In a nutshell that was what I was thinking when walking along the beach tonight...
Here was the setting...
It was about 8 PM and me and Brandon and Heather (two of my younger cousins) were going to walk down the beach to where we had found several sea shells earlier in the day when walking back to the hotel following riding the wave runners. So on our walk tonight it was probably about 30 minutes or so before dusk and it was PRIME time for walking the beach...no hot sun beating down on you and the tourists have basically all left the beach to either relax following a long day in the sun or are hitting the streets of the town (as I saw last night). As I quickly noted this was prime time to be on the beach, the natives obviously are more aware of this WONDERFUL time on the beach than I, and so that would explain the many who were out fishing as the sunlight grew old.
So, as the three of us "kiddos" ran along the upper part of the beach (in efforts to avoid getting caught up in the fishing lines of all the natives) we were moving along past one of the older gentlemen who was actually with his wife and a kiddo out fishing (most of the others were just the man out fishing alone). So as I passed this man began rattling off several things in Spanish. I assumed he was talking to his wife or kids or something, so I kept walking, though I was watching them and smiled back at him. As I kept walking I became aware of the fact that he was speaking to me.
Que? I'm thinking on the surface of my brains inner workings, but deeper I'm digging up what will I say to this guy? If I say "Que" I'm just digging myself into a bigger problem because it ain't like if he answers my "what" am I going to 1.) know what he says, or 2.) be able to respond back to him should I happen to know what he is saying. So, digging deep, back into my high school Spanish class days I rattle off the most Spanish I've used all week...
"No hablo Espanol."
Oh how my high school Spanish teacher would be proud! RIIIIIIIIIGHT! That's pathetic!
Well, with my response the man replied (with a smile mind you): This is my country, Mexico. You need to learn to speak Spanish here (and yes, he said it in Spanish and I understood it).
So, if you are like one of the people I told this story to when we got back to the hotel you're thinking, "Whatever! Has he ever been to Texas?!?!! All the Mexicans come there and don't speak English. We have to do everything in two languages in Texas!"
Well, I'm sure when you read that, it came off should more irrate than it was spoken and meant, but I could see this person's perspective; however I still look at my encounter with this gentleman differently.
I think in a sense that man is right. I think in many cases us Americans expect people to meet our standards, our ways. I'm sure for that man, many American tourists come stomping through his land, his home expecting everything to be the way they want it. Expecting everyone they have to interact with to be able to speak English and meet their needs. I know I've had times since being here where I wish the person I was interacting with understood better what I was talking about when I was conversing with them.
You know, ever since coming to Texas I've learned the importance of being bilingual. I have so much respect for my friends (well basically anyone) who is either fluent, or practically there, in two languages, especially if they are English and Spanish.
I took three years of Spanish in high school, but that has been such a while back that not much (as you could tell from my earlier story) has stuck. If you don't use it, you'll lose it (no lie!). And, the fact that I had no strong motivation when I was taking it in high school to care much for remembering it (hispanics are few and far between in Missouri). So here I am in Texas, where I'll most likely spend many of my next years where being bilingual is SUCH an asset.
To those of you who are bilingual, or at least pretty dang good with your Spanish, my hats off to you! That'll always been a characteristic I respect in people!
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Cabo Day #whatever
I've lost track of what day in Cabo I'm on....and I've basically lost track of what the day is period. HA! Sometimes these vacation things get a little too long in my opinion...oh well. Only a few more days still (I think...HA!)
Yesterday was Bake-the-Americans day! AKA...we went snorkeling. They took us on this little boaty thingy about 1.25 hours out (sun the whole way) then we "snorkeled" for 30 minutes, then the 1.25 hours trip back. Let's face it...it was like 3+ hours straight sun...I lookin' good, folks! ;)
The snorkeling for a person that doesn't swim was fun fun...let me tell you! ;) It was basically as it was last year for me: I jump in, and having been in the sun for more than an hour, the water is like freezing to the body, so it sucks the air right outta me...AKA i look like I'm hypervenalating (sp?). Brandon was looking at me and was like, "Are you okay"...HA! I was like, "yeah, just gotta catch my breathe" HA! Believe it or not, the can't swim girl spent most the time in the water consoling the two little girls who were all wigging out. For what reason you ask? I don't know! HA!
So on the trip back I was beginning to feel the waves and the too much sun! As about half our group of 10 was...HA! Luckily for me, as soon as I got back into some shade I felt fine again (however that wasn't the case for all of them!) HA!
Then late last night around about 11:30 PM we went down to the ocean to watch the ENORMOUS waves from the high tide! It was CrAzInEsS!!! They were SOOO big and crashed into the shore sounding like thunder!
As for today...it was another lazy day! We hit the shops in town again (as we had the other day). Besides that and eating at a couple places today, that has been the extent of today. However, it is Darla's birthday today (she turned 28) so tonight her and I are going out on the town! You know me, I'm sure I'll get into all kinds of trouble! ;) Especially if it goes like last year's night out on the town! HA!
Anyways, I'm gonna end this entry with probably one of my most favorite parts of the vacation: I've successfully eaten guacamole (or avacado slices) with EVERY meal! HA! You can't come to Mexico and not get some guac! Now that's what I'm talking about! YUMMY! They eat guac with EVERYTHING here and that makes ME happy, however most of the family I'm here with won't touch the stuff (more for me!)....HA!
So, who out there loves their guac!?!?!? ;)
Yesterday was Bake-the-Americans day! AKA...we went snorkeling. They took us on this little boaty thingy about 1.25 hours out (sun the whole way) then we "snorkeled" for 30 minutes, then the 1.25 hours trip back. Let's face it...it was like 3+ hours straight sun...I lookin' good, folks! ;)
The snorkeling for a person that doesn't swim was fun fun...let me tell you! ;) It was basically as it was last year for me: I jump in, and having been in the sun for more than an hour, the water is like freezing to the body, so it sucks the air right outta me...AKA i look like I'm hypervenalating (sp?). Brandon was looking at me and was like, "Are you okay"...HA! I was like, "yeah, just gotta catch my breathe" HA! Believe it or not, the can't swim girl spent most the time in the water consoling the two little girls who were all wigging out. For what reason you ask? I don't know! HA!
So on the trip back I was beginning to feel the waves and the too much sun! As about half our group of 10 was...HA! Luckily for me, as soon as I got back into some shade I felt fine again (however that wasn't the case for all of them!) HA!
Then late last night around about 11:30 PM we went down to the ocean to watch the ENORMOUS waves from the high tide! It was CrAzInEsS!!! They were SOOO big and crashed into the shore sounding like thunder!
As for today...it was another lazy day! We hit the shops in town again (as we had the other day). Besides that and eating at a couple places today, that has been the extent of today. However, it is Darla's birthday today (she turned 28) so tonight her and I are going out on the town! You know me, I'm sure I'll get into all kinds of trouble! ;) Especially if it goes like last year's night out on the town! HA!
Anyways, I'm gonna end this entry with probably one of my most favorite parts of the vacation: I've successfully eaten guacamole (or avacado slices) with EVERY meal! HA! You can't come to Mexico and not get some guac! Now that's what I'm talking about! YUMMY! They eat guac with EVERYTHING here and that makes ME happy, however most of the family I'm here with won't touch the stuff (more for me!)....HA!
So, who out there loves their guac!?!?!? ;)
Monday, June 27, 2005
Monday's Blog!
[Give this picture it's best caption! Either come up with a unique/fun caption for this picture or tell what you think is going on in the picture! Tomorrow I'll pick the best response! LEAVE A COMMENT (anyone can leave a comment, you don't have to have a blog)! I don't care if you're someone I don't know, someone I do know, or someone I'm not suppose to know that reads my blog all the time (secretly of course...HA!) Have fun!]
Happy 1 Year of Blogging Anniversary to Me!
So, today marks my one year anniversary of having a blog!
While it might not appear that way at first glance for you, those of you who have been one of my avid readers from the beginning know that I had a blog at a different website previous to starting this one, so when you combine the two, I’ve now been blogging for a year!
During this 365 day time-span I have successfully completed a year’s worth of graduate school, while working approximately 25-30 hours a week and still put out 176 blog entries. Not too shabby if you ask me. ;)
So, with all this in mind, I think one of the most important things to do with this anniversary is to reflect on what has happened to me and influenced me over these past 12 months. First, I want to comment on my top five events of the past year:
5. I got my first car.
I’ve never had my own car till I bought one on July 6, 2004, and that was quite possibly the BEST purchase I’ve made in my life (college doesn’t count because in all actuality I haven’t really paid for that yet….gotta love loans…HA!) I bought a 2000 Toyota Camry and she has been very very good to me! It’s funny, and though you’re going to laugh…I’ve always been one that has been brought up to be appreciative for what we have and to be grateful and there have been many time I’ve been riding in my car and just looked at her while I was driving and thought, “You’ve been the BEST…thanks, pal!” HA! Seriously, I sometimes feel bad for her because she can’t talk and I haven’t given her a bath in a long time and I think if she could talk she’d let me have it! HA! She has taken me for nearly 20,000 miles in our first year together (HA!). I got her and she had about 58,800 miles on her and just this past week she hit 76,900. And through all this she hasn’t given me any problems! Thanks, pal!
4. I marked having lived with my uncle, aunt, and cousins for a year.
This is funny because, before moving to Texas for school, I hardly ever saw this brother of my mom’s growing up! HA! I was always closer to the other two of my mom’s siblings because they lived in Missouri, but now I’m easily closer to him (and his family). It IS a big family at that: him, my new aunt (got married in October), my uncles two girls, and my new aunts 1 daughter and 2 boys. During this year I’ve been noted as my aunt’s “favorite niece,” I’ve become the boys “godmother” (should my aunt pass away in the next three years before their older sister turns 21), and I’ve played nanny, school tutor, escort, mentor, and friend to all the kiddos over the year. I’ve gotten really close to the two boys and me and Brandon are practically best buds! It’s funny…HA! We are a lot alike! Living with my uncle and the fam has not only been a blessing for me while I continue my schooling, but it has also let me see a lot of other views on life. It has been quite the ride!
3. My mentor Charles Trevathan passed away.
Going through a big transition in your life, such as graduating from undergraduate and then entering graduate school and making big career and life decisions, daily it seems, one can begin to question their own judgment and need someone to ask questions too and bounce thoughts off of. Well, for someone who doesn’t like to ask for help, and is very picky in whose advice she’ll seek, losing Charles Trevathan during the past year was rough on me. I went through a stage of bereavement I’ve never experienced before, possibly from being blessed to not having lost a good friend before, but nonetheless, it was difficult. It was during this time that I let my first blog “lay to rest” with Chuck. Though I still miss him today, I have learned to appreciate the time we had together and when I need advice, I’m able to think, “What would Chuck have said?”
2. I completed a year of graduate school.
Note that it says “a year” not “half” since by the end of summer I’ll still be 2 hours short of halfway through our program (but let’s not focus on that, back to the positive). So in the past year I’ve experiences college life at a state level; classes where I’m EASILY in the minority and youth out of my peers when it comes to age; classes which are 90% female and probably 75% liberal. I’ve learned that though I still appreciate the psychology views a great deal more than the social work views when it comes to therapy, I understand that there is simply more than one mean to getting to a finished product, and if taking a social work route to become a therapist is the best route for me right now, then that will do! I also learned that it is possible to write a 20+ page paper in a two-day period of time. I’ve learned that even in graduate school it is possible to pass your tests not having read the required readings (well as least not reading ALL of them…HA!). I suppose one of the biggest differences in graduate school versus undergraduate is the course load. A typical class consists of about 4 grades normally: a couple exams (mid-term & final), normally either a smaller paper (about 10-12 pages) or a project (sometimes group, sometimes presentation), and a large paper (about 15-25 pages…or in that one class 45 pages…HA!) So overall, with school this past year I’ve gone through MANY ups and down, thinking maybe this isn’t for me and then rebounding and seeing graduation not TOO far over the horizon. Of course, I can’t forget the hard time I had dealing with the fact that I won’t be able to graduate with my masters in two years since our program is just that long (64 hours). But I’ve accepted the fact that that doesn’t make me a “failure” or a “loser” for not getting it all in in 2-years; let’s face it, I’m at the point in my life where I can’t rely on loans for my “survival cash” so I’m having to work quite a few hours while going to school full-time. Plus, I’ve decided what is just one more semester of schooling when I will get to work the rest of my life—nothing!
1. I’ve grown up.
Of course, physically I’m a year older. But then there is the year’s worth of furthering my education which has enhanced my knowledge, as well as insight I’d have to say. Though there have been times throughout my graduate education that I’ve said to myself, “I feel like I’m learning NOTHING in these classes!” I still realize that while maybe the gained material and factual knowledge might be limited, I’m learning great lessons in life. And then there is the growth I’ve experienced through taking on more of an adult-centered lifestyle. Working several hours a week to pay for newly acquired bills (many revolving around having a car), limiting my loan outtake for college finances, and other expenses. I’ve grown in the friendship department as well. Not only in making many new friends through my new school atmosphere, but also at the work level. And not only have I added more friendships in my life, I’ve got to watch changes with my previous friendships. I’ve been blessed to see some friendships from my “growing up days” come back around (gotten back in touch with some high school friends, which has been GREAT). But probably the most encouraging thing to watch with friendships is the evolving of my undergraduate friendships. While there is of course some of the friendships I had during undergrad that have tailed off, there are the closer friendships that I’ve gotten to see strengthen through dedication on both ends to keep the friendship going, regardless the distance, different schedules, or whatever the case. There is no doubt graduation can affect friendships, but it doesn’t have to be for the negative. While I’ll always be grateful for the education I got from ACU, nothing will ever compare to the friendships I made there! I have some amazing people in my life now thanks those 4 years of my life! Thanks to all of you. You have encouraged me in many ways and the growth is immeasurable.
Finally, I want to mention the things I’ve learned the most through my process of blogging over the past year.
First, I’ve learned that not only can it be fun, but it can be therapeutic and good for ones self to express their thoughts through words. Journaling in any sense is a good release for inner feelings. Some choose to blog about needs (i.e. prayer requests; advice). Others want to keep people informed on their life through an occasional update of their daily routines. Still others just like to get their deep thinking and opinions on matters out in the open for discussion. I’d have to say the latter is my favorite to write and read for that matter. I can’t say I’m one of the best at this form of writing, because I read SEVERAL other blogs and there are some folks that I think can put things into words in a great way and can really make you think, but I can say over time I’m working more and more at improving.
Second, I’ve learned there are more people that I thought who care enough about me to keep up with my blogs on a daily basis. It has amazed me over the past year how many times I’ve gone to tell someone about something that has happened to me recently and they are like, “Oh I know, you mentioned that in your blog.” And I would just be thinking, “I had no idea you read my blog.” It is a cool feeling, and I must say an honor, to know people would take time out of their busy schedules to keep up with what I have to say about my life and life in general. So on that note, I want to thank y’all!
Finally, I’ve learned to become more and more comfortable at expressing who I am. I can openly blog about my feelings, whether they be about religion, death, hurting, happiness, or even confusion. I truly believe it is when you are able to be comfortable enough with who you are and willing to express and share your true self with those around you, that others will be more willing to do the same with you. Yes, so maybe you and your ways of life might not be the same as a lot of other people and maybe you’re just a little different in some ways. Maybe you and others disagree on some things, but it is our uniqueness that makes each of us so interesting.
I just ask, as you’ve accepted my blog into your life, that you accept others who might be willing to put themselves out there and become what an attacking society might view as vulnerable. Embrace each others differences and be willing to use them to make us stronger, because what you might not know or be able to do or more importantly, what you might not be able to identity with, maybe they can and with a combined effort we are even stronger!
May my next year of blogging help me to grow more and maybe challenge and encourage you as well along the way!
Blessings!
While it might not appear that way at first glance for you, those of you who have been one of my avid readers from the beginning know that I had a blog at a different website previous to starting this one, so when you combine the two, I’ve now been blogging for a year!
During this 365 day time-span I have successfully completed a year’s worth of graduate school, while working approximately 25-30 hours a week and still put out 176 blog entries. Not too shabby if you ask me. ;)
So, with all this in mind, I think one of the most important things to do with this anniversary is to reflect on what has happened to me and influenced me over these past 12 months. First, I want to comment on my top five events of the past year:
5. I got my first car.
I’ve never had my own car till I bought one on July 6, 2004, and that was quite possibly the BEST purchase I’ve made in my life (college doesn’t count because in all actuality I haven’t really paid for that yet….gotta love loans…HA!) I bought a 2000 Toyota Camry and she has been very very good to me! It’s funny, and though you’re going to laugh…I’ve always been one that has been brought up to be appreciative for what we have and to be grateful and there have been many time I’ve been riding in my car and just looked at her while I was driving and thought, “You’ve been the BEST…thanks, pal!” HA! Seriously, I sometimes feel bad for her because she can’t talk and I haven’t given her a bath in a long time and I think if she could talk she’d let me have it! HA! She has taken me for nearly 20,000 miles in our first year together (HA!). I got her and she had about 58,800 miles on her and just this past week she hit 76,900. And through all this she hasn’t given me any problems! Thanks, pal!
4. I marked having lived with my uncle, aunt, and cousins for a year.
This is funny because, before moving to Texas for school, I hardly ever saw this brother of my mom’s growing up! HA! I was always closer to the other two of my mom’s siblings because they lived in Missouri, but now I’m easily closer to him (and his family). It IS a big family at that: him, my new aunt (got married in October), my uncles two girls, and my new aunts 1 daughter and 2 boys. During this year I’ve been noted as my aunt’s “favorite niece,” I’ve become the boys “godmother” (should my aunt pass away in the next three years before their older sister turns 21), and I’ve played nanny, school tutor, escort, mentor, and friend to all the kiddos over the year. I’ve gotten really close to the two boys and me and Brandon are practically best buds! It’s funny…HA! We are a lot alike! Living with my uncle and the fam has not only been a blessing for me while I continue my schooling, but it has also let me see a lot of other views on life. It has been quite the ride!
3. My mentor Charles Trevathan passed away.
Going through a big transition in your life, such as graduating from undergraduate and then entering graduate school and making big career and life decisions, daily it seems, one can begin to question their own judgment and need someone to ask questions too and bounce thoughts off of. Well, for someone who doesn’t like to ask for help, and is very picky in whose advice she’ll seek, losing Charles Trevathan during the past year was rough on me. I went through a stage of bereavement I’ve never experienced before, possibly from being blessed to not having lost a good friend before, but nonetheless, it was difficult. It was during this time that I let my first blog “lay to rest” with Chuck. Though I still miss him today, I have learned to appreciate the time we had together and when I need advice, I’m able to think, “What would Chuck have said?”
2. I completed a year of graduate school.
Note that it says “a year” not “half” since by the end of summer I’ll still be 2 hours short of halfway through our program (but let’s not focus on that, back to the positive). So in the past year I’ve experiences college life at a state level; classes where I’m EASILY in the minority and youth out of my peers when it comes to age; classes which are 90% female and probably 75% liberal. I’ve learned that though I still appreciate the psychology views a great deal more than the social work views when it comes to therapy, I understand that there is simply more than one mean to getting to a finished product, and if taking a social work route to become a therapist is the best route for me right now, then that will do! I also learned that it is possible to write a 20+ page paper in a two-day period of time. I’ve learned that even in graduate school it is possible to pass your tests not having read the required readings (well as least not reading ALL of them…HA!). I suppose one of the biggest differences in graduate school versus undergraduate is the course load. A typical class consists of about 4 grades normally: a couple exams (mid-term & final), normally either a smaller paper (about 10-12 pages) or a project (sometimes group, sometimes presentation), and a large paper (about 15-25 pages…or in that one class 45 pages…HA!) So overall, with school this past year I’ve gone through MANY ups and down, thinking maybe this isn’t for me and then rebounding and seeing graduation not TOO far over the horizon. Of course, I can’t forget the hard time I had dealing with the fact that I won’t be able to graduate with my masters in two years since our program is just that long (64 hours). But I’ve accepted the fact that that doesn’t make me a “failure” or a “loser” for not getting it all in in 2-years; let’s face it, I’m at the point in my life where I can’t rely on loans for my “survival cash” so I’m having to work quite a few hours while going to school full-time. Plus, I’ve decided what is just one more semester of schooling when I will get to work the rest of my life—nothing!
1. I’ve grown up.
Of course, physically I’m a year older. But then there is the year’s worth of furthering my education which has enhanced my knowledge, as well as insight I’d have to say. Though there have been times throughout my graduate education that I’ve said to myself, “I feel like I’m learning NOTHING in these classes!” I still realize that while maybe the gained material and factual knowledge might be limited, I’m learning great lessons in life. And then there is the growth I’ve experienced through taking on more of an adult-centered lifestyle. Working several hours a week to pay for newly acquired bills (many revolving around having a car), limiting my loan outtake for college finances, and other expenses. I’ve grown in the friendship department as well. Not only in making many new friends through my new school atmosphere, but also at the work level. And not only have I added more friendships in my life, I’ve got to watch changes with my previous friendships. I’ve been blessed to see some friendships from my “growing up days” come back around (gotten back in touch with some high school friends, which has been GREAT). But probably the most encouraging thing to watch with friendships is the evolving of my undergraduate friendships. While there is of course some of the friendships I had during undergrad that have tailed off, there are the closer friendships that I’ve gotten to see strengthen through dedication on both ends to keep the friendship going, regardless the distance, different schedules, or whatever the case. There is no doubt graduation can affect friendships, but it doesn’t have to be for the negative. While I’ll always be grateful for the education I got from ACU, nothing will ever compare to the friendships I made there! I have some amazing people in my life now thanks those 4 years of my life! Thanks to all of you. You have encouraged me in many ways and the growth is immeasurable.
Finally, I want to mention the things I’ve learned the most through my process of blogging over the past year.
First, I’ve learned that not only can it be fun, but it can be therapeutic and good for ones self to express their thoughts through words. Journaling in any sense is a good release for inner feelings. Some choose to blog about needs (i.e. prayer requests; advice). Others want to keep people informed on their life through an occasional update of their daily routines. Still others just like to get their deep thinking and opinions on matters out in the open for discussion. I’d have to say the latter is my favorite to write and read for that matter. I can’t say I’m one of the best at this form of writing, because I read SEVERAL other blogs and there are some folks that I think can put things into words in a great way and can really make you think, but I can say over time I’m working more and more at improving.
Second, I’ve learned there are more people that I thought who care enough about me to keep up with my blogs on a daily basis. It has amazed me over the past year how many times I’ve gone to tell someone about something that has happened to me recently and they are like, “Oh I know, you mentioned that in your blog.” And I would just be thinking, “I had no idea you read my blog.” It is a cool feeling, and I must say an honor, to know people would take time out of their busy schedules to keep up with what I have to say about my life and life in general. So on that note, I want to thank y’all!
Finally, I’ve learned to become more and more comfortable at expressing who I am. I can openly blog about my feelings, whether they be about religion, death, hurting, happiness, or even confusion. I truly believe it is when you are able to be comfortable enough with who you are and willing to express and share your true self with those around you, that others will be more willing to do the same with you. Yes, so maybe you and your ways of life might not be the same as a lot of other people and maybe you’re just a little different in some ways. Maybe you and others disagree on some things, but it is our uniqueness that makes each of us so interesting.
I just ask, as you’ve accepted my blog into your life, that you accept others who might be willing to put themselves out there and become what an attacking society might view as vulnerable. Embrace each others differences and be willing to use them to make us stronger, because what you might not know or be able to do or more importantly, what you might not be able to identity with, maybe they can and with a combined effort we are even stronger!
May my next year of blogging help me to grow more and maybe challenge and encourage you as well along the way!
Blessings!
Sunday, June 26, 2005
Postponement...
Snorkeling has been postponed till tomorrow.
Reason: man down with "Mexican sickness"....
Hey, with 10 of us here, it was bound to happen to someone sooner or later! ;) I'm just happy snorkeling has been put off for another day! ;)
Note to reader: It is not me with "Mexican sickness".....or at least not YET! ;)
Reason: man down with "Mexican sickness"....
Hey, with 10 of us here, it was bound to happen to someone sooner or later! ;) I'm just happy snorkeling has been put off for another day! ;)
Note to reader: It is not me with "Mexican sickness".....or at least not YET! ;)
Saturday, June 25, 2005
Cabo Day #2
So today was basically just another easy-going day. I got to sleep in till 9:30 while the padres took the kiddos to a breakfast which was provided through a tour they were about to take. When the actual tour thingy began they brought the kids back to stay with me while they did that part.
The tour consisted of like an hour thingy where they take you throughout the hotel complex we are staying in and show you what they have to offer in hopes that you'll purchase a time-share. We did the same thing last year, because it is one of those package deals where if you do the tour with the sales people you get a package of like discounts on things like snorkeling trips, massages, and couples night parties out on one of the boats in town.
Well it ended up that this year my uncle went ahead and purchased one of the time-shares, and it is actually going to be in the new building of the complex that is currently being constructed next door to this one, but it will be finished by time the annual family trip takes place next year.
Well, while they were on the tour, I took the kiddos and we hit the beach. We chilled down there till the parents came down around about 2 PM. Then we ate some lunch and chilled some more at the pools and beach.
Around 5 PM the padres left for their night out on the "adult" party boat that they got through their tour this morning. So I got to plan nanny for the night. That was okay with me though. The youngest kiddo (age 3) fell asleep since he is sick and the second youngest kiddo (age 6) just acted nuts all night (that's nothing new for her) and the rest of us played one of my FAVORITE games, Pit, all night! We played from about 5:45 PM till 9:15 PM. Go us!
Now I have to kiddos in the room watching a movie while I am chillin' (literally too....it gets cool here at night, because of all the wind) on the balcony writing this blog.
Tomorrow is going to be a big day, and I'm honestly not really looking forward to it...SNORKELING. I was really hoping we weren't going to do this this year, since it didn't go over real big last year...but at least this year we are doing it with a different "company"...AKA boat...so hopefully it won't be as long...HA! Gotta love snorkeling when you can't swim! So, you might want to say a little pray for me tomorrow, or, in the words of my good buddy, Misty, "cross your fingers for me" if you're not a prayer! HA! ;)
The tour consisted of like an hour thingy where they take you throughout the hotel complex we are staying in and show you what they have to offer in hopes that you'll purchase a time-share. We did the same thing last year, because it is one of those package deals where if you do the tour with the sales people you get a package of like discounts on things like snorkeling trips, massages, and couples night parties out on one of the boats in town.
Well it ended up that this year my uncle went ahead and purchased one of the time-shares, and it is actually going to be in the new building of the complex that is currently being constructed next door to this one, but it will be finished by time the annual family trip takes place next year.
Well, while they were on the tour, I took the kiddos and we hit the beach. We chilled down there till the parents came down around about 2 PM. Then we ate some lunch and chilled some more at the pools and beach.
Around 5 PM the padres left for their night out on the "adult" party boat that they got through their tour this morning. So I got to plan nanny for the night. That was okay with me though. The youngest kiddo (age 3) fell asleep since he is sick and the second youngest kiddo (age 6) just acted nuts all night (that's nothing new for her) and the rest of us played one of my FAVORITE games, Pit, all night! We played from about 5:45 PM till 9:15 PM. Go us!
Now I have to kiddos in the room watching a movie while I am chillin' (literally too....it gets cool here at night, because of all the wind) on the balcony writing this blog.
Tomorrow is going to be a big day, and I'm honestly not really looking forward to it...SNORKELING. I was really hoping we weren't going to do this this year, since it didn't go over real big last year...but at least this year we are doing it with a different "company"...AKA boat...so hopefully it won't be as long...HA! Gotta love snorkeling when you can't swim! So, you might want to say a little pray for me tomorrow, or, in the words of my good buddy, Misty, "cross your fingers for me" if you're not a prayer! HA! ;)
Cabo Full Day #1
So just a quick entry to update y'all on my life...
Today was our first full day in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. There are 10 of us here...HA! And let me tell you, the ten of us piling in and out of our lovely rented Chrysler mini-van is classic! ;)
For those that know that I don't like flying because of the pressure changes on my ears, I'm glad to inform you that the flight in wasn't too bad...yes, I wasn't able to hear out of one of me ears following the landing, but that cleared up after about an hour once we were on our 35 minute ride to Cabo from the airport...it just took some good hard yawns...HA! POP! All better! ;)
Quick side note: Dr. J was on our flight here....HA! I didn't get to see him, but some of our family that came with us were in the first row of coach seating and he was in the last row of first class, so they got to talk to him....he apparently was really nice...and we didn't get through customs quick enough at the airport for me to see him at the baggage claim either...dang...oh well....
Today was kinda lazy day...we hit the beach from about 10 AM till 2:30 PM when we stopped for our first food of the day and I enjoyed some DANG GOOD chicken quesidillas with some DANG GOOD guacamole! YUM!
Then it was nap time! WOO HOO! Brandon and I napped on the balcony....it is SOOO pretty and fun out here on the balcony (that's where I'm at right now....even though it is 12:30 AM here...it feels GOOD out here!)
Around 9 PM we hit the town to all go out and eat as a family at one of the ROCKING restaurants/clubs in town...however while we got there at 9 PM, it was already starting to hop for the Friday night crowd....probably not the best atmosphere for the kiddos...but I LOVE that place because of the loud GREAT music, tons of dancing, and the place is set up soo cool and doesn't have a roof, so it feels SOOO nice in there in the evenings with the nightly winds blowing through. It is called El Squid Roe (if you know my picture link...or can get it from my screenname profile, you can go check out my pics posted from El Squid tonight).
Overall today went pretty well. Just about all of us ended up with some sunburn on one place of our body, most backs and faces. For me, just my back, didn't do so well getting that part...HA! But i'm a tough cookie!
Oh, and how could I forget...
We got our hyenna tattoos EARLIER in the week this year. We got them today and this year I got a cutsie little butterfly...
Yeah, I know, girly, but i like it...and it is in the same place I got mine last year (lower stomach area...kinda next to my belly-button, but on the side)....I'll have a picture posted probably tomorrow of it!
Whelp....it is 12:39 AM here and that means almost 2 AM there, thus I should hit the hay!
Oh....also, I was thinking we weren't going to do it again this year, but apparently we are....
Snorkeling again....
This is of course one of my favorite parts of the week being the big swimmer and all....HA! There is nothing better than watching a girl who can't swim walk off a plank of a pirate ship with a life jacket on, flippers, googles, and a snorkel.....hopefully we'll get this "great, fun event" outta the way early on in the week! ;)
Today was our first full day in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. There are 10 of us here...HA! And let me tell you, the ten of us piling in and out of our lovely rented Chrysler mini-van is classic! ;)
For those that know that I don't like flying because of the pressure changes on my ears, I'm glad to inform you that the flight in wasn't too bad...yes, I wasn't able to hear out of one of me ears following the landing, but that cleared up after about an hour once we were on our 35 minute ride to Cabo from the airport...it just took some good hard yawns...HA! POP! All better! ;)
Quick side note: Dr. J was on our flight here....HA! I didn't get to see him, but some of our family that came with us were in the first row of coach seating and he was in the last row of first class, so they got to talk to him....he apparently was really nice...and we didn't get through customs quick enough at the airport for me to see him at the baggage claim either...dang...oh well....
Today was kinda lazy day...we hit the beach from about 10 AM till 2:30 PM when we stopped for our first food of the day and I enjoyed some DANG GOOD chicken quesidillas with some DANG GOOD guacamole! YUM!
Then it was nap time! WOO HOO! Brandon and I napped on the balcony....it is SOOO pretty and fun out here on the balcony (that's where I'm at right now....even though it is 12:30 AM here...it feels GOOD out here!)
Around 9 PM we hit the town to all go out and eat as a family at one of the ROCKING restaurants/clubs in town...however while we got there at 9 PM, it was already starting to hop for the Friday night crowd....probably not the best atmosphere for the kiddos...but I LOVE that place because of the loud GREAT music, tons of dancing, and the place is set up soo cool and doesn't have a roof, so it feels SOOO nice in there in the evenings with the nightly winds blowing through. It is called El Squid Roe (if you know my picture link...or can get it from my screenname profile, you can go check out my pics posted from El Squid tonight).
Overall today went pretty well. Just about all of us ended up with some sunburn on one place of our body, most backs and faces. For me, just my back, didn't do so well getting that part...HA! But i'm a tough cookie!
Oh, and how could I forget...
We got our hyenna tattoos EARLIER in the week this year. We got them today and this year I got a cutsie little butterfly...
Yeah, I know, girly, but i like it...and it is in the same place I got mine last year (lower stomach area...kinda next to my belly-button, but on the side)....I'll have a picture posted probably tomorrow of it!
Whelp....it is 12:39 AM here and that means almost 2 AM there, thus I should hit the hay!
Oh....also, I was thinking we weren't going to do it again this year, but apparently we are....
Snorkeling again....
This is of course one of my favorite parts of the week
The Waves at the Beach....or is it....
She's so pretty...
She drives you to want to get closer...
She appears easy to get along with...
However...Looks can be deceiving...
On the surface she looks gentle...
But once she gets a hold of you...
You might have to put up a fight...
If you get too close...
One wrong move...
And she'll suck the life right out of you...
A pleasant day down at the beach can be a life or death situation...
So that's how the waves and currents along the beach are, but I bet some guys can relate that same description to some girls! ;)
She drives you to want to get closer...
She appears easy to get along with...
However...Looks can be deceiving...
On the surface she looks gentle...
But once she gets a hold of you...
You might have to put up a fight...
If you get too close...
One wrong move...
And she'll suck the life right out of you...
A pleasant day down at the beach can be a life or death situation...
So that's how the waves and currents along the beach are, but I bet some guys can relate that same description to some girls! ;)
Friday, June 24, 2005
For Once I Stole the Survey from Naye!! HA!
Last Cuss Word Uttered: I think it was a**….i think I said it earlier…HA!
Last Time Driving: yesterday around about 3:00 PM when I pulled my car up into the driveway of the house
Last Kiss: that would be last June here in Cabo, BUT I’ll probably be able to change this answer when I come back to the states by July 1st! HA!
Last Movie Seen: uhhh…the end of Miss Congenality II, I suppose
Last Beverage Drank: a bottled water
Last Food Consumed: chicken quesadillas, pico de gallo, and some DANG good guacamole…I’m in MEXICO, baby! YUM YUM!!!!
Last Phone Call: I called Becca right before we left the house for the airport yesterday
Last Show Watched: uhhh…there was some spongebob square pants cartoon on last night that the girls were watching when we went to bed
Last Song You Heard: I have my music folder on my laptop on shuffle right now as I type and currently it is playing “Smile” by Nat King Cole…you would have never guessed huh…HA!
Last Piercing/Tattoo: funny you should ask….JUST got a butterfly tattoo about 4 hours ago….hyenna that is! ;)
First Crush: oh gosh, I don’t remember
First Car: my Toyota Camry that I have right now, AND we have almost celebrated our 1 year anniversary together!!! It is on July 6th!
First Job: probably babysitting
First Screen name: Kimbo1210
First Album/CD: the Batman Forever Soundtrack
First Piercing/Tattoo: my hyenna tattoo from Cabo last year
First True Love: myself! ;)
First Enemy: your mom
First Big Trip: I’m not much for traveling….but I suppose it would be our trip to Cabo last year
First Detention: I got a 15-minute detention during recess time my 5th grade year I think it was….i was talking too much during classtime…imagine that! ;)
First Time Dyeing My Hair: have never dyed it per-say…just highlights, and the first time for those was with the GATA makeover story back in April 2003
Last Time Driving: yesterday around about 3:00 PM when I pulled my car up into the driveway of the house
Last Kiss: that would be last June here in Cabo, BUT I’ll probably be able to change this answer when I come back to the states by July 1st! HA!
Last Movie Seen: uhhh…the end of Miss Congenality II, I suppose
Last Beverage Drank: a bottled water
Last Food Consumed: chicken quesadillas, pico de gallo, and some DANG good guacamole…I’m in MEXICO, baby! YUM YUM!!!!
Last Phone Call: I called Becca right before we left the house for the airport yesterday
Last Show Watched: uhhh…there was some spongebob square pants cartoon on last night that the girls were watching when we went to bed
Last Song You Heard: I have my music folder on my laptop on shuffle right now as I type and currently it is playing “Smile” by Nat King Cole…you would have never guessed huh…HA!
Last Piercing/Tattoo: funny you should ask….JUST got a butterfly tattoo about 4 hours ago….hyenna that is! ;)
First Crush: oh gosh, I don’t remember
First Car: my Toyota Camry that I have right now, AND we have almost celebrated our 1 year anniversary together!!! It is on July 6th!
First Job: probably babysitting
First Screen name: Kimbo1210
First Album/CD: the Batman Forever Soundtrack
First Piercing/Tattoo: my hyenna tattoo from Cabo last year
First True Love: myself! ;)
First Enemy: your mom
First Big Trip: I’m not much for traveling….but I suppose it would be our trip to Cabo last year
First Detention: I got a 15-minute detention during recess time my 5th grade year I think it was….i was talking too much during classtime…imagine that! ;)
First Time Dyeing My Hair: have never dyed it per-say…just highlights, and the first time for those was with the GATA makeover story back in April 2003
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Today's Significance!
Today represents a day of many congratulations for me. Well, that’s congratulations FROM me to other folks!
First, I must wish Happy Birthday to two friends!
Happy 23rd Birthday to my buddy from high school, Susan Meierhoff! She’s always been one of those “youngin’s” in our grade, but that sure never held her back on a intellectual level…HA! Always leading the way in the brilliance! ;)
Happy 22nd Birthday to Meg Shearon! Meg’s a cool kid that I got to know at ACU, and lets face it, us “non-Texan” ACU students like to support one another! ;)
I hope both you ladies have a GREAT birthday today!
On another note, June 21st is also another anniversary of an event, though this time not in the birthday of a individual, but in the birth of a union between two people.
On June 21, 1975, my parents tied the knot! ;)
So, if you do the math, that puts today as their 30th wedding anniversary!
Let’s face it folks, a marriage lasting 30 years in today’s society is something to celebrate! Two adults, with four kids and not a lot of money, 30 years later are still waking up together—congratulations! Of course, you got to take into consideration who these kids are—some of the cream of the crop in my opinion, but still! HA! ;)
In the 23 years I’ve had to get to know this couple (HA…I say it like they are some strangers or something…HA!) I can honestly say they’re good parents who were dedicated to raising good children. If there is anything I’ve learned through growing up under my parents it was that you don’t have to have money to raise a good family.
My parents taught us kids to be grateful for what we have, to respect others, the importance of education, and to give our best in whatever we do in our life. They raised us in the Church of Christ and pushed us to continue our education in a Christian environment, even when they knew it would cause it’s strains on our family financially (however, had they not instilled in us the importance of education early on, we wouldn’t have gotten the scholarships that allowed us to be able to afford an education at ACU).
Overall, my parents have spent 24 years of their past 30 together raising children, and for that I’ve grateful. I don’t know, maybe having four kids can give two parents enough stuff to stay focused on that they are able to forget their own problems and it makes for a longer marriage, but the majority of me is saying that isn’t the case, I think it takes two highly dedicated individuals and loving people who know what they want in life!
Congrats to my folks on 30 years together!
First, I must wish Happy Birthday to two friends!
Happy 23rd Birthday to my buddy from high school, Susan Meierhoff! She’s always been one of those “youngin’s” in our grade, but that sure never held her back on a intellectual level…HA! Always leading the way in the brilliance! ;)
Happy 22nd Birthday to Meg Shearon! Meg’s a cool kid that I got to know at ACU, and lets face it, us “non-Texan” ACU students like to support one another! ;)
I hope both you ladies have a GREAT birthday today!
On another note, June 21st is also another anniversary of an event, though this time not in the birthday of a individual, but in the birth of a union between two people.
On June 21, 1975, my parents tied the knot! ;)
So, if you do the math, that puts today as their 30th wedding anniversary!
Let’s face it folks, a marriage lasting 30 years in today’s society is something to celebrate! Two adults, with four kids and not a lot of money, 30 years later are still waking up together—congratulations! Of course, you got to take into consideration who these kids are—some of the cream of the crop in my opinion, but still! HA! ;)
In the 23 years I’ve had to get to know this couple (HA…I say it like they are some strangers or something…HA!) I can honestly say they’re good parents who were dedicated to raising good children. If there is anything I’ve learned through growing up under my parents it was that you don’t have to have money to raise a good family.
My parents taught us kids to be grateful for what we have, to respect others, the importance of education, and to give our best in whatever we do in our life. They raised us in the Church of Christ and pushed us to continue our education in a Christian environment, even when they knew it would cause it’s strains on our family financially (however, had they not instilled in us the importance of education early on, we wouldn’t have gotten the scholarships that allowed us to be able to afford an education at ACU).
Overall, my parents have spent 24 years of their past 30 together raising children, and for that I’ve grateful. I don’t know, maybe having four kids can give two parents enough stuff to stay focused on that they are able to forget their own problems and it makes for a longer marriage, but the majority of me is saying that isn’t the case, I think it takes two highly dedicated individuals and loving people who know what they want in life!
Congrats to my folks on 30 years together!
From Linds...
( ) ever smoked marijuana
( ) made out with a member of the same sex
( ) crashed a friend's car
( ) stolen a car
( ) been to Japan
( ) played mailbox baseball
(×) ridden in a taxi
( ) been in love
( ) been dumped
(x) shoplifted
( ) been fired
( ) been in a fist fight
( ) kicked someone's butt
( ) snuck out of my parent's house
( ) ever had a crush on someone of the same sex
( ) ever dated someone of the same sex
(x) had feelings for someone who didn’t have them back
( ) been arrested
( ) made out with a stranger
(x) stole something from my job
( ) celebrated new years in time square
( x) gone on a blind date
(×) lied to a friend
( ) had a crush on a teacher
( ) celebrated mardi-gras in new orleans
( ) been to Europe
(×) skipped school
( ) slept with a co-worker
( ) been married
( ) gotten divorced
( ) had children
( ) seen someone die
( ) been to Africa
( ) had a crush on one of your myspace friends
( ) slapped someone I loved
(x) Driven over 400 miles to attend a show/festival/fetish ball--A GRADUATION IS A "SHOW" ;)
( ) Been to Canada
(×) Been to Mexico
(×) Been on a plane
( ) Seen the Rocky Horror Picture Show
( ) Thrown up in a bar
( ) Purposely set a part of myself on fire
(x) Eaten Sushi--DOES RAW OYSTERS COUNT?!?
( ) Been snowboarding
(x) Met someone in person from the internet
( ) Been moshing at a concert
( ) had real feelings for someone you knew only online
( ) been in an abusive relationship
( ) been pregnant or got someone pregnant
( ) lost a child
(×) gone to college
(x) graduated college
( ) tried killing yourself
( ) taken painkillers
(×) love someone or miss someone right now
(x) walked along train tracks like they were a tightrope
(x) laid on your back and watched cloud shapes go by
(x) made a snow angel
(x) had a tea party
(×) flown a kite
(×) built a sand castle
(×) gone puddle jumping
(×) played dress up
(×) jumped into a pile of leaves
(x) gone sledding
(x) cheated while playing a game
(×) been lonely
(x) fallen asleep at work/school
( ) climbed a volcano
( ) used a fake id
(×) gone ice skating
(×) watched the sun set
( ) felt an earthquake
(x) touched a snake
( ) slept beneath the stars
( ) ridden on a camel
( ) climbed a mountain
(×) played ‘clue’
(×) had sleepover
(×) been tickled
( ) seen a UFO
(×) told a lie
( ) been robbed
(×) been misunderstood
(×) been fishing
( ) snuck into a movie
( ) consulted a psychic
(x) petted a reindeer/goat
(x) won a contest
(×) been to a zoo
( ) seen your dad cry
(×) ran a red light
( ) been suspended from school
(×) been in a car accident
( ) had braces
( ) felt like an outcast
( ) eaten a whole pint of ice cream in one night
(x) had déjà vu
( ) touched a starfish
( ) danced in the moonlight
(×) hated the way you look
( ) jousted/sword fought/jedi light thingys
(×) witnessed a crime
( ) been spit on by a llama
( ) pole danced
(×) met anyone famous--I'M SURE I HAVE BUT CAN'T REMEMBER WHO IT WAS
(×) questioned your heart...
( ) been to the circus
(x) been to jail--ONLY ON A TOUR
(×) laughed during a sad scene in a movie/tv show
(×) played with an etch a sketch
( ) eaten caviar
(x) been obsessed with post-it notes
(x) hated your computer
(x) owned a pet
( ) made a banana-split
(x) squished barefoot through the mud
(×) been lost
( ) had a midnight picnic
( ) been to the opposite side of the country
(×) swam in the ocean--WITH A LIFEJACKET ON!! ;)
(×) felt like dying
(×) cried yourself to sleep
(×) laughed in the middle of church
( ) stepped on a nail so that it went into your foot
(x) made homemade ice cream
(×) actually enjoyed your classes
(×) used a magic 8 ball
(x) made a flower chain necklace or other type of jewelry
(×) played cops and robbers
( ) recently colored with crayons/colored pencils
(x) seen a moose up close
(x) sung karaoke
(x) paid for a meal with only coins
(×) done something you told yourself you would never do
(x) played air guitar
(×) tripped up the stairs
( ) had a crush on a family member
(x) made a mud pie
(×) made prank phone calls
( ) seen a broadway show on broadway
( ) laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
(x) caught a snowflake on your tongue
(x) danced in the rain
( ) written a letter to Santa Claus
( ) been kissed under a mistletoe
( ) watched the sun rise with someone you care about
(×) blown bubbles
( ) made a bonfire on the beach
( ) crashed a party
(x) gone rollerskating
(x) cut down a christmas tree
(x) had a wish come true
(x) worn pearls
( ) gotten anything from Tiffany’s (the jewelry store)
(×) seen the movie Titanic
( ) jumped off a bridge
(x) ate dog/cat food
( ) gone white water rafting
( ) told a complete stranger you loved them
( ) kissed a mirror
(×) sang in the shower
( ) have a little black dress
(×) had a dream that you married someone
( ) glued your hand to something
( ) got your tongue stuck to a flag pole
( ) died your hair a very unnatural color
( ) kissed a fish
( ) worn rose colored glasses..
(×) worn the opposite sexes clothes
( ) been a cheerleader
(×) sat on a roof top
(×) been in a play
(×) screamed at the top of your lungs
( ) tried to do water ballet
( ) done a one-handed cartwheel
( ) done the splits
(x) talked on the phone for more then 6 hours
( ) ate a jalapeño pepper right off the vine
( ) played bingo and won
(×) stayed up all night
( ) didn’t take a shower for a week
( ) picked wild flowers
(x) pick and ate an apple right off the tree
(×) Climbed a tree
( ) had a tree house
( ) picked a leaf off a tree but then felt bad so tried to glue it back on
( ) got caught sneaking out of your house
( ) gotten a ride home from a police officer
( ) had a crush on your friend’s mom/dad
( ) taken a shower for more then an hour -
( ) colored your hair with markers
( ) made out with your pillow
( ) been to Las Vegas
(x) been in a haunted house
( ) are scared to watch scary movies
( ) believe in ghosts
( ) have more then 20 pairs of shoes
( ) worn a really ugly outfit to school just to see what others say
(×) taken a quiz online that lied to you
( ) gone streaking
( ) played ding-dong-ditch
( ) played chicken
( ) pushed into a pool with all your clothes on
(x) been told your beautiful by a complete stranger
(×) had a scavenger hunt
( ) had a party at a hotel
(x) broken a bone
(×) been easily amused
( ) made something out of duct tape
(x) planted a flower
(×) gone to a birthday party and not given the person a present
( ) had more then 3 dates to a dance--NO, BUT MY BUDDY ARACELY HAS--LOOK ARACELY, YOU ARE NOW IN MY BLOG! ;)
( ) caught a fish then ate it
(×) had a bug fly into your mouth
(×) had a bubble bath with the works
(x) gone to a spa
( ) gotten a mist-a-tan
(x) caught a butterfly
(x) had an ant farm
(x) hugged a tree
( ) kissed a tree
(×) played on a slip-and-slide
( ) wrote a ransomed note
(×) threw-up at school
(×) had a paper war –
(×) made a paper airplane
( ) stepped on a piece of glass
(×) laughed so hard you cried
( ) cried so hard you laughed
( x) mooned/flashed someone
(×) had someone moon/flash you
(x) cheated on a test
(x) have a Brittney Spears CD
(×) forgotten someone’s name
( ) French braided someone’s hair
( ) made out with a member of the same sex
( ) crashed a friend's car
( ) stolen a car
( ) been to Japan
( ) played mailbox baseball
(×) ridden in a taxi
( ) been in love
( ) been dumped
(x) shoplifted
( ) been fired
( ) been in a fist fight
( ) kicked someone's butt
( ) snuck out of my parent's house
( ) ever had a crush on someone of the same sex
( ) ever dated someone of the same sex
(x) had feelings for someone who didn’t have them back
( ) been arrested
( ) made out with a stranger
(x) stole something from my job
( ) celebrated new years in time square
( x) gone on a blind date
(×) lied to a friend
( ) had a crush on a teacher
( ) celebrated mardi-gras in new orleans
( ) been to Europe
(×) skipped school
( ) slept with a co-worker
( ) been married
( ) gotten divorced
( ) had children
( ) seen someone die
( ) been to Africa
( ) had a crush on one of your myspace friends
( ) slapped someone I loved
(x) Driven over 400 miles to attend a show/festival/fetish ball--A GRADUATION IS A "SHOW" ;)
( ) Been to Canada
(×) Been to Mexico
(×) Been on a plane
( ) Seen the Rocky Horror Picture Show
( ) Thrown up in a bar
( ) Purposely set a part of myself on fire
(x) Eaten Sushi--DOES RAW OYSTERS COUNT?!?
( ) Been snowboarding
(x) Met someone in person from the internet
( ) Been moshing at a concert
( ) had real feelings for someone you knew only online
( ) been in an abusive relationship
( ) been pregnant or got someone pregnant
( ) lost a child
(×) gone to college
(x) graduated college
( ) tried killing yourself
( ) taken painkillers
(×) love someone or miss someone right now
(x) walked along train tracks like they were a tightrope
(x) laid on your back and watched cloud shapes go by
(x) made a snow angel
(x) had a tea party
(×) flown a kite
(×) built a sand castle
(×) gone puddle jumping
(×) played dress up
(×) jumped into a pile of leaves
(x) gone sledding
(x) cheated while playing a game
(×) been lonely
(x) fallen asleep at work/school
( ) climbed a volcano
( ) used a fake id
(×) gone ice skating
(×) watched the sun set
( ) felt an earthquake
(x) touched a snake
( ) slept beneath the stars
( ) ridden on a camel
( ) climbed a mountain
(×) played ‘clue’
(×) had sleepover
(×) been tickled
( ) seen a UFO
(×) told a lie
( ) been robbed
(×) been misunderstood
(×) been fishing
( ) snuck into a movie
( ) consulted a psychic
(x) petted a reindeer/goat
(x) won a contest
(×) been to a zoo
( ) seen your dad cry
(×) ran a red light
( ) been suspended from school
(×) been in a car accident
( ) had braces
( ) felt like an outcast
( ) eaten a whole pint of ice cream in one night
(x) had déjà vu
( ) touched a starfish
( ) danced in the moonlight
(×) hated the way you look
( ) jousted/sword fought/jedi light thingys
(×) witnessed a crime
( ) been spit on by a llama
( ) pole danced
(×) met anyone famous--I'M SURE I HAVE BUT CAN'T REMEMBER WHO IT WAS
(×) questioned your heart...
( ) been to the circus
(x) been to jail--ONLY ON A TOUR
(×) laughed during a sad scene in a movie/tv show
(×) played with an etch a sketch
( ) eaten caviar
(x) been obsessed with post-it notes
(x) hated your computer
(x) owned a pet
( ) made a banana-split
(x) squished barefoot through the mud
(×) been lost
( ) had a midnight picnic
( ) been to the opposite side of the country
(×) swam in the ocean--WITH A LIFEJACKET ON!! ;)
(×) felt like dying
(×) cried yourself to sleep
(×) laughed in the middle of church
( ) stepped on a nail so that it went into your foot
(x) made homemade ice cream
(×) actually enjoyed your classes
(×) used a magic 8 ball
(x) made a flower chain necklace or other type of jewelry
(×) played cops and robbers
( ) recently colored with crayons/colored pencils
(x) seen a moose up close
(x) sung karaoke
(x) paid for a meal with only coins
(×) done something you told yourself you would never do
(x) played air guitar
(×) tripped up the stairs
( ) had a crush on a family member
(x) made a mud pie
(×) made prank phone calls
( ) seen a broadway show on broadway
( ) laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
(x) caught a snowflake on your tongue
(x) danced in the rain
( ) written a letter to Santa Claus
( ) been kissed under a mistletoe
( ) watched the sun rise with someone you care about
(×) blown bubbles
( ) made a bonfire on the beach
( ) crashed a party
(x) gone rollerskating
(x) cut down a christmas tree
(x) had a wish come true
(x) worn pearls
( ) gotten anything from Tiffany’s (the jewelry store)
(×) seen the movie Titanic
( ) jumped off a bridge
(x) ate dog/cat food
( ) gone white water rafting
( ) told a complete stranger you loved them
( ) kissed a mirror
(×) sang in the shower
( ) have a little black dress
(×) had a dream that you married someone
( ) glued your hand to something
( ) got your tongue stuck to a flag pole
( ) died your hair a very unnatural color
( ) kissed a fish
( ) worn rose colored glasses..
(×) worn the opposite sexes clothes
( ) been a cheerleader
(×) sat on a roof top
(×) been in a play
(×) screamed at the top of your lungs
( ) tried to do water ballet
( ) done a one-handed cartwheel
( ) done the splits
(x) talked on the phone for more then 6 hours
( ) ate a jalapeño pepper right off the vine
( ) played bingo and won
(×) stayed up all night
( ) didn’t take a shower for a week
( ) picked wild flowers
(x) pick and ate an apple right off the tree
(×) Climbed a tree
( ) had a tree house
( ) picked a leaf off a tree but then felt bad so tried to glue it back on
( ) got caught sneaking out of your house
( ) gotten a ride home from a police officer
( ) had a crush on your friend’s mom/dad
( ) taken a shower for more then an hour -
( ) colored your hair with markers
( ) made out with your pillow
( ) been to Las Vegas
(x) been in a haunted house
( ) are scared to watch scary movies
( ) believe in ghosts
( ) have more then 20 pairs of shoes
( ) worn a really ugly outfit to school just to see what others say
(×) taken a quiz online that lied to you
( ) gone streaking
( ) played ding-dong-ditch
( ) played chicken
( ) pushed into a pool with all your clothes on
(x) been told your beautiful by a complete stranger
(×) had a scavenger hunt
( ) had a party at a hotel
(x) broken a bone
(×) been easily amused
( ) made something out of duct tape
(x) planted a flower
(×) gone to a birthday party and not given the person a present
( ) had more then 3 dates to a dance--NO, BUT MY BUDDY ARACELY HAS--LOOK ARACELY, YOU ARE NOW IN MY BLOG! ;)
( ) caught a fish then ate it
(×) had a bug fly into your mouth
(×) had a bubble bath with the works
(x) gone to a spa
( ) gotten a mist-a-tan
(x) caught a butterfly
(x) had an ant farm
(x) hugged a tree
( ) kissed a tree
(×) played on a slip-and-slide
( ) wrote a ransomed note
(×) threw-up at school
(×) had a paper war –
(×) made a paper airplane
( ) stepped on a piece of glass
(×) laughed so hard you cried
( ) cried so hard you laughed
( x) mooned/flashed someone
(×) had someone moon/flash you
(x) cheated on a test
(x) have a Brittney Spears CD
(×) forgotten someone’s name
( ) French braided someone’s hair
Monday, June 20, 2005
Monday's Blog!
[Give this picture it's best caption! Either come up with a unique/fun caption for this picture or tell what you think is going on in the picture! Tomorrow I'll pick the best response! LEAVE A COMMENT (anyone can leave a comment, you don't have to have a blog)! I don't care if you're someone I don't know, someone I do know, or someone I'm not suppose to know that reads my blog all the time (secretly of course...HA!) Have fun!]
Sunday, June 19, 2005
Theology Quiz
Everybody seems to be taking this quiz, so I did it too....but I'll be honest, I didn't understand half the statements on the quiz and then the other half I was like, well I don't really agree or disagree with this statement...HA! So as for these results...who knows...
Also, for my buddy Misty, see, maybe Mass isn't for me....do you see that score?!?! HA!
Also, for my buddy Misty, see, maybe Mass isn't for me....do you see that score?!?! HA!
What's your theological worldview? created with QuizFarm.com |
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
“What Social Workers Make”…and the added bonus of “What Teachers Make”…
On May 15 the Mandel School heard a very good commencement speech by Regina Brett, a columnist with the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Ms. Brett was invited to address the graduates because of her published record of involvement in social welfare issues in Cleveland. We anticipated that she would have a message that would be both entertaining and inspirational for our graduates and their guests. We were not disappointed.Because of the very positive response that Ms. Brett received at the commencement ceremony, she wrote a column that appeared in the May 17 edition of the Plain Dealer that contains much of her original presentation.
----------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Regina Brett
Plain Dealer Columnist
"Sally Social Worker"
I've been called that for writing "bleeding heart" columns. After looking into the eyes of a sea of social workers on Sunday, I'll never take that as an insult. When the folks at The Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University asked me to speak at Sunday's commencement, I wasn't sure what to say. I asked my friends who are social workers. They told me to be funny. Social workers could use a good laugh. Tell jokes, they said.
Jokes? I don't know any jokes about social work, except the ones my friends send me:
How many social workers does it take to change a light bulb?
None. They empower the bulb to change itself.
How many social workers does it take to change a light bulb?
None. The bulb isn't burned out, it's just differently lit.
How many social workers does it take to change a light bulb?
None. They set up a team to write a paper on coping with darkness.
And my favorite, How many social workers does it take to change a light bulb?
The light bulb doesn't need changing, it's the system that needs to change.
Actually, my friends probably got those jokes from the same Web sites where I found this:
A mugger with a gun confronts a social worker. The mugger yells, "Your money or your life!" "I'm sorry," the social worker answers, "I'm a social worker, so I have no money . . . and no life."
Social workers, like most teachers, don't make much. Or do they?
I recently read a powerful e-mail about what teachers make by the poet and comic Taylor Mali. It inspired me to rethink what social workers make.
What do they make?
They make an infertile couple celebrate a lifetime of Mother's Days and Father's Days by helping them adopt a crack baby no one else wanted.
They make a child fall asleep every night without fear of his father's fists.
They make a homeless veteran feel at home in the world.
They make a teenager decide to stop cutting herself.
They make a beaten woman find the courage to leave her abuser for good.
They make a boy with Down syndrome feel like the smartest kid on the bus.
What do they make?
They make a 10-year-old believe that he is loved and wanted, regardless of how long he lasts in the next foster home.
They make a teen father count to 10 and leave the room so he won't shake his newborn son. They make a man with schizophrenia see past his demons.
They make a rape victim talk about it for the first time in years.
They make an ex-convict put down the bottle and hold down a job.
What do they make?
They make a couple communicate so well they decide not to get divorced.
They make a dying cancer patient make peace with her past, with her brief future, with her God.
They make the old man whose wife has Alzheimer's cherish the good times, when she still remembered him.
They make forgotten people feel cherished, ugly people feel beautiful, confused people feel understood, broken people feel whole.
What do they make?
They make more than most people will ever make.
They make a difference.
----------------------------------
Here is the piece by Taylor Mali which inspired Ms. Brett’s speech:
What Teachers Make,
orYou can always go to law school if things don't work out
By Taylor Mali
He says the problem with teachers is, "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?"
He reminds the other dinner guests that it's true what they say about teachers:
Those who can, do; those who can't, teach.
I decide to bite my tongue instead of his and resist the temptation to remind the dinner guests that it's also true what they say about lawyers. Because we're eating, after all, and this is polite company.
"I mean, you're a teacher, Taylor," he says.
"Be honest. What do you make?"
And I wish he hadn't done that (asked me to be honest) because, you see, I have a policy about honesty and ass-kicking: if you ask for it, I have to let you have it.
You want to know what I make?
I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.
I can make a C+ feel like a Congressional medal of honor
and an A- feel like a slap in the face.
How dare you waste my time with anything less than your very best.
I make kids sit through 40 minutes of study hall
in absolute silence. No, you may not work in groups.
No, you may not ask a question.
Why won't I let you get a drink of water?
Because you're not thirsty, you're bored, that's why.
I make parents tremble in fear when I call home:
I hope I haven't called at a bad time,
I just wanted to talk to you about something Billy said today.
Billy said, "Leave the kid alone. I still cry sometimes, don't you?"
And it was the noblest act of courage I have ever seen.
I make parents see their children for who they are and what they can be.
You want to know what I make?
I make kids wonder,
I make them question.
I make them criticize.
I make them apologize and mean it.
I make them write.
I make them read, read, read.
I make them spell definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful over and over and over again until they will never misspell either one of those words again.
I make them show all their work in math.
And hide it on their final drafts in English.
I make them understand that if you got this (brains) then you follow this (heart) and if someone ever tries to judge you by what you make, you give them this (the finger).
----------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Regina Brett
Plain Dealer Columnist
"Sally Social Worker"
I've been called that for writing "bleeding heart" columns. After looking into the eyes of a sea of social workers on Sunday, I'll never take that as an insult. When the folks at The Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University asked me to speak at Sunday's commencement, I wasn't sure what to say. I asked my friends who are social workers. They told me to be funny. Social workers could use a good laugh. Tell jokes, they said.
Jokes? I don't know any jokes about social work, except the ones my friends send me:
How many social workers does it take to change a light bulb?
None. They empower the bulb to change itself.
How many social workers does it take to change a light bulb?
None. The bulb isn't burned out, it's just differently lit.
How many social workers does it take to change a light bulb?
None. They set up a team to write a paper on coping with darkness.
And my favorite, How many social workers does it take to change a light bulb?
The light bulb doesn't need changing, it's the system that needs to change.
Actually, my friends probably got those jokes from the same Web sites where I found this:
A mugger with a gun confronts a social worker. The mugger yells, "Your money or your life!" "I'm sorry," the social worker answers, "I'm a social worker, so I have no money . . . and no life."
Social workers, like most teachers, don't make much. Or do they?
I recently read a powerful e-mail about what teachers make by the poet and comic Taylor Mali. It inspired me to rethink what social workers make.
What do they make?
They make an infertile couple celebrate a lifetime of Mother's Days and Father's Days by helping them adopt a crack baby no one else wanted.
They make a child fall asleep every night without fear of his father's fists.
They make a homeless veteran feel at home in the world.
They make a teenager decide to stop cutting herself.
They make a beaten woman find the courage to leave her abuser for good.
They make a boy with Down syndrome feel like the smartest kid on the bus.
What do they make?
They make a 10-year-old believe that he is loved and wanted, regardless of how long he lasts in the next foster home.
They make a teen father count to 10 and leave the room so he won't shake his newborn son. They make a man with schizophrenia see past his demons.
They make a rape victim talk about it for the first time in years.
They make an ex-convict put down the bottle and hold down a job.
What do they make?
They make a couple communicate so well they decide not to get divorced.
They make a dying cancer patient make peace with her past, with her brief future, with her God.
They make the old man whose wife has Alzheimer's cherish the good times, when she still remembered him.
They make forgotten people feel cherished, ugly people feel beautiful, confused people feel understood, broken people feel whole.
What do they make?
They make more than most people will ever make.
They make a difference.
----------------------------------
Here is the piece by Taylor Mali which inspired Ms. Brett’s speech:
What Teachers Make,
orYou can always go to law school if things don't work out
By Taylor Mali
He says the problem with teachers is, "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?"
He reminds the other dinner guests that it's true what they say about teachers:
Those who can, do; those who can't, teach.
I decide to bite my tongue instead of his and resist the temptation to remind the dinner guests that it's also true what they say about lawyers. Because we're eating, after all, and this is polite company.
"I mean, you're a teacher, Taylor," he says.
"Be honest. What do you make?"
And I wish he hadn't done that (asked me to be honest) because, you see, I have a policy about honesty and ass-kicking: if you ask for it, I have to let you have it.
You want to know what I make?
I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.
I can make a C+ feel like a Congressional medal of honor
and an A- feel like a slap in the face.
How dare you waste my time with anything less than your very best.
I make kids sit through 40 minutes of study hall
in absolute silence. No, you may not work in groups.
No, you may not ask a question.
Why won't I let you get a drink of water?
Because you're not thirsty, you're bored, that's why.
I make parents tremble in fear when I call home:
I hope I haven't called at a bad time,
I just wanted to talk to you about something Billy said today.
Billy said, "Leave the kid alone. I still cry sometimes, don't you?"
And it was the noblest act of courage I have ever seen.
I make parents see their children for who they are and what they can be.
You want to know what I make?
I make kids wonder,
I make them question.
I make them criticize.
I make them apologize and mean it.
I make them write.
I make them read, read, read.
I make them spell definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful over and over and over again until they will never misspell either one of those words again.
I make them show all their work in math.
And hide it on their final drafts in English.
I make them understand that if you got this (brains) then you follow this (heart) and if someone ever tries to judge you by what you make, you give them this (the finger).
Got This One From Klick!
( ) been in love
( ) been dumped
(X) shoplifted
( ) been in a fist fight
(X) made out in a car-DOES AN RV MOTOR HOME COUNT?!?!
( ) snuck out of my parent's house
( ) made out with a member of the same sex
(X) had feelings for someone who didn't have them back
( ) been arrested
(X) lied to a friend
( ) had a crush on a teacher
(X) skipped school-ONLY IN COLLEGE
( ) had a friend go out with your old boyfriend/girlfriend
( ) seen someone die
( ) been to Canada
(X) been to Mexico-CABO SAN LUCAS
(X) been on a plane
( ) thrown up in a bar
( ) purposely set a part of myself on fire
( ) eaten Sushi
( ) been snowboarding
( ) been in an abusive relationship
(X) love someone or miss someone right now
(X) laid on your back and watched clouds go by-I THINK MAYBE A LONG TIME AGO
(X) made a snow angel
(??) had a tea party-I CAN’T REMEMBER ON THIS ONE
(X) flown a kite
(X) built a sand castle
(X) gone puddle jumping
(X) played dress up
(X) jumped into a pile of leaves
(X) gone sledding
(X) cheated while playing a game
(X) fallen asleep at work/school
( ) used a fake id
(X) watched the sun set
( ) felt an earthquake
(X) touched a snake
(X) slept beneath the stars
( ) been robbed
(X) been misunderstood
(X) petted a goat
(X) won a contest
(X) run a red light-TOTALLY DEPENDS ON THE DEFINTION, MY CAR WASN’T COMPLETELY THROUGH ONCE IT HIT RED, SO YES
( ) been suspended from school
(X) been in a car accident
( ) had braces
( ) felt like an outcast
( ) danced in the moonlight
(X) hated the way you look
(X) witnessed a crime
( ) pole danced
(X) questioned your heart
(X) been obsessed with post-it notes
(X) squished barefoot through the mud
(X) been lost-I SUPPOSE, BUT IT NEVER LASTS VERY LONG
( ) been to the opposite side of the country
(X) cried yourself to sleep
(X) played cops and robbers
( ) recently colored with crayons/colored pencils/markers
(X) sung karaoke
(X) paid for a meal with only coins
(X) done something you told yourself you wouldn't
(X) made prank phone calls
( ) laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
(X) caught a snowflake on your tongue
(X) danced in the rain
(???) written a letter to Santa Claus-I DON’T REMEMBER ON THIS ONE EITHER
(---) been kissed under a mistletoe-BEEN UNDER MISTLETOE WITH SOMEONE I WANTED TO KISS, BUT NO KISSING WENT ON! ;)
( ) watched the sun rise with someone you care about
(X) blown bubbles
( ) made a bonfire on the beach
(X) had a wish come true
( ) humped a monkey
( ) screamed penis in class
(X) ate dog/cat food
( ) told a complete stranger you loved them
( ) kissed a mirror
(X) sang in the shower
(???) had a little black dress-I DON’T REMEMBER ON THIS ONE EITHER
(X) had a dream that you married someone
( ) glued your hand to something
( ) got your tongue stuck to a freezer door
( ) kissed a fish
(X) worn the opposite sex's clothes
( ) been a cheerleader
(X) sat on a roof top
(X) screamed at the top of your lungs
( ) done a one-handed cartwheel
(X) stayed up all night
( ) didn't take a shower for a week
(X) picked and ate an apple right off the tree
(X) climbed a tree
( ) had a tree house
( ) believe in ghosts
( ) have more than 30 pairs of shoes
( ) worn a really ugly outfit to school just to see what others say
( ) gone streaking
( ) pushed into a pool with all your clothes on
(X) been told you're hot by a complete stranger
(X) broken a bone
(X) been easily amused
( ) caught a fish then ate it
(X) caught a butterfly
(X) laughed so hard you cried
( ) cried so hard you laughed
( ) flashed someone
(X) had someone moon/flash you
(X) cheated on a test
(X) forgotten someone's name
( ) slept naked
( ) French braided someone's hair
( ) gone skinny dipping
( ) cried because of a song
(X) realized how lucky you are
(X) said yes before you knew what the favor was
( ) done an "attitude walk" in a public place
( ) wrote and performed a rap for a friend
(X) kissed someone
(X) French kissed someone
(???) gave a random person something just because u didn't want to carry it home-ONCE AGAIN, NOT SURE ON THIS ONE
( ) been dumped
(X) shoplifted
( ) been in a fist fight
(X) made out in a car-DOES AN RV MOTOR HOME COUNT?!?!
( ) snuck out of my parent's house
( ) made out with a member of the same sex
(X) had feelings for someone who didn't have them back
( ) been arrested
(X) lied to a friend
( ) had a crush on a teacher
(X) skipped school-ONLY IN COLLEGE
( ) had a friend go out with your old boyfriend/girlfriend
( ) seen someone die
( ) been to Canada
(X) been to Mexico-CABO SAN LUCAS
(X) been on a plane
( ) thrown up in a bar
( ) purposely set a part of myself on fire
( ) eaten Sushi
( ) been snowboarding
( ) been in an abusive relationship
(X) love someone or miss someone right now
(X) laid on your back and watched clouds go by-I THINK MAYBE A LONG TIME AGO
(X) made a snow angel
(??) had a tea party-I CAN’T REMEMBER ON THIS ONE
(X) flown a kite
(X) built a sand castle
(X) gone puddle jumping
(X) played dress up
(X) jumped into a pile of leaves
(X) gone sledding
(X) cheated while playing a game
(X) fallen asleep at work/school
( ) used a fake id
(X) watched the sun set
( ) felt an earthquake
(X) touched a snake
(X) slept beneath the stars
( ) been robbed
(X) been misunderstood
(X) petted a goat
(X) won a contest
(X) run a red light-TOTALLY DEPENDS ON THE DEFINTION, MY CAR WASN’T COMPLETELY THROUGH ONCE IT HIT RED, SO YES
( ) been suspended from school
(X) been in a car accident
( ) had braces
( ) felt like an outcast
( ) danced in the moonlight
(X) hated the way you look
(X) witnessed a crime
( ) pole danced
(X) questioned your heart
(X) been obsessed with post-it notes
(X) squished barefoot through the mud
(X) been lost-I SUPPOSE, BUT IT NEVER LASTS VERY LONG
( ) been to the opposite side of the country
(X) cried yourself to sleep
(X) played cops and robbers
( ) recently colored with crayons/colored pencils/markers
(X) sung karaoke
(X) paid for a meal with only coins
(X) done something you told yourself you wouldn't
(X) made prank phone calls
( ) laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
(X) caught a snowflake on your tongue
(X) danced in the rain
(???) written a letter to Santa Claus-I DON’T REMEMBER ON THIS ONE EITHER
(---) been kissed under a mistletoe-BEEN UNDER MISTLETOE WITH SOMEONE I WANTED TO KISS, BUT NO KISSING WENT ON! ;)
( ) watched the sun rise with someone you care about
(X) blown bubbles
( ) made a bonfire on the beach
(X) had a wish come true
( ) humped a monkey
( ) screamed penis in class
(X) ate dog/cat food
( ) told a complete stranger you loved them
( ) kissed a mirror
(X) sang in the shower
(???) had a little black dress-I DON’T REMEMBER ON THIS ONE EITHER
(X) had a dream that you married someone
( ) glued your hand to something
( ) got your tongue stuck to a freezer door
( ) kissed a fish
(X) worn the opposite sex's clothes
( ) been a cheerleader
(X) sat on a roof top
(X) screamed at the top of your lungs
( ) done a one-handed cartwheel
(X) stayed up all night
( ) didn't take a shower for a week
(X) picked and ate an apple right off the tree
(X) climbed a tree
( ) had a tree house
( ) believe in ghosts
( ) have more than 30 pairs of shoes
( ) worn a really ugly outfit to school just to see what others say
( ) gone streaking
( ) pushed into a pool with all your clothes on
(X) been told you're hot by a complete stranger
(X) broken a bone
(X) been easily amused
( ) caught a fish then ate it
(X) caught a butterfly
(X) laughed so hard you cried
( ) cried so hard you laughed
( ) flashed someone
(X) had someone moon/flash you
(X) cheated on a test
(X) forgotten someone's name
( ) slept naked
( ) French braided someone's hair
( ) gone skinny dipping
( ) cried because of a song
(X) realized how lucky you are
(X) said yes before you knew what the favor was
( ) done an "attitude walk" in a public place
( ) wrote and performed a rap for a friend
(X) kissed someone
(X) French kissed someone
(???) gave a random person something just because u didn't want to carry it home-ONCE AGAIN, NOT SURE ON THIS ONE
Monday, June 13, 2005
Monday's Picture!
[Give this picture it's best caption! Either come up with a unique/fun caption for this picture or tell what you think is going on in the picture! Tomorrow I'll pick the best response! LEAVE A COMMENT (anyone can leave a comment, you don't have to have a blog)! I don't care if you're someone I don't know, someone I do know, or someone I'm not suppose to know that reads my blog all the time (secretly of course...HA!) Have fun!]
Sunday, June 12, 2005
100 Things About Me
OK – This think looks DAUNTING to fill out, but it really isn’t that bad if you just start going…I LOVED filling it out, and I can see myself doing another one of them again soon! Just let your mind wonder throughout your past and just start writing down things that come to your mind! It’s really pretty cool to see how quickly you can come up with 100 things! So here goes:
100 Things About Me
1. I was born in Springfield, Missouri
2. I have 1 younger brother
3. I have 1 younger sister
4. I have 1 older brother
5. I was raised in the Church of Christ
6. I moved to St. Louis during the summer before my 3rd grade year of school
7. I was awarded the girl’s award for class clown in my 5th grade class
8. I used to collect pencil lead in elementary school
9. Everyone in my class (even some other classes) including my teachers would give me their broken off pieces of pencil lead
10. I never met my maternal grandpa
11. My maternal grandma died in 1997 of Alzheimer’s
12. I love tuna
13. The only time I had my own bedroom when living at home was my senior year of high school (because I took my older brother’s room when he moved out for college!)
14. I didn’t get my own car till I was 22
15. My first car is a 2000 Toyota Camry
16. I played basketball, T-Ball, and soccer all on teams when I was a little kiddo
17. I LOVE to play soccer, though it isn’t as big in Texas as it was in St. Louis
18. I used to play all kinds of sports in the neighborhood with the boys—soccer, basketball, and roller-hockey
19. I was the only girl that got to play with the boys (or that maybe wanted too…HA!)
20. I did NOT want to go to ACU
21. I wanted to go to Southwest Missouri State University (SMSU)
22. I had applied to like 9 or 12 universities (I can’t remember the exact number) for undergraduate and was accepted to all of them
23. I was a psychology major in my undergraduate work
24. I was a criminal justice minor
25. I played basketball for my high school all 4 years
26. I was the best free-throw shooter on our team
27. At my senior year basketball banquet my coach described me as “Rudy” from the movie Rudy
28. My best friends on the basketball team were all my black teammates
29. I was the National Honor Society’s secretary my senior year in high school
30. I have never used any illegal drugs
31. I have never been a smoker
32. I tried my first cigarette during the summer of 2001 or 2002 (I can’t remember) but it just never was for me
33. I’ve never taken a shot of alcohol before
34. I don’t plan to ever take a shot
35. I think shots are solely for the purpose to get drunk…not for me
36. I was the only kid in the 3rd grade in my school’s gifted program
37. In fourth grade two more 4th graders joined me
38. I love math
39. I got either a 31 or 32 on my math section of the ACT in high school
40. However, my overall ACT score was a 26
41. I did VERY poorly on the reading section of the ACT
42. I’ve always been a bad test taker, especially on standardized tests
43. I went to prom solo
44. However, I rode to prom in a limo with another of my friends who didn’t have a date and another of our friends and her date
45. I found the guy I “kinda asked” to prom on facebook a few weeks ago and I thought about messaging him to see what he is up to, but I haven’t
46. I had to get glasses so I could see during my 3rd grade year of school
47. I have only been in one wreck while driving
48. The wreck wasn’t my fault; I got rear-ended, but it wasn’t that bad luckily
49. The wreck was on New Year’s Eve around like 5 PM
50. I was in my dad’s truck and I went home and cried to my dad because I didn’t think he was going to let me go to my church youth groups New Year’s Eve party because of it
51. My maternal grandpa died in a pretty gross way
52. I have never been baptized
53. I applied to three schools for graduate school
54. I got into one, got to the waiting list on another one, and didn’t get into the third because of too low of a GRE test score
55. I had a pet fish in my dorm room my sophomore year though we weren’t supposed too
56. That fish ended up dying and I think it was from overheating (maybe the water got too hot! HA!)
57. I have had a best friend named Laura in three areas of my live: at my church back at home, at my high school, and at my undergraduate school
58. I’ve only broke one bone in my life—my collarbone
59. It was on my 2nd birthday…I rolled off a bed
60. I had lived in 7 different houses before I moved out of the house for college
61. I’ve grown up poor
62. I know what it’s like to have utilities turned off
63. I bought my first DVD player about two months ago
64. During the summer following my senior year of high school I wrote a 10-page hand-written letter to the “boyfriend” of my best friend in high school (though she was from my church) because he was being a JERK to her
65. He wrote me back and apologized for being a jerk and admitted to being intimidated by me…HA!
66. I still have copies of both those letters and I just reread them about a month ago
67. That best friend and that “boyfriend” are getting married this August
68. I'm afraid of heights
69. I've only flown in a plane once
70. But I’ll fly for my second time going to the same place in less than two weeks
71. I can never remember how to spell the word “guaranteed” (thank goodness for spell check on this thing!)
72. Lately I’ve noticed I’m not the only person that has this problem though…HA!
73. I can’t stand it when people refer to other people as “trash”
74. Especially because it is short for “trailer trash”…and that makes me even madder
75. I love really greasy and VERY cheesy pepperoni pizza!
76. I prefer thick crust pizza
77. I’ve thought a lot lately and I think if I have cancer I’d rather not know about it and just let it kill me in it’s own time
78. I used to have an anxiety problem of riding in cars with a lot of people
79. I LOVE to crank my music in my car and sing at the top of my lungs
80. I would be a PERFECT candidate for that show on MTV (or is it VH1…I don’t know what channel) but I think it is called “Motor-Mouth” or something like that
81. I don’t go to a lot of people for advice
82. I don’t know how to swim
83. I own 8 DVDs: “Life as a House”; “Signs”; “Blue Collar Comedy Tour”; two Michael Jackson ones; ACU Sing Song 2004; GATA fall semester 2003; ACU senior dinner 2004
84. I have a secret desire to be a magazine columnist (I think that is what they are called…HA!)
85. I got SUPER badly sunburned the weekend of Easter my freshman year at ACU…I probably should have went to the hospital…HA!
86. I went to class that next week with cold wet wash clothes wrapped around my calves and ankles under my wind-pants…HA!
87. I've been to Mexico once
88. I've never been outside the U.S. except for Mexico
89. I want to get married one day
90. I want to have two kids
91. Preferably either two boys or a boy THEN a girl
92. I would LOVE to have twins (especially if at least one of them is a boy)
93. I am the shortest person in my immediate family now (my younger brother has passed me up over the past year or two)
94. I was voted "Club Clown” two years in a row in my social club in college
95. I think almost everything we do in life is done out of selfish reasons (though a lot of the times I think they are unconsciously selfish motives)
96. I LOVE roller-blading and ice skating
97. I got to be a great roller-blader from playing roller hockey when I was real young
98. I love to laugh
99. I have 48 different blogs marked as “Favorites” in my internet browser
100. I really enjoyed filling this out!
100 Things About Me
1. I was born in Springfield, Missouri
2. I have 1 younger brother
3. I have 1 younger sister
4. I have 1 older brother
5. I was raised in the Church of Christ
6. I moved to St. Louis during the summer before my 3rd grade year of school
7. I was awarded the girl’s award for class clown in my 5th grade class
8. I used to collect pencil lead in elementary school
9. Everyone in my class (even some other classes) including my teachers would give me their broken off pieces of pencil lead
10. I never met my maternal grandpa
11. My maternal grandma died in 1997 of Alzheimer’s
12. I love tuna
13. The only time I had my own bedroom when living at home was my senior year of high school (because I took my older brother’s room when he moved out for college!)
14. I didn’t get my own car till I was 22
15. My first car is a 2000 Toyota Camry
16. I played basketball, T-Ball, and soccer all on teams when I was a little kiddo
17. I LOVE to play soccer, though it isn’t as big in Texas as it was in St. Louis
18. I used to play all kinds of sports in the neighborhood with the boys—soccer, basketball, and roller-hockey
19. I was the only girl that got to play with the boys (or that maybe wanted too…HA!)
20. I did NOT want to go to ACU
21. I wanted to go to Southwest Missouri State University (SMSU)
22. I had applied to like 9 or 12 universities (I can’t remember the exact number) for undergraduate and was accepted to all of them
23. I was a psychology major in my undergraduate work
24. I was a criminal justice minor
25. I played basketball for my high school all 4 years
26. I was the best free-throw shooter on our team
27. At my senior year basketball banquet my coach described me as “Rudy” from the movie Rudy
28. My best friends on the basketball team were all my black teammates
29. I was the National Honor Society’s secretary my senior year in high school
30. I have never used any illegal drugs
31. I have never been a smoker
32. I tried my first cigarette during the summer of 2001 or 2002 (I can’t remember) but it just never was for me
33. I’ve never taken a shot of alcohol before
34. I don’t plan to ever take a shot
35. I think shots are solely for the purpose to get drunk…not for me
36. I was the only kid in the 3rd grade in my school’s gifted program
37. In fourth grade two more 4th graders joined me
38. I love math
39. I got either a 31 or 32 on my math section of the ACT in high school
40. However, my overall ACT score was a 26
41. I did VERY poorly on the reading section of the ACT
42. I’ve always been a bad test taker, especially on standardized tests
43. I went to prom solo
44. However, I rode to prom in a limo with another of my friends who didn’t have a date and another of our friends and her date
45. I found the guy I “kinda asked” to prom on facebook a few weeks ago and I thought about messaging him to see what he is up to, but I haven’t
46. I had to get glasses so I could see during my 3rd grade year of school
47. I have only been in one wreck while driving
48. The wreck wasn’t my fault; I got rear-ended, but it wasn’t that bad luckily
49. The wreck was on New Year’s Eve around like 5 PM
50. I was in my dad’s truck and I went home and cried to my dad because I didn’t think he was going to let me go to my church youth groups New Year’s Eve party because of it
51. My maternal grandpa died in a pretty gross way
52. I have never been baptized
53. I applied to three schools for graduate school
54. I got into one, got to the waiting list on another one, and didn’t get into the third because of too low of a GRE test score
55. I had a pet fish in my dorm room my sophomore year though we weren’t supposed too
56. That fish ended up dying and I think it was from overheating (maybe the water got too hot! HA!)
57. I have had a best friend named Laura in three areas of my live: at my church back at home, at my high school, and at my undergraduate school
58. I’ve only broke one bone in my life—my collarbone
59. It was on my 2nd birthday…I rolled off a bed
60. I had lived in 7 different houses before I moved out of the house for college
61. I’ve grown up poor
62. I know what it’s like to have utilities turned off
63. I bought my first DVD player about two months ago
64. During the summer following my senior year of high school I wrote a 10-page hand-written letter to the “boyfriend” of my best friend in high school (though she was from my church) because he was being a JERK to her
65. He wrote me back and apologized for being a jerk and admitted to being intimidated by me…HA!
66. I still have copies of both those letters and I just reread them about a month ago
67. That best friend and that “boyfriend” are getting married this August
68. I'm afraid of heights
69. I've only flown in a plane once
70. But I’ll fly for my second time going to the same place in less than two weeks
71. I can never remember how to spell the word “guaranteed” (thank goodness for spell check on this thing!)
72. Lately I’ve noticed I’m not the only person that has this problem though…HA!
73. I can’t stand it when people refer to other people as “trash”
74. Especially because it is short for “trailer trash”…and that makes me even madder
75. I love really greasy and VERY cheesy pepperoni pizza!
76. I prefer thick crust pizza
77. I’ve thought a lot lately and I think if I have cancer I’d rather not know about it and just let it kill me in it’s own time
78. I used to have an anxiety problem of riding in cars with a lot of people
79. I LOVE to crank my music in my car and sing at the top of my lungs
80. I would be a PERFECT candidate for that show on MTV (or is it VH1…I don’t know what channel) but I think it is called “Motor-Mouth” or something like that
81. I don’t go to a lot of people for advice
82. I don’t know how to swim
83. I own 8 DVDs: “Life as a House”; “Signs”; “Blue Collar Comedy Tour”; two Michael Jackson ones; ACU Sing Song 2004; GATA fall semester 2003; ACU senior dinner 2004
84. I have a secret desire to be a magazine columnist (I think that is what they are called…HA!)
85. I got SUPER badly sunburned the weekend of Easter my freshman year at ACU…I probably should have went to the hospital…HA!
86. I went to class that next week with cold wet wash clothes wrapped around my calves and ankles under my wind-pants…HA!
87. I've been to Mexico once
88. I've never been outside the U.S. except for Mexico
89. I want to get married one day
90. I want to have two kids
91. Preferably either two boys or a boy THEN a girl
92. I would LOVE to have twins (especially if at least one of them is a boy)
93. I am the shortest person in my immediate family now (my younger brother has passed me up over the past year or two)
94. I was voted "Club Clown” two years in a row in my social club in college
95. I think almost everything we do in life is done out of selfish reasons (though a lot of the times I think they are unconsciously selfish motives)
96. I LOVE roller-blading and ice skating
97. I got to be a great roller-blader from playing roller hockey when I was real young
98. I love to laugh
99. I have 48 different blogs marked as “Favorites” in my internet browser
100. I really enjoyed filling this out!
Saturday, June 11, 2005
RaNdOm FUN Game Tonight!
So, Holly, Janaye, and I were hanging out tonight. I had a BLAST! Well...at one point Janaye and I were talking about hairstyles that blacks tend to do (Janaye is black for those of you who don't know her).
So later we were somewhat playing Upwards (which is like the game Scrabble) and Janye wrote "dredrows" to make fun of me for something I had said accidently earlier when I started to say "dredlocks" and "cornrows" at the same time. Well I immediately laughed and said..."what the heck is that? You spelled it wrong...it's R-O-L-L-S." This of course made her CRACK UP!
It was then that she took it upon herself to control her laughter and inform me that it is "rows" not "rolls" (and to think, so many people think I'm half-black! HA!)
So when Holly came back in the room we asked her and she too thought it was "rolls", so determined that maybe it was a white thing I was like, "I gotta call someone else to see if they know it is rows and not rolls."
Well, after calling the first person (being a white person) and thinking, okay, maybe Holly and I are the only people that think it is "rolls", I was like, "No, we are calling others till I see if most people really DO know it is rows and not rolls!"
And, to jazz it up a little more, we would place bets (though no money or anything was wagered) before we would call each person saying whether we thought they would get it right or not. HA!
Well, I can tell you this...we called like EVERYONE (a couple of the people we asked them over instant messenger...but that was only like 2 folks I think). I can tell you IF we didn't call you, it was most likely because we either didn't have your number or we were all in agreement that you would or wouldn't know the answer (and since we all agreed, it wouldn't have affected our points for bets no matter what answer you gave...so we might not have called you...though we still called a lot of folks that we were all in agreement on...HA!)
Here is the breakdown:
People we called though they didn't answer and never called us back:
Ellison
Witcher
Sumer
Stacia
Kirk
People we talked with:
Becca
Miller
Rawlings
Cheryl
JWalk
Misty
Jana
Inwood
Aracely
Ryan
Tricia
Amy
Dustin
Holly's Mom
Pineda
Slagle
Janet
Ronald
Reiff
Ray
Kripner
Forest
Chris
Laura
Nelson
Of these 25 people we talked with, 17 of them knew it was "cornrows" and 5 of them thought it was "cornrolls" and the remaining 3 didn't know what they were called.
It's interesting if you ask me....i love research! HA! Too bad I have screwed around all this past week and weekend thus far and not done my Research II class homework for Monday...HA!
Anyways, thanks for your help everyone we talked with tonight. And for those of you who didn't answer our call or call us back (though we didn't leave most of you messages...so i suppose you didn't have to call back because of that) you should be saddened that you missed out on this study! ;)
So later we were somewhat playing Upwards (which is like the game Scrabble) and Janye wrote "dredrows" to make fun of me for something I had said accidently earlier when I started to say "dredlocks" and "cornrows" at the same time. Well I immediately laughed and said..."what the heck is that? You spelled it wrong...it's R-O-L-L-S." This of course made her CRACK UP!
It was then that she took it upon herself to control her laughter and inform me that it is "rows" not "rolls" (and to think, so many people think I'm half-black! HA!)
So when Holly came back in the room we asked her and she too thought it was "rolls", so determined that maybe it was a white thing I was like, "I gotta call someone else to see if they know it is rows and not rolls."
Well, after calling the first person (being a white person) and thinking, okay, maybe Holly and I are the only people that think it is "rolls", I was like, "No, we are calling others till I see if most people really DO know it is rows and not rolls!"
And, to jazz it up a little more, we would place bets (though no money or anything was wagered) before we would call each person saying whether we thought they would get it right or not. HA!
Well, I can tell you this...we called like EVERYONE (a couple of the people we asked them over instant messenger...but that was only like 2 folks I think). I can tell you IF we didn't call you, it was most likely because we either didn't have your number or we were all in agreement that you would or wouldn't know the answer (and since we all agreed, it wouldn't have affected our points for bets no matter what answer you gave...so we might not have called you...though we still called a lot of folks that we were all in agreement on...HA!)
Here is the breakdown:
People we called though they didn't answer and never called us back:
Ellison
Witcher
Sumer
Stacia
Kirk
People we talked with:
Becca
Miller
Rawlings
Cheryl
JWalk
Misty
Jana
Inwood
Aracely
Ryan
Tricia
Amy
Dustin
Holly's Mom
Pineda
Slagle
Janet
Ronald
Reiff
Ray
Kripner
Forest
Chris
Laura
Nelson
Of these 25 people we talked with, 17 of them knew it was "cornrows" and 5 of them thought it was "cornrolls" and the remaining 3 didn't know what they were called.
It's interesting if you ask me....i love research! HA! Too bad I have screwed around all this past week and weekend thus far and not done my Research II class homework for Monday...HA!
Anyways, thanks for your help everyone we talked with tonight. And for those of you who didn't answer our call or call us back (though we didn't leave most of you messages...so i suppose you didn't have to call back because of that) you should be saddened that you missed out on this study! ;)
Get to Know Yourself Better Quiz!
I thought this little quiz was kinda interesting. I got it from Linds' blog...
I don't really see how they tired the results from the quiz to the type of questions it asked, but oh well. Some of the results I got I think are pretty right on, while others I think are pretty far fetched, but it was interesting still!
Get to know yourself better
Your view on yourself:
Other people find you very interesting, but you are really hiding your true self. Your friends love you because you are a good listener. They'll probably still love you if you learn to be yourself with them.
The type of girlfriend/boyfriend you are looking for:
You like serious, smart and determined people. You don't judge a book by its cover, so good-looking people aren't necessarily your style. This makes you an attractive person in many people's eyes.
Your readiness to commit to a relationship:
You prefer to get to know a person very well before deciding whether you will commit to the relationship.
The seriousness of your love:
Your have very sensible tactics when approaching the opposite sex. In many ways people find your straightforwardness attractive, so you will find yourself with plenty of dates.
Your views on education:
Education is less important than the real world out there, away from the classroom. Deep inside you want to start working, earning money and living on your own.
The right job for you:
You're a practical person and will choose a secure job with a steady income. Knowing what you like to do is important. Find a regular job doing just that and you'll be set for life.
How do you view success:
Success in your career is not the most important thing in life. You are content with what you have and think that being with someone you love is more than spending all of your precious time just working.
What are you most afraid of:
You are afraid of having no one to rely on in times of trouble. You don't ever want to be unable to take care of yourself. Independence is important to you.
Who is your true self:
You are mature, reasonable, honest and give good advice. People ask for your comments on all sorts of different issues. Sometimes you might find yourself in a dilemma when trapped with a problem, which your heart rather than your head needs to solve.
I don't really see how they tired the results from the quiz to the type of questions it asked, but oh well. Some of the results I got I think are pretty right on, while others I think are pretty far fetched, but it was interesting still!
Get to know yourself better
Your view on yourself:
Other people find you very interesting, but you are really hiding your true self. Your friends love you because you are a good listener. They'll probably still love you if you learn to be yourself with them.
The type of girlfriend/boyfriend you are looking for:
You like serious, smart and determined people. You don't judge a book by its cover, so good-looking people aren't necessarily your style. This makes you an attractive person in many people's eyes.
Your readiness to commit to a relationship:
You prefer to get to know a person very well before deciding whether you will commit to the relationship.
The seriousness of your love:
Your have very sensible tactics when approaching the opposite sex. In many ways people find your straightforwardness attractive, so you will find yourself with plenty of dates.
Your views on education:
Education is less important than the real world out there, away from the classroom. Deep inside you want to start working, earning money and living on your own.
The right job for you:
You're a practical person and will choose a secure job with a steady income. Knowing what you like to do is important. Find a regular job doing just that and you'll be set for life.
How do you view success:
Success in your career is not the most important thing in life. You are content with what you have and think that being with someone you love is more than spending all of your precious time just working.
What are you most afraid of:
You are afraid of having no one to rely on in times of trouble. You don't ever want to be unable to take care of yourself. Independence is important to you.
Who is your true self:
You are mature, reasonable, honest and give good advice. People ask for your comments on all sorts of different issues. Sometimes you might find yourself in a dilemma when trapped with a problem, which your heart rather than your head needs to solve.
More Religious Thoughts....
Some TOTAL Food for Thought…(no promises that any of this is all that accurate or even all that thought out…I’m just kinda typing as this is going through my head right now)
So I just got done with a short, yet thought-provoking instant messenger conversation with a good friend of mine. This friend happens to be Catholic and I love discussing religion with this individual (as with most individuals) because I like enriching my knowledge of other religions that I’m not all that familiar with….the Catholics for example, which is actually kind of sad since I’m from St. Louis…practically the Catholic capital of the U.S….HA! If I’m not mistaken, it was the last U.S. city Pope John Paul II visited before his passing.
So anyways…I asked “so do the Catholics think everyone else that isn’t Catholic are going to hell?” To this the response was “no, we don’t believe in condemning everyone else.” So then I went on asking some other things…blah blah blah…
Well I’m thinking about it now, especially after the recent religious blog discussions (read my previous blog entry to this one) and since it seems that a lot of religions think members of the other religions are condemned (even though they’ll be VERY quick to tell you they have no right to judge, that is God’s rulings) and I’m beginning to think this notion that the other religions or denominations are “wrong”, this mentality is a built-in characteristic for the church. It comes down to the survival of the fittest. I mean if a church doesn’t preach that they are the “right way” and instead they allow you to believe that other denominations or religions could be the “right way” as well, then what’s to stop you from choosing a “better fit” religion. What are your ties to one religion over another? Why be Catholic if you don’t HAVE to be Catholic? Why be Church of Christ if you don’t HAVE to be Church of Christ? If one religion isn’t more “right” than another, why do you have to stick to one over another?
It seems that in order for one religion, opposed to another, to stay-a-float (for lack of a better choice of words) preaching that THEY are the way…they are the “right” religion is a necessity.
So does it all just come down to politics? The politics of a successful religion is to condemn the others and praise your own. Kind of like how in a political campaign it comes down to finding the weakness of your opponent and stating how they are wrong and then glorifying how you are right and the “way to go.”
I suppose if THIS is the case, and it is just a bunch of politics—an effort for a church to survive—survival of the fittest, maybe one religion truly is NOT “right” over another.
Hmmm….like I said….this is just some thoughts….whether it will all make sense to me in the morning or after I rethink it through a few times—who knows. But it works for now….
So I just got done with a short, yet thought-provoking instant messenger conversation with a good friend of mine. This friend happens to be Catholic and I love discussing religion with this individual (as with most individuals) because I like enriching my knowledge of other religions that I’m not all that familiar with….the Catholics for example, which is actually kind of sad since I’m from St. Louis…practically the Catholic capital of the U.S….HA! If I’m not mistaken, it was the last U.S. city Pope John Paul II visited before his passing.
So anyways…I asked “so do the Catholics think everyone else that isn’t Catholic are going to hell?” To this the response was “no, we don’t believe in condemning everyone else.” So then I went on asking some other things…blah blah blah…
Well I’m thinking about it now, especially after the recent religious blog discussions (read my previous blog entry to this one) and since it seems that a lot of religions think members of the other religions are condemned (even though they’ll be VERY quick to tell you they have no right to judge, that is God’s rulings) and I’m beginning to think this notion that the other religions or denominations are “wrong”, this mentality is a built-in characteristic for the church. It comes down to the survival of the fittest. I mean if a church doesn’t preach that they are the “right way” and instead they allow you to believe that other denominations or religions could be the “right way” as well, then what’s to stop you from choosing a “better fit” religion. What are your ties to one religion over another? Why be Catholic if you don’t HAVE to be Catholic? Why be Church of Christ if you don’t HAVE to be Church of Christ? If one religion isn’t more “right” than another, why do you have to stick to one over another?
It seems that in order for one religion, opposed to another, to stay-a-float (for lack of a better choice of words) preaching that THEY are the way…they are the “right” religion is a necessity.
So does it all just come down to politics? The politics of a successful religion is to condemn the others and praise your own. Kind of like how in a political campaign it comes down to finding the weakness of your opponent and stating how they are wrong and then glorifying how you are right and the “way to go.”
I suppose if THIS is the case, and it is just a bunch of politics—an effort for a church to survive—survival of the fittest, maybe one religion truly is NOT “right” over another.
Hmmm….like I said….this is just some thoughts….whether it will all make sense to me in the morning or after I rethink it through a few times—who knows. But it works for now….
Thursday, June 09, 2005
Don't Go for Blood with Your Comments, Please!
K.....if you're not a Mike Cope blog reader, then click here and read this recent entry by him. IF you take the time to read all the comments to the blog (which are interesting in themselves) you'll have found my comment which I'm about to post right here; however if you didn't see it, you're about to. But with such a thought-provoking blog as his, I couldn't help but leave a response (though it took me ALL day to figure out what I wanted to say and whether to say it or not, fearing the wrath of all his blog readers). In the end I posted it and am posting it here for those of you who don't know Mr. Cope or read his blog (though I don't really know him either, I mean I did live in Abilene for 4 years and never once attended Highland, however I still read his blog daily, for this reason exactly...i LOVE thought provoking "stuff").
Sooo...read my comment and let me have yours! You know you want too... ;)
Though fearing the attack of the some what thousands of readers Mr. Cope’s blog has, I will post this comment anyways as a thought looking for open-minded responses:
So if the born-into-Christianity Christian is “right” and the Morman born-into-a-Morman family is “right” and the Hindu born-into-Hinduism is “right”…then can they all be right? Would that mean that the atheist born-into-atheism is “right?”
I know most of the readers of this are thinking at this point, “well of course, not. CofC is ‘right.’” I mean as Mike mentioned…there is that “exclusivistic version of some churches.” But as I suggested earlier, this comment is for the “open-minded” readers; the ones willing to imagine themselves in the others positions. Imagine yourself as the “Hindu born-into-Hinduism” or, if you are Hindu, the Morman “born into-a-Morman family.” In those cases, it’s just as easy to say you are “right” and CofC is not “right.”
I don’t know, but the gist of this just makes me think this is some religious form of ethnocentrism. Is there a term for that that I’m just ignorant of? Religocentrism works for me!
I think it is in the college years that one can not help but question their religion and their up-bringing. Whether one comes from Christianity or an Islamic background, it is during the college years that one is faced with the questions of “who am I?” and “what is my purpose?” And in answering those questions and searching for an identity, questioning one’s faith is almost a MUST.
I find it interesting to see how many people, college-aged specifically, actually do “throw up [their] hands in complete agnosticism” during this identity-crisis when asking themselves questions such as “Was I really that lucky . . . to be born into the one small little group that happened to nail interpretation?”
So I don’t know. I don’t know which religion is “right.” Maybe the uncertainty does make me “throw up my hands in agnosticism”…but having said that I’ll end with this thought…
A friend once said to me, “how can you (or anyone for that matter) say there is no God, and be ‘right,’ when there have been for years millions of God-believers around the world?” To that I would have to respond with this, “Look at all the people that thought the world was flat for many years versus the people that thought it was round. Just because one group outrageously out-numbers another doesn’t mean they are “right.’”
P.S. Mike, for someone who wrote “I've been braindead recently” only 24 hours earlier you, sure went above and beyond the “deep-thought-provoking blog” today! Thanks for the GREAT discussion piece!
Sooo...read my comment and let me have yours! You know you want too... ;)
Though fearing the attack of the some what thousands of readers Mr. Cope’s blog has, I will post this comment anyways as a thought looking for open-minded responses:
So if the born-into-Christianity Christian is “right” and the Morman born-into-a-Morman family is “right” and the Hindu born-into-Hinduism is “right”…then can they all be right? Would that mean that the atheist born-into-atheism is “right?”
I know most of the readers of this are thinking at this point, “well of course, not. CofC is ‘right.’” I mean as Mike mentioned…there is that “exclusivistic version of some churches.” But as I suggested earlier, this comment is for the “open-minded” readers; the ones willing to imagine themselves in the others positions. Imagine yourself as the “Hindu born-into-Hinduism” or, if you are Hindu, the Morman “born into-a-Morman family.” In those cases, it’s just as easy to say you are “right” and CofC is not “right.”
I don’t know, but the gist of this just makes me think this is some religious form of ethnocentrism. Is there a term for that that I’m just ignorant of? Religocentrism works for me!
I think it is in the college years that one can not help but question their religion and their up-bringing. Whether one comes from Christianity or an Islamic background, it is during the college years that one is faced with the questions of “who am I?” and “what is my purpose?” And in answering those questions and searching for an identity, questioning one’s faith is almost a MUST.
I find it interesting to see how many people, college-aged specifically, actually do “throw up [their] hands in complete agnosticism” during this identity-crisis when asking themselves questions such as “Was I really that lucky . . . to be born into the one small little group that happened to nail interpretation?”
So I don’t know. I don’t know which religion is “right.” Maybe the uncertainty does make me “throw up my hands in agnosticism”…but having said that I’ll end with this thought…
A friend once said to me, “how can you (or anyone for that matter) say there is no God, and be ‘right,’ when there have been for years millions of God-believers around the world?” To that I would have to respond with this, “Look at all the people that thought the world was flat for many years versus the people that thought it was round. Just because one group outrageously out-numbers another doesn’t mean they are “right.’”
P.S. Mike, for someone who wrote “I've been braindead recently” only 24 hours earlier you, sure went above and beyond the “deep-thought-provoking blog” today! Thanks for the GREAT discussion piece!
"Table for one, Please"
When was the last time you said that? Or, have you ever?
Tonight I treated myself out to a night at a good chinese buffet restaurant I enjoy here in town. It's slightly pricy, but still worth it on an every-once-and-a-while basis. But what surprises me is how many people refuse to eat out alone.
I have no problem going out and eating alone. I did it tonight and have done it many times before. While I was sitting and eating tonight there were 4 or 5 others (though all older gentleman...maybe in their 40's or so) who all came in and ate alone while I was sitting there.
However, at least with a lot of my friends that I talk to, most people refuse to eat out alone. Why is this? Do you think it has to do with one's self-esteem or self-confidence? Like, "how will I look if I'm eating alone?" I'm not saying it's "bad" to not eat out alone, but I see it as a limitation if we are declining our choice to go out and eat if we don't have "someone" to go with us.
Well, I'm sure most of you are reading this saying, "well loser, i have a spouse, or a boyfriend or girlfriend so I don't need to eat out alone," but here is what i'd say to that: is it a "NEED" to have someone with you, or just a "WANT"? If it is a "need" then most likely you've never gone out and ate alone, however, if it is only a "want" then you should be able to go on without it, in other words, go out and eat alone, though it might not be your favorite thing to do.
Well....i'll just leave y'all with this...my fortune from my lovely fortune cookie following my meal tonight:
If you continually give, you will continually have.
Hmmm....well take that and this blog for whatever it's worth...and if that's nothing...you can at least go buy ya a lottery ticket with the six lucky numbers off the back of the fortune:
38, 16, 32, 14, 4, 41
Tonight I treated myself out to a night at a good chinese buffet restaurant I enjoy here in town. It's slightly pricy, but still worth it on an every-once-and-a-while basis. But what surprises me is how many people refuse to eat out alone.
I have no problem going out and eating alone. I did it tonight and have done it many times before. While I was sitting and eating tonight there were 4 or 5 others (though all older gentleman...maybe in their 40's or so) who all came in and ate alone while I was sitting there.
However, at least with a lot of my friends that I talk to, most people refuse to eat out alone. Why is this? Do you think it has to do with one's self-esteem or self-confidence? Like, "how will I look if I'm eating alone?" I'm not saying it's "bad" to not eat out alone, but I see it as a limitation if we are declining our choice to go out and eat if we don't have "someone" to go with us.
Well, I'm sure most of you are reading this saying, "well loser, i have a spouse, or a boyfriend or girlfriend so I don't need to eat out alone," but here is what i'd say to that: is it a "NEED" to have someone with you, or just a "WANT"? If it is a "need" then most likely you've never gone out and ate alone, however, if it is only a "want" then you should be able to go on without it, in other words, go out and eat alone, though it might not be your favorite thing to do.
Well....i'll just leave y'all with this...my fortune from my lovely fortune cookie following my meal tonight:
If you continually give, you will continually have.
Hmmm....well take that and this blog for whatever it's worth...and if that's nothing...you can at least go buy ya a lottery ticket with the six lucky numbers off the back of the fortune:
38, 16, 32, 14, 4, 41
Monday, June 06, 2005
Monday's Picture!
[Give this picture it's best caption! Either come up with a unique/fun caption for this picture or tell what you think is going on in the picture! Tomorrow I'll pick the best response! LEAVE A COMMENT (anyone can leave a comment, you don't have to have a blog)! I don't care if you're someone I don't know, someone I do know, or someone I'm not suppose to know that reads my blog all the time (secretly of course...HA!) Have fun!]
Thursday, June 02, 2005
Where Would You Graciously Give Your Money?
Okay, so I was wondering today...
If you had spare money, let's say you had made it well with a career or something, and you wanted to donate some money to an organization or some charity of some sort, which one would you pick?
I think giving is one of the best things in this world (and monetary giving is only a SMALL portion of what I'm referring too), but whatever the case, I think where someone would choose to donate some of their hard-earned money says a lot about them.
So, drop me a comment with where you might choose to donate a few thousand dollars you might happen to have one day to help others with!
If you had spare money, let's say you had made it well with a career or something, and you wanted to donate some money to an organization or some charity of some sort, which one would you pick?
I think giving is one of the best things in this world (and monetary giving is only a SMALL portion of what I'm referring too), but whatever the case, I think where someone would choose to donate some of their hard-earned money says a lot about them.
So, drop me a comment with where you might choose to donate a few thousand dollars you might happen to have one day to help others with!
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