Baptism 5/17/2015

Today Seth and I decided we would visit Freedom Church for the first time. Everyone we have talked to that attends this church talks about how awesome it is and since we are kind of trying to find something that blends both our worship styles this seemed perfect.
So we meet at my house and drive over, although it would have been much easier to sleep in on this rainy Sunday.
First time guests at Freedom Church are "VIP" so we got a close parking spot, were escorted inside, and then filled out an info card and they gave us a little bag with a cup and some info about the church.
One thing we thought was funny as we approached the sanctuary we noticed a table with ear plugs, so we knew this was going to be a loud exciting experience. And it was. They played really upbeat music and it was extremely loud and it kind of had the rock concert feel with the lights and I think I noticed smoke? But everyone was so into the worship, which I loved and it totally prepared us for the service.
We were told that there had been like 160 new salvations within the last short time and so this weekend was actually starting a new series on baptism and they were having a HUGE baptism event after the service.
Pastor JR Lee preached a great sermon on the importance of baptism after salvation and it was just one of those moments where God was speaking directly to my heart. I had been sprinkled as a baby, but I have been feeling for a while that I needed to really be baptised since it was my decision to follow Christ it also needed to be my decision to be baptised. Seth had also been baptised previously but he said he was really young and he felt like he needed to do this today,
 Anything I could have thought of for reasons to not take that step today, Pastor JR assured me that everything was taken care of. He said they had a change of clothes for everyone, they had hair dryers and make up, they even had feminine products.... He had been praying for me and for God to take away any hesitation for the last several weeks and he didn't even know me. It was just a really awesome experience where God said you are somewhere new, a little out of your comfort zone, and I am totally going to sideswipe you right now but you just need to obey m. And I'm so glad I did!
So needless to say I was pleasantly surprised with our first visit and Seth and I definitely intend on going back next week!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Well friends, it is 2015 and I am going to do the thing that no one cares about....

The past couple years I made resolutions, and I was going to write blogs about my resolutions at the beginning of the year and at the end of the year. Turns out, I am not a very regular blogger.... But I really want to write this down so I can finally delete the note I have on my phone.

Honestly I am not sure which resolution belonged to which year (2013 or 2014). My phone says I originally wrote the note February 26, 2013 but I know I added to it last year.

Here goes...

Start Running (check, although I should probably put this on my resolutions for 2015, oops)

Do at least two 5ks

Do the color run- (signed up for this 5k but ended up not doing it due to scheduling conflict)

Get HOPE scholarship back- (check! super happy about this one and still have it)

Cook a meal at least once a month (I know this should not have to be a resolution, again oops)

Try the 21 day challenge (didn't happen, not even sure what this is anymore???)

Be more Christlike (in my opinion I honestly think this was achieved, but I will always strive for this)

Work on relationship with my brother (definitely happy to report that this relationship has done a 180)

Start a blog... :)

Get engaged...... :( hopefully 2015 is our year, right Seth?)

Monthly challenges (yea no)

So overall I think I did pretty okay. I haven't thought much about what my resolutions for this year should be. And honestly I don't really like to think of them as resolutions, because everyone forgets about this around February 1. Instead I like to think of them as ways to improve myself or things I would like to achieve that year. This year I would definitely like to make health a priority, would love to gain some more independence ( I start a new job this weekend!), and may even try to cook/clean more frequently. We will see :)

Are we really as accepting as we say we are?

So I was just on Facebook and read this:
http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-615/6296620/dolly-parton-talks-50-years-in-nashville-and-supporting-gay-fans?facebook_20141024
Basically an interview about why Dolly Parton supports her gay fans. I honestly only read one quote which was "I think everybody should be allowed to be who they are, and to love who they love. I don't think we should be judgmental. Lord, I've got enough problems of my own to pass judgment on someone else."

On the surface that's a really empowering statement and I totally agree. But the more I think about it, and I have thought about this topic a lot up to this moment, I am not sure that I agree 100%.

As most people know, I was raised in quite a conservative family with conservative values. At my school, at church, at home, in conversation, I was taught and I believed in the biblical form of marriage one man + one woman. I still do. And then I went to college. I made friends with people who were raised in a less conservative way, I even made friends with people in the LGBTQ community. I had major issues at first with even being comfortable around these people, but when it came down to it, I realized that they are people too and I might not agree with all of their decisions but I can still be a friend to them and show them God's love. Isn't that what Christianity is all about?

Anyways, through conversation with others and my own thoughts have led me to the same conclusion as Dolly Parton, I don't want anyone to ever feel like they have to be someone else because of me. But this got me thinking more, do the people who are pushing for equality among race or marriage rights, do they submit to the same mindset? I believe the answer is no. The biggest advocates for equality and justice and acceptance of everyone no matter how they feel or what they believe can be the most judgmental and hateful. This is only my opinion, and it is not true for everyone of course. But if you want to accept everyone, then that literally means that no matter who they are, what they are doing, what mindset they have toward society, you have to be accepting of it. I don't believe that liberals (people fighting for equality across the board) are accepting of everyone. They accept the ones they want (LGBTQ, etc.) and they want everyone else to think how they think. I am here to say that isn't how acceptance works. We don't get to tell people how to think or how to live or who they should like or dislike. The difference between people's mindset today and 20 or so years ago is that what is socially acceptable has flip flopped. It's no longer okay to not want to see two men kissing on tv but 20 years ago, even like 5 years ago that was unheard of. People do change, just like everything else, but forcing them to change defeats the whole purpose.

Racial Profiling and White Privilege

As I continue to hear about Ferguson, Mo events, I grow increasingly sad for the state of our country. I spend at least 50% of my time in my car listening to news radio. Usually Wsb (I think) but also some NPR. And while the hot topic has sort of drifted away from happenings in Ferguson, there are still people talking about it and comparing other stories to the Michael Brown story.
One piece of information I heard one day that just made me incredibly sad was that the news reporter had the opinion that whether or not Michael Brown was innocent or guilty, that the police officer was no way in hell going to get a fair trail and was basically going to be crucified for this incident. Just to keep the peace. Seriously?! That has to make your heart hurt for this man. Not only for this man but for our country. If we really have adopted this mentality that we need to do what will keep the people happy instead of what is ethical, moral, and constitutional, then our country has way bigger problems than "racial profiling".
This is the problem with a black president.
This is the problem with entitlement.
This is the problem with handouts and the welfare nation.
NEWSFLASH!!!! Michael Brown wasn't innocent! He had just committed a robbery! Your sweet unarmed Michael Brown was a criminal.

Now saying white privilege and racial profiling is the reason we are here today is a bunch of bologna and anyone with half a brain knows it. Yes, racial profiling is a thing. But Michael Brown wasn't racially profiled. He was approached after he had committed a crime! It stops being racial profiling when you are guilty!
Second Newsflash: black people aren't the first to ever be "racially profiled".
Discrimination is the reason we have The United States of America (granted that wasn't racial profiling). But the English got tired of being told how to live their lives, so they left. If you don't like something, don't try to blame someone else. I'm not saying get out of the country. But you can't crucify (literally) someone for doing the right thing because you feel it's unfair to you. Change what you do, not what others do.

My thoughts on Ferguson

I just read an article on Facebook about how the KKK is getting ready to enter Ferguson, Missouri. I read a similar article that the town officials in Ferguson weren't going to condone anything the KKK did. While I don't agree with the KKK's views, I don't see how officials could allow one group to stand up for their beliefs but not another. The article said they have come to help defend the shops that are owned by the white citizens of Ferguson and if the rioters and looters try to get by, they have come prepared with guns. I am not sure how extreme the KKK is in today's society but I kind of see it as a good thing that they are standing up for innocent people.

 For the most part, I have stayed silent on social media regarding my opinion on what is going on in Ferguson. I have liked some comments here and there and read different articles, but I haven't actually said anything. And you may not care what I have to say; in the grand-scheme of things my opinion doesn't really matter. But I like to think that I sort of represent the young adult Christian conservative group.

Now I have voiced my opinion in group settings. I've talked about this situation with family and friends. I've seen the news and read the articles. I like to know what's going on. 

Things are bad in Ferguson. I don't ever recall so much response for one incident. I have heard people say that all of this isn't just because of the Brown shooting, it's backlash for years of white on black police brutality.....

Here is my problem with that mentality, the police have a job to protect the community they also need to protect themselves, in order for them to be able to protect the community. When someone, no matter what color their skin is, becomes a risk to an officer or the community it is their job to get involved and make sure that person cannot hurt the officer, or anyone else. So when you live in a predominantly black community, you may have a lot of black citizens get arrested. That's not racism, that's just statistics. I have never seen or heard of any cop simply going up to someone, deciding they don't like them and shooting them to death. If you have and you can prove it to me that the cop was convicted of that crime then I will admit I was wrong. Cops won't even pull their gun out unless they since they are in immediate danger. They aren't going to shoot someone for no reason. This video is just one demonstration of police officers being in a very dangerous situation with a suspect. Warning: it is an actual shooting, may not be suitable for some viewers. The suspect appears to be surrendering and laying his weapon on the ground. What we can't see is the suspect actually has another gun in his pocket and he begins to pull it out. Luckily, the officer behind the suspect is able to see this and yells "GUN" which leads to shots being fired. 

I say all that to say, if you aren't literally right there in the middle of a situation, you do not know exactly what happened as it happened. You have to leave it to those involved who are in charge, which just happen to be the police, to do their jobs. When officers do something you like, such as  stopping a robbery or arresting a murderer, there is hardly praise from the community, because they are just doing their job. But when cops shoot a suspect, who may have been a robber or attempted to hurt or kill the cops... because he is your son or your neighbor, the family of the suspect and the community calls for some type of action (in this case they riot and loot in their own town)  to be taken on the cop; even though he was doing the same job!

If you don't know what happened because you weren't there then you don't get to to decide who was at fault, because you didn't see who did what or how they did it. So my opinion is, the cop made a judgment call, and for now I trust his judgment. The autopsies show that Brown was shot in the top of the head, which the pathologist said could only come about if he was lying down or charging the officer. It has also been reported that the officer had some severe injuries to his head. So whether Michael Brown was armed or not doesn't matter to a cop, because when they are pulling up on a suspect they don't know. He might have charged at that officer and could have pulled a weapon and injured him. They have to be prepared for anything.

In my opinion, there is a lot of ignorance in Ferguson right now. A lot of people are making this a "race" (ethnicity) issue. And there may be some police brutality going on, I know racism is still a very real part of today's society and I know officers aren't perfect and have the ability to make mistakes. But I believe a lot of people are wanting to act a certain way, they want to act "ghetto" and look "ghetto" and police officers who are trained to look for certain things may notice a group of black males that look like they are up to no good and stop and talk to them or something like that. If you don't want that stereotype cast upon yourself, rise above it. Stereotypes are based on truth. If there is a reason we look at black males with crooked hats and their pants at their ankles as up to no good it's usually because those are the ones we see on the news getting arrested for whatever. But it's the same for all ethnicities. Typically, if you look like you are up to no good then you probably are. How often do you see any body in the work place looking anything less than professional- nice, clean clothes, combed hair.... I just think if people were willing to take responsibility for their own actions instead of trying to blame everyone else for their problems (and I mean everyone not just Ferguson, Missouri residents) then this world would be a much better place. 

Catching Up

So.... it's definitely been almost a year since I last blogged, and that was only because I had to for school! oops.
When I started blogging I thought that this would be a good forum for me to speak freely, since I don't think many people would read it anyways, kind of like on online diary. I also thought I would like to start blogging now and keeping an account of the things that happen in my life so that as I get married and have children that I would have already had this as an established habit to write down the seemingly unimportant things that are actually what make life so great.
That was the idea.
But ya know, life happened. I thought about things that I would like to express my feelings on and I still have topics that I would like to "discuss", I just never got on my computer to write.
Anyways, a lot has happened over the past 10 months. Most seem insignificant because while a lot has changed, to the naked eye nothing has changed. I am still in school (my fourth year but not my senior year, yet!), I still live at home with my parents, and Seth and I are still together. So while mostly things are the same around here, there have been a lot of changes too! I feel like this year has been the year that I have done the most maturing. Although it may sound cliche, I really feel like I am truly starting to discover who I am. Everyday I grow more confident in my decision to enter the medical field as a nurse, although I am a little nervous about how everything is going to turn out with school. I feel like I am learning about myself constantly. I am learning about how much self control I have, which is a lot actually, what my character traits are, what I am good and bad at, and the type of people I need to have in my life to be the best person I can be. I am always trying to do something new to improve myself. Seth is probably so tired of me saying "I think I am going to try to do this" whatever this may be. We have joined a gym and are currently working on the best plan to cook at home so we are eating healthy meals and saving money. I started reading for pleasure. I never knew reading could be enjoyable! I am trying to help others more even if it goes unnoticed. I have also been making an effort to try and watch my attitude and words no matter what kind of mood I am in, which is truly #thestruggle.
Probably the most important thing that I have been learning this year is to really trust God. I am one that needs to know what's going on and when it's going to happen. So not knowing if I am going to school in the spring and if so where will I be going or when Seth and I will be able to support ourselves so that we don't have to rely so much on others anymore or why people are making what I consider to be extremely poor decisions over and over again despite seeking counsel from others; those are things I have learned that I can't control. I can't control time or another person. I can only control myself and live how I believe God calls me to live and try to enjoy every moment that has been given to me.
However, this is still a struggle for me. Sometimes I catch myself with a clenched jaw or grasping the steering wheel just a little too tight while I am thinking about something and just turning it over and over in my mind.
...................................................................................................................................................................
Enough of the deep stuff.
I am just having a good time in my 20s.
I am ready to be done with school and move on with my life!
I really hope these next two years fly by!

Life is a Highway

Life is like an ever winding road right now. There are hills where it seems like nothing could bring me down. Then, there are valleys, that seem like they never end and I just want to get out of these and go faster. There are also twists and turns that sometimes take me to unexpected places. No matter where the road takes me, I just keep going. Because what other choice do I have?

I just don't know if I am a good driver....

Getting Caught Up

So I think it has been about two months since I was last on here. I kept getting ideas of things to write about when I was doing stuff and then would forget to actually write them down. And now it's October.
School is well under way, as is work, seen my family twice, and my dad is getting promoted this weekend.
As always schedules are very crazy. Saturday is really my only day when I don't have to do anything. Every other day I am either at school, church, or work. Or any combination of the three.
I'm not complaining though, I know it is a blessing to be busy!
I am really liking fall so far this year! I usually do not like it when the seasons change because then it is really cold in the mornings and evenings but super hot in the afternoon. But we have had some really beautiful weather so I am very thankful for that. I got to be outside practically all day on Saturday and didn't sweat! I love everything about fall. The colors, bonfires, festivals, extra cuddles because it's a little chilly, cute sweaters, ugly flannel, have I mentioned BOOTS? I just ordered a pair of really cute boots! Plus I even admit that watching football can be fun too.
I have to upload a lot of pictures so I can clear the memory on my phone in order to download IOS 7 and I will also be starting a new blog sometime probably this week. It will probably be really uninteresting though because it is for one of my classes.

Busy Times Ahead!

The first week of the semester is almost over. I have about 3.5 hours left at work today, school this evening and then work tomorrow.
This semester might just be the busiest one yet!
I am taking five classes which equals 13 hours, because one is a lab class which is only 1 credit hour.
My classes are Anatomy & Physiology 2, Anthropology, History since 1890, and Gender & Women's Studies.
Not exactly the schedule I wanted. I originally was going to be taking German, but I guess because the class size was so small they completely cancelled the class. Didn't know they could do that... but ok.
It's going to be a very busy semester. I spent a lot of time this summer studying for anatomy, and now I have 3 other classes to study for as well. Two of them should be a breeze though. Seth and I are both working two jobs, lots of hours each week, and will be seeing less of each other. And I will continue to have little to no social life because I will be focusing on sleeping and studying. I am looking forward to the challenge.
And hopefully in the spring semester I will be applying to nursing school!

Pet Peeve

One of my biggest pet peeves is when people don't like the situations they are in, don't do anything to fix it, then they complain about it.
I think everybody is guilty of doing this every once and a while, but there are others who just love to complain.
I know there are certain situations that can't really be helped, and nobody knows ever knows the whole story, so I shouldn't judge.
I still can't stand it when people don't take action when they have the ability to change their situation. It makes me have a total lack of sympathy for the person.
I think it's because I hate being uncomfortable in any situation, so I will do whatever it takes to make a situation right and be happy. I don't like being hurt so I let my body heal, I don't like being mad so I like to talk things out, I don't like having awful teachers so I search for the best ones, I don't like failing so I work hard at whatever I do. I just assume everyone else would do these things as well.... I don't think God wants us to have an unhappy or uncomfortable life either.
Maybe I am supposed to be learning some kind of lesson through these people, but right now I just feel irritated.

Will it ever end?

HOORAY! Summer school is finally over! I don't think I have ever been so diligent in my studying or wanted to succeed so badly as I did this summer. And I paid off. It took 8 weeks of studying for hours on end almost every day, but I passed both my classes with B's! I really am proud of myself.

So technically I am on summer break right now.... :/

The sad part is school started back for kids in GA so I am back to nannying. I have a feeling this gogogo thing won't be stopping anytime soon.

School for me starts back the 16th.

Nothing really new is going on. Summer school was the biggest thing I did this summer and now that its over a huge wait has been lifted off my shoulders. Now gotta get ready for fall classes to start.

Rain Rain Go Away!

It has been very rainy here for at least a solid week, and the forecast says it is going to continue raining throughout this week. I know it is summer and it storms usually once a day but seriously this rain is getting ridiculous. This is like 40 days and nights kind of rain.
On one hand the rain really stinks because of the obvious, you can't really do too much outside when it is pouring and it is the kind of rain that just makes you want to stay inside and sleep or watch movies all day with a cuddle buddy! But the rain has also made the summer heat much more bearable this year. Instead of getting 100 + days like every other summer it has been a cozy mid 70's to low 80's although it is humid....
ANYWAYS
Seth and I have both been pretty bummed that we haven't gotten to do anything outside this week because of the rain. We got white water passes, making plans to go to the zoo, love to go hiking, swimming, and fishing. And today the rain finally let up for long enough for us to be able to let us put our new fishing stuff to use.
It was gross! We had all these different types of bait that I had to touch that were just nasty! But I braved it. AND even got Seth to eat some fish scales, but I owe him a steak dinner!
I love days like today when it's just me and him and we don't have to worry about what we look like or what we do, we just enjoy being together... even if we don't catch any fish :)

I know this is a silly picture of me, but even when I am being silly and he still looks at me like that, I know he loves me!

Happy 4th of July!

So obviously it's been a while.

Things never stop around here so even though it is summer time, I am still taking classes and Seth got a second job.... so we still don't have a lot of time together but when we see each other when we can!

Me and mom went to go see Kaleb and Lauren in Jacksonville. I loved the area! It was a lot like Kennesaw but beachy!

Also I am now a redhead!

Next weekend is Seth's cousin, Brandee's wedding so that will be a busy weekend but I am definitely looking forward to it!

We weren't able to do anything for Independence Day because Seth had to work and it was also raining all day so everything was canceled. But I think we are going to see fireworks whenever they are done and it isn't raining! I am very grateful for the men and women who make it possible everyday to live in this totally free and wonderful country! 

Happy 4th of July!! 

New York!

YAY! We just got back from our New York trip on Monday. Even though we were only gone Thursday- Monday it seemed like so much longer. And we were really only in the city for three days. It was an exhausting trip.
 First of all I was extremely grateful that I didn't have to work on Thursday because I hadn't even started packing and it pretty much took me all day to get ready. I would have definitely made us late! But it wouldn't have mattered because our flight was delayed for two hours! It wasn't too bad though. Since Hartsfield is a huge airport we all found food we wanted to eat, met a nice soldier, and played some UNO.
Then when we were finally in NY and out of the airport a shuttle came and picked us up to bring us to the hotel. I have never seen traffic so crazy at an airport. People cut others off, it was at a complete standstill for no reason, and everyone was honking even though no one could go anywhere. Our hotel wasn't anything fancy. We stayed in Flushing so that was pretty interesting...
 It's really hard thinking about what we did every day. While we were there the days went by really fast even though I was completely exhausted even when I woke up. We did a lot of stuff everyday too, mostly A LOT of walking. We did the NBC studio tour, did pretty much everything in Times Square, road the Subway, went to the 9/11 memorial, ate at some amazing places (magnolias bakery has the best apple juice in the universe), did a lot of shopping, and we went to see Annie! I think my favorite part was probably seeing Annie. Not only because Jane Lynch was Miss Hannigan but because the music was just so good! I love stuff like that!
 I am super glad that we went to NY and so happy that Seth and his mom were able to come with us. However, it will be a LONG time before I will ever be ready to go back! There are just way too many people there (and they told us it was the slow season)!
 Obviously these aren't all the pictures I took but I've already posted them all on fb.

this picture looks crazy...Ot's me and my dear dad on our first subway ride :)

The star wars convention was in town

Being silly on the subway with Seth & his mommy

Central Park!

It's the cast list of Annie! You can't really see it but Jane Lynch's name is in the second column

 Me and my mom in line to see Annie!

All of these three were taken at the Hard Rock in NYC

9/11 Memorial

St. Francis? The church that was really involved in helping during 9/11...that's the building behind us

On top of the Empire State Building

Radio City Music Hall... We didn't actually go in but we used it as a landmark to get around town!

Free to be me

 Yesterday I read an article that my lovely sister in law had posted on facebook. It was called One Thing Your Daughter Doesn't Need You To Say. It looked interesting so I decided to read it even though it was kind of long...reading isn't really my thing.
 It was a Christian article, obviously directed at parents of teen girls getting ready to make the transition to college or I guess any other big change.
 The article said that parents don't need to tell their daughters to set an example for their friends whether their friends are Christian or not. Telling someone to be an example in this way, takes away from who they are as a person. Christians are not expected to be perfect, say they perfect thing, or have their lives all together. We have a sin nature just like everyone else and need Jesus just as much as everyone else. So telling someone that they need to be the example is kind of like telling them they need to be perfect. When in all reality, that isn't possible. I think we should try to follow Jesus' example and seek him daily but trying to be perfect will only make Christians look even more hypocritical.
 I am really glad I took the time to read this article because even though it is directed at parents, I took some good advice out of it. Sometimes it feels like no matter how hard I try I am never good enough for my parents. I can get straight A's, work 2 part time jobs, clean the house, and they can still find something to get mad at me for. But all I know is I just have to do the best I can and if I know I am doing that, then maybe their expectations of me being a perfect little princess will go away. 

This is the article:
http://www.chattingatthesky.com/2013/05/13/one-thing-your-daughter-doesnt-need-you-to-say/

This is also a song that I really like by one of my favorite Christian artists. It reminds me that I don't have to be perfect and God will still love me:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKSQjSdU8VA

Weekend fun

This past weekend I was able to take a road trip with my parents and go to North Carolina to celebrate my niece's fourth birthday. On the car ride up there it seemed like it was going to be a very pleasant trip- we had CFA for dinner, and got Krispy Kreme which are my favorites. But of course stopping made us get to the hotel even later. I was so tired when we got there but after moving around and getting all of our stuff settled in I had woken up a bit. By the time I was in bed and finally ready to go to sleep, I could hear my dad snoring and my mom had a light on playing with her phone. I can't sleep when there is noise or light so I didn't go to sleep for like another hour. And then I woke up every two hours for some reason or another so I was very tired by Saturday for the party. But I definitely played with all the little munchkins as much as I could, and slept at my brothers house that night!

Kaleb playing with the truck

The birthday girl!!!

All of Bri's unopend presents

Bri opening up her present from Juju

Still opening...What could it be?

COWGIRL BOOTS & HAT

Hunter is obviously more interested in the box

Being a princess can be overwhleming

Hunter & Evan

Bri's birthday cake lit up

Kaleb streaking in the backyard! Favorite picture of the whole weekend!

Four cousins! Claire, Evan, Bri & Hunter

She's my sweetheart <3

Silly faces!

Hunter wanted in on the fun

Bri painted my nails

And a selfie :)

                                     

Jesus take the wheel

I meant to post this on Thursday but I was working and by the time I got to sit down and write it Bonnie was waking up. Anyways, Wednesday I was coming home from work. I work in Smyrna and only go to Smyrna to either visit Seth's grandmother or to work. And I take the same roads for both. So I don't know any short cuts or anything like that. I also know my way to the interstate so I can get to school. I am slowly learning my way around the area but Bonnie and I don't venture out much. So Wednesday it had been raining and on my way home a road that I take was closed for some reason. I had dinner plans that night and I knew if I turned around and took the interstate I wasn't going to make it to dinner. So I followed the other cars. I just decided to follow some random car and take every turn they were going to take and hope they were going where I was going. And it worked! I picked the right car too because not every car went the same way. I was so relieved when I was finally in a fimiliar setting.
This may seem really insignificant to most, and when I was telling the story people were like....cool? But my life has been so full of stress lately. And I am mostly under stress because I am not trusting God with situations in my life like I should be. Sure, I'll pray about stuff but after "amen" I'm not done worrying. So to me, this was God's way of saying "HELLO! I HAVE BEEN HERE THE WHOLE TIME. YOU CAN TRUST ME!" And sometimes I just need to be reminded of that even if it is while I am driving.

Happy Birthday Princess Brianna

Today is a very important day, not only is it Thursday and my last day of work before the weekend, it is my niece's FOURTH birthday. I am in total shock that this day is already here. I still remember the day that Stephen and Amanda told us they were going to have a baby, the day she was born, the first time I met Bri, and every hug and kiss I got in between. She is growing up to be such a sweet little girl. She loves everything a southern girl loves- sweet tea, anything fried, chocolate and princesses. I was skeptical at first about getting another baby girl in the family, since I am supposed to be the baby, but now she is one of my best friends and I don't know what  I would do without her. I love you so much Princess Brianna Happy 4th Birthday!

My thoughts

Alright, so apparently there was some vote yesterday in the Supreme Court which involved same-sex marriage. I read an article about the vote but it was really confusing and didn't help me understand. There was obviously a lot of stuff on facebook and twitter and equality and all that good stuff. It got me thinking about where I stood on the subject of same sex marriage.
THIS IS MY PERSONAL OPINION.  You don't have to agree with me and quite frankly I don't care whether you do or not. I have not formed my political opinion as far as which party I belong too, although I tend to agree with the Republican party.
I do not agree with the choice of people who choose to love or be with someone of the same sex. However, I do not believe it is my right, or anyone else's right, to take away another person's rights just because I don't agree with their choices.
I recognize that a counter argument could be made where someone would say- what about the choices of criminals or someone who chose to have an abortion. I think everyone agrees that a criminal deserves to have their rights taken away. And I also don't agree with abortions. I don't think people who have abortions or gay people are criminals though. But that's an entirely different topic....
This country was founded in order for people to have freedom. And everyone has certain unalienable rights. I think that telling someone who they can and cannot marry is taking away that person's rights, I also think it's discrimination and a form of socialism.
I don't know too much about science or history but I have been told that almost every civilization before us has had homosexuality as a common and widely accepted practice and that homosexuality is also found within nature.
Alright so then there is the other side, the Christian side. I was born and raised a Christian, I am active in my church, I love Jesus. Christians believe that homosexuality is a sin, and they can give you scripture to prove it.

Genesis 2:18-23

 "The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.¹⁹ Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky.He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. ²⁰ So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.But for Adam^[f] no suitable helper was found. ²¹ So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs^[g] and then closed up the place with flesh. ²² Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib^[h] he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.²³ The man said,

“This is now bone of my bones
    and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called ‘woman,’
    for she was taken out of man.”

²⁴ That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh."

I believe that all men were created equal. I believe that all sin is equal. I believe that men and women were created to be together. There is a perfect design for men and women to unite (sexually) and I don't think God intended for people of the same sex to unite in the way that they do (sexually and emotionally). I believe that homosexuality is a sin, even if it has been practiced for thousands of years. But I don't believe that we should take the rights away from homosexuals. I sin every day. I have done more than one thing that is against the law, I just managed not to get caught. But my sin is forgiven, because Jesus loved me enough to die for my sin a long time ago. God also died for the homosexuals and he loves them. So even if I don't support the decision I will show them love because that's all I have been called to do. 

Fun agenda

A lot of fun stuff is about to happen! Today is me and Seth's first official anniversary although we decided we have probably been together more like 2 1/2 years. We finally decided how to celebrate...zip lining! Although it will be too cold this weekend so we are going to go next weekend. This weekend we will be celebrating my mom's birthday and probably go out to dinner and a movie just the two of us :)
Something else fun that will be coming up, although I don't know when yet is a pedicure for Seth and I. We had a bet on when our youth pastor would get engaged, and I won so we get to go get pedicures and he has to pay!
THEN mom and I are going to North Carolina in April to see Bri and Hunter and Kaleb! THEN in May me and my parents and Seth and his mom are GOING TO NEW YORK!!!!!!!!! It's going to be sooooo much fun!