#keep calm and carry on

caughtandembarassedguys:

Bad time to lock the keys in the car…

Well that’s torn it…

Blessings come with patience

When your neighbor (family/friend/coworker) receives a blessing, that’s a sign God is in your neighbourhood.

Be patient, not sad, as your turn will soon come.

Remember, your timeline and God’s doesn’t always align. However, if The Lord sees fit to bless you, just wait. In your waiting period, be thankful for all the awesome things He had blessed you with throughout your life.

The Lord never changes, our circumstances do, so don’t feel anxious or sad that your prayers and heart desires are yet to be answered.

God’s timing is perfect,

He will never disappoint you,

The Lord will be there for you in your time of need,

He will bless you beyond that which you believed to be possible.

Stay calm and carry on,

God will give you countless reasons to smile

Amin Ase ❤️

Author@iameriwa

Back in March, we assured you that you didn’t need to panic about the Zika virus. While we acknowledged that the virus was a real condition that was causing birth defects for a growing number of babies in Brazil, it was nothing to worry about for the average American.

Unfortunately, the threat of Zika has grown in the past six months, and the press freak-out has been intense. Reporters and bloggers have warned us to avoid honeymoonsandbabymoons anywhere near Zika-infected areas. Some athletes even chose to skip the Rio Olympics due to risk of Zika exposure.

Wondering if it’s time to freak out, right? We are, too. To start, here’s what’s changed about Zika since March–and what you can do to protect yourself whether you’re pregnant, trying to get pregnant, or just intent on staying healthy.

Something you definitely don’t need to panic about: mosquitoes the size of kittens

In March, Zika was a serious threat in Brazil only. Since then, Zika has also penetrated the Caribbean and all of Central and South America; the CDC has updated their travel warnings accordingly. Until July, the only instances of Zika in the continental U.S. were contracted when traveling in infected areas. Then Zika-infected mosquitoes turned up in Miami. Forty-nine people have been infected in the Miami area since.

What’s more, mosquitoes are no longer the only beings to blame for Zika’s geographical movement; recently we’ve seen a few cases of American women contracting Zika from sexual contact with infected men. In addition, it turns out that Zika doesn’t just put your baby at risk. Research published just last week shows that those infected with Zika have a higher risk of developing Guillain-Barré Syndrome—a rare condition that causes the immune system to attack nerves and leads to progressive paralysis.

In spite of how scary this sounds and how intimidating the media frenzy is, it’s not worth panicking just yet. Widespread spraying of the affected areas is already happening in Miami, so mosquitoes carrying Zika are unlikely to rapidly move to other parts of Florida (fun fact: Zika-transmitting mosquitoes typically travel less than 400 meters in their entire lives!). Experts say that local mosquitoes are only likely to spread Zika where they’ve previously spread other illnesses, like dengue fever. That narrows the field to small portions of southern Florida and the southern tip of Texas.

Of course, Zika will continue evolving, as viruses do, and the virus will will most likely begin to improve its person-to-person (instead of mosquito-to-person) transmission, so we’ll have to keep an eye on that. What’s more, scientists are working quickly to develop a vaccine for Zika— in fact, it’s already being tested in humans.

So, unless you travel frequently to Latin America or live in Miami, it’s unlikely that Zika will affect your life very much. Despite your location, it’s worth it to take a few precautions. Here’s how you can stay safe, whether you’re trying to conceive and planning travel in Latin America or just working to have the healthiest pregnancy possible:

• Wear insect repellent, especially the kind that contains DEET. Especially important in tropical areas, but useful everywhere. Zika isn’t the only disease mosquitoes carry, and bug bites are annoying, even if they’re not transmitting anything but a nagging itch.
• Use condomswhen having sex with a new partner. This is a good practice in general, but especially when you’re canoodling with someone who’s been traveling (most especially if their travels have brought them to Florida or Latin America!)  If you’re pregnant or trying to make a baby, make sure your partner also limits travel to high-risk areas and wears insect repellent if/when he or she is on the road.
• Talk to your doctor about further precautions to take or if you have any questions. She’ll know the specifics of your situation and will be able to advise you accurately.

Stay safe out there, friends!