. I am almost positive that others wish they could talk as easily as it comes to me.
I’m too intense…. but you will always know where I am, you will never have to doubt what I am feeling or where I stand because I will be very clear. I am passionate about everything I do and what a great way to live life, passionately.
I love too hard….. When did this become a bad thing?!
I can’t make up my mind about anything….. I am so creative and such a quick learner, I can have a million options on anything and what a beautiful thing to never be stuck.
I am too sensitive…. Which I am thankful for today because after everything life has thrown, what a beautiful reminder that my heart has not grown cold and hard.

These are just a few of the things on my heart. I’m sure there is more but instead of looking for more reasons to change myself, I choose to embrace where I am today and what I want to accomplish this year of 23. I cannot tell you how excited I am for this new year. It’s the middle of other huge ages like 21 and 25, but God can move, stretch, and grow anytime He desires.

I will embrace who I am this year. I will embrace my calling, the love God has for me. I will embrace my dreams, my friendships, my seasons, the waves, and run hard after who I was created to be. My life can be messy, chaotic, adventurous, all at once but I choose to embrace the mess.

Romans 10:10-11 says “With your whole being you embrace God setting things right, and then you say it, right out loud: “God has set everything right between him and me!” Scripture reassures us, “No one who trusts God like this – heart and soul – will ever regret it.”” (MSG)

I don’t know if you are having a birthday this month, but I do know that you too may struggle with accepting who you are, just like I do. I want to remind you that it is by grace, by faith you are saved. We embrace everything God is when we believe that He has the power to save us, and that fact continues as we grow and as He guides us to be who we are created to be. Change your perspective and allow those things you hate about yourself to be the very things that launch you into your destiny!

Just like scripture reminds us, no one who trusts God, heart and soul, will ever regret it.

Embrace the mess as you dance in His love.

xx,

Leslie Tatiana

| Wedges: JustFab (similar) | Jeans: Abercrombie & Fitch (similar) |

| Blouse: Forever 21 (similar) | Necklace & Shades: Charming Charlie |

The Best Of 2016

We made it YA’LL!! It’s the last few days of the year and if you are anything like me, you are anxious, overwhelmed, but so excited and ready for this year to be OVER!!

There are many things to be proud of, but again, if you are anything like me, it’s easy to feel like you are not where you should be.

So let’s reflect together and get ready for 2017!

There is a lot that I have processed and learned this year. I have gained so much experience from friendships, new and old. I feel like I have really taken control of my life and actively pursued my happiness, cutting off anything that got in the way of that, sometimes to a fault because I was in control and not God.

I will say that it is a bittersweet ending to 2016. It’s weird, but I know that 2017 will not allow the same habits of this year. I have friendships I’m leaving behind, habits I need to change, goals I have to accomplish and none of this will be possible if I live how I lived out this year.

I am sharing the top 5 posts of this year and the lessons we learned from each. I really hope you go back and revisit some of these pieces as it has been the best year yet for Dancing In Your Love.

August 16, 2008 A murder that happened in my family 8 years ago, my experience, and years later. This was such a hard piece to write. I sat in my kitchen, tears rolling down my face the entire time.
God of Miracles. Our church and our worship leaders experienced a very difficult, yet stretching season with the birth of Baby Belford. It grew us as a family, it allowed us to lock arms and believe together and till this day- the Belford’s are the strongest people I know. Can’t wait to meet you in heaven Michaela Joy! ❤
Finally, Goodbye A goodbye letter to relationships, habits, fears. Letting anger and resentment go is such a freeing experience.
I think I am finally clean I was finally able to write about a break up I experienced almost 2 years ago. It taught me so much, especially a few tips on getting through tough seasons.
An Apology on Behalf of America There was so much anger, frustration and commotion that we experienced as a nation after the election. I was saddened to see and hear the opinions on immigration that belittled people as humans so I respond.

As you end this season, and begin the next one, I want you to believe in yourself. Believe that the Lord has a plan and a purpose for your life. I believe this is the year of application. I have learned and experienced so many lessons this year and it would be a waste of 2017 if I didn’t apply myself. I believe you have great potential stored up that you are not even capable of seeing or understanding. The only way to tap into that is to know the Lord, because then you’ll get a glimpse of who you were created to be.

I hope you continue to walk with me and to discover the beauty of dancing in His love. Here is to many more lessons, to chasing and accomplishing our dreams, and to forever Dancing in His love.

“Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

Luke 1:45