Family Vacations

Going on road trips with friends is muchdifferent than going with family. when you are with family you are stuck with people you love most for a long period of time. Over this time you may get along just fine but what fun would that be. My family and I just recently went to Disneyland. This is a 16 hour drive from where I live. The trip there was split up into two days. this wasnt so bad. Once we arrived we had to split the rooms and figure out who was to get a bed alone instead of sharing. Seeing as I am the only girl I didnt have to share. This gave all the boys a reason to whine just as they always do. This is one reason I cant stand being in the same room as my five brothers for 24 hours staight. They whine whether they get their way or not. Finally I decided I would sleep with my youngest brother. Only problem there is he still wets the bed. Needless to say that arangement didnt work out so well for me.
Okay enough with the self pity and negativity, my vaccation wasnt so bad. I did have a lot of fun. We stayed in Disneyland for three days, attended a pirates dinner, went to the beach and then seaworld. We had little trouble the entire time we were there. Packing up and leaving however was a whole other story. once we were all finished packing my mother discovered her car keys missing. We searched everywhere we could think of including in every pocket of every article of clothing we had with us. We searched the bags, The bed, under the beds, in closets, and cupboards; no luck. Finally I decided to try looking through my bag again and sure enough it was in there. I guess when My brother tossed it onto the nightstand the night before it fell into my bag instead.
Why didnt I think about looking in there before? Oh well I guess. At least I can say I am happy to finally be home.

Valuable Lessons

Usually when a person tells me you learn something new everyday I take this at face value or just push it aside. Today I learned a very valuable lesson. You can plan for everything that needs to be done or you want done. You can plan when you intend to do your homework for instance. What you can never plan on is life throwing obstacles your way. I had planned on getting ahead on all my assignments so that I could be a week ahead and have some down time. I planned out a new study plan that would have me doing two weeks worth of assignments in my time off from work. On the final day I realized that I was already a week behind and those two weeks that I had just finished were for the previous and current work. Needless to say I didn't get the down time I was looking for but hey on the bright side I'm not behind anymore.

Fire!!! Fire!!! Fire!!!

Today was a very eventful day. This morning at Angel Station Childcare Center where I am currently employed was a typical morning. I usually begin my work day at five in the morning so when children come they usually go back to sleep. For once every one of them fell asleep. This helped tremendously since I not only had to make breakfast but also begin the stew that was planned for lunch. I finish preparing lunch and just begin on breakfast when suddenly the smoke alarms all start going off. For everyone who doesn't know, business fire alarms sound pretty much like the ones at schools only louder. This has all the kids, except two, awake and freaking out. I'm trying to keep calm while I gather up the two babies who are in the cribs sleeping and get all the others to calm down and orderly exit the building. Seconds after I get everyone outside the phone starts ringing. In previous fire drills I was instructed to answer this call if no one was in danger. I was also told that none of the kids were to reenter the building until after the alarms were shut off. I was the only staff member so it was either answer the phone and bring the kids inside with me or have the firetrucks all come and wait outside with the kids. Since there wasn't any danger I thought it more practical to go answer the phone. I told the operator there wasn't a fire but I cant get the alarms to turn off. I was instructed to enter the password and everything would be back to normal. I had no idea what password to enter but thank goodness my supervisor pulled up. I raced out to her car to see if she knew. Just my luck she didn't and to top it all of the fire department showed up anyway. one of the firemen showed me what to do in order to reset the alarms and silence them. They asked me many questions; did I burn anything? was there any smoke? was there any steam? All of these I answered no to. He then proceeded to inspect all of the detectors and found the one that set the alarms off. Ironically it wasn't the one in the kitchen but the one in the other room farthest from it. Needless to say I didn't start all the chaos it was just an unfortunate malfunction. Although everyone knew this they still teased me. Needless to say they will be making fun of my already not so perfect cooking skills for the next century.

Helpful Friends

Every once in a while you will find someone who makes you happy. I'm not talking about smiling even when life is dreary and dull. I'm talking about real total happiness that only comes with relationships you can share only with few people in life. It is rare to find someone you don't fight with, get jealous of, or lose connection with. I am lucky enough to have three of these friends. Even more rare is having both of them not only ground me emotionally but also faith wise. I was not always a strong follower of Christ. sure I went to church, filled a pew; sang every word of every song; and somewhat read my Bible. To many of my readers I understand that not everyone is into the whole "Religion thing" but to tell you the truth these three friends of mine changed my attitude completely. Now I'm not just sitting through service pretending to be interested or barely staying awake. These three girls are my encouraging supporters who helped me learn God is not just a fictional character people tell stories about. They helped me understand that he is so much more; he is someone who is always there to listen when you feel alone. He will be a comforter when you feel pain he will be a best friend when you need someone by your side; he takes the place of anything you are lacking in this world. I just want to thank Danielle,Kim and Alyssa for helping me keep my eyes and heart focused on him.

Friends

Friends are very special people. Some are there to pick you up when you have fallen, others are there to help you laugh your way through the hard times. I love seeing my friends, I enjoy talking to them face to face. Most always when I see their faces they are waiting with a smile.
Although we get along most of the time, our relationships are not always perfect. I have a friend who likes to make everything we discuss an argument, why he does this I have no idea. Every once in a while we will get to talking about creationism vs evolution. For all who don't know that's basically the Big Bang Theory vs God creating everything as it is printed in the Bible. Anytime I mention the Bible as being the true inspired word of God he gets huffy and begins arguing. I think its because he thinks I'm trying to persuade and convert him. The truth is I would like to "convert"him but not by force. He makes it so hard for me to stay calm and explain things rationally. Anytime he tries to counteract what I say he doesn't come up with any new information but repeats what little facts he has. It is really frustrating and makes me want to force my beliefs on him which I know is not the way to go. Even though he irritates me and believes that I will give up on him, just as hundreds of people have done in the past, I remind him everyday I'm one person who will stay by his side through thick and thin.

KIDS

Many people say they dont ever want to have kids. to many they are just another mouth to feed. what ever happened to the more children the more hands around the house. What ever happened to the more the marrier? I think children would be a great asset to any home. children are there for you no matter how much work there is to be done whether its the chores around the house or going to the office. Although they may be messy at times and clingy oh yeah and needy, they will always be there to cheer you up and give you unconditional love. they are the peace keepers (most of the time) of this world. they see things that we as adults only use to think of. whens the last time you helped someone up when they fell just because thats something you do? whens the last time you looked at a stranger and asked them if they had a good day? This is one experience I cant wait to have. children remind us that life isnt just about work work work but play luagh smile. they can bring us back to earth and help us stay true to ourselves.

Life has flown by so quickly I never really thought about what others thought of me as I was growing up. On day I was attending my church service when one of the older members came to me and said how proud they were that I have finally found myself and have begun to define who I am as an adult. Like this would to most people It made me stop and think to my self. I thought what the heck I had no Idea I was lost. Can someone be found if they aren't lost? I never even noticed a change in myself. I asked a few of my close friends if they noticed a change and all of them agreed they haddent noticed. this bugged me for a while until about a month later my co worker was telling me how her children really look up to me. I didnt know what to say. Again I haddent noticed someone watching me and following the things I did. I became concerned and went back to my Church member and asked her what she meant when she said I found myself. She told me it wasnt really a matter of acctually finding myself but growing up and into my faith and confidence. This made me realize that what people notice most is not what you wear or look like but how you speak and act.

When people say never judge a book by its cover I guess it is for a good reason. The other night my brother brought his girlfriend home. I saw her around when we use to go to the same high school so I saw what she was like at school. I thought she was superficial and stuck up. She was someone I wouldnt even talk to because I thought she was way too out there and a bit over the top for me. The last thing I thought would happen was to have her invited into my home. I guess looking back now I see that maybe I was the one whou was stuck up. I was just jelous, maybe not of her but of any girl who had a chance to wiggle their way into my tightly knit family. I, being the only girl havent ever had to share my space. Im use to being the princess of the house and not having to compete with another for attention. I know it was wrong now, hence I see that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. As the night progressed I began talking to her and found that she was confident and nice. She was really intrested in what I had to say and was really respectful of my space. The moral of this story treat others with respect and get to know them before you start passing judgements, you never know you may find you like this person afterall.

False impressions.

First impressions can be extremely harsh. What I wouldnt give to go back in time, change the past, and ultimatly change the way many people percieved me upon their first impression. I met my brothers new girlfriend yesterday and found myself picking her apart finding as many flaws as I possibly could. As I was doing this I cought myself and asked myself why? Why did I feel the need to find fault in her? was it really that I didnt like her? Then I remembered she wasnt the first of his girlfriends that I have done this too. Why? Was I jelous? Of course. I am the only girl in my family so naturaly it is my territory. For her to come in was frustrating. Once I got to know her I learned that she was slightly intimidated by me. When I asked her about it she said that it was because I had an air of arrogence about me and she felt like she was trying to push herself onto me. After hearing this I found that not only will I have to live with my Untrue and wrongly founded first impression of her but also her false Impression of me. Lesson here.... Give one another a chance before making conclusions about them. they may turn out to be people you might end up friends with in the long run.

How young is too young?

Even though people say you can never love someone too much I would say that loving someone too much can hurt more than it can help. For example, when parents love their children so much they begin to smother them. I hav heard of mothers and fathers going overboard on rules. I know of a girl whou wasnt aloud to date as long as she was living in her parents house. infortunatly for her she wasnt aloud to work until she was eighteen and didnt move out of her parents house until she was twenty two. Therefore she couldnt date until she was twenty two. Talk about over extreme. come on parents its okay to be protective but to what extreme? telling an adult she cant date even years after she is a legal adult is just cruel. Yes girls should have an age when they should be able to date but does it really need to be when she is old enough and even has friends who are getting married? This maddness Is almost abusive. I would say the perfect age would be sixteen give or take a year. It also depends on how mature and resopnsible the girl is. If she is someone who makes wise decisions and has good taste in guys ( not going for the pushy good looking guys who only want to get in her pants) Then I think she is mature enough to date, at least double dating. But if the girl isnt focused on things that are really truly important then of course she shouldnt be aloud this privedge. Now I know that most parents think highly of their daughters and know for a fact that if she and her date were to get into any trouble it would be all the guys fault right. WRONG, I mean come on the guy may have raging hormones but so does your daughter. It takes two to tango my friend. This is why the first couple of dates should be in the privacy of your own home with the entire family. This way you can keep an eye on them, profile the date and keep your daughter somewhat happy. This may upset her but she will get over it, just remind her that she could still not be aloud to date. This will give both the parents and the teenager a reason to be happy. This shows that you love your child enough to set rules but not smother.

Faith comes in many different packages. They can be small or large, colorful or plain, simple or complex. When someone puts their faith in you shouldn't you treat it with respect. If this person is able to step out of their zone and have complete faith that you will be there to catch them if they fall, shouldn't you be able to take the leap and catch them? Not because its the polite thing, Not even for a reward picking someone up and dusting them off when they feel broken shows that you care. Doesn't everyone want a hand to hold on to? I'm sure no one wants to walk life's dark, narrow paths alone. If you know someone who seems lost or broken take the time to acknowledge them and let them know that there is someone out there who can be the light. they can lead the way even when it seems impossible. Faith comes with trust and building relationships. Some may have more than others in this case they should put their faith to the test. See how many people you can reach out to today whether its your boss, a coworker, best friend, or a complete stranger who looks downtrodden. you never know it may change a life. With a little trust you can help build faith as well as the self esteem of not only yourself but also those of others around you making life better and the world an easier place to live in.

Growing Up

Why can't everything stay the same. I remember when I was little I could spend most of my time using my imagination and relaxing with friends. I also remember when I felt like everyone was telling me I couldn't do all this all the time. I was so frustrated when I had to come home and go to bed. I hated the fact that I had to tell my mother every little detail before I went any where and I had to be home and in bed by 8:30. None of my friends had bedtimes. None of them had to ask to go places ( including next door). Now that I'm older I can look back and truly say thank you mom for the Bed time and the structured life. Now that I'm not required to check in or say where I'm going I find myself doing it anyway. I believe that no matter how old you are you are never too old for your parents to be in your business. When they ask you questions such as " Where were you" , " Who were you with", or even " when did you get home", It means they still care. It means they didn't just push you out of the nest and say austa lavista. They like being kept in the loop. They want to feel like you still need them; after all you were there little baby at one point. So don't get mad When you re parents seem a little pushy ( even if you are married or no longer live with them). If it seems a little overwhelming just let them know they'll back off if you are honest with them. If you don't communicate how are they to know they are imposing?

Public Transportation

My biggest fear in life was Public transportation. I know to most people this would sound like an irrational fear However If you have been through you would think it was completely rational. When I began my first semester at BSU I had to drive 45 minutes from caldwell to Boise. This may not seem like a big deal but to me it was. you see every time I drove I had to fill up my gas Tank and pay ten to twenty dollars a day just for parking. This may not seem much to many but it amounts to about thirty dollars a week. then I found out that all students have access to free bus passes. I decided that I would try the bus. The first day I rode Everything was going great until two creepy guys began hitting on me at one of the bus stops. They even tried to get me to ride with them in their car. Of course I refused and got on the bus. That same day on the way home I had another guy try to take me home with him. I got away from him as soon as possible. The next time I decided to try it again just to make sure It was just a fluke. The second time my bus was late, therefore I was late for my transfer and was stuck in an unfailiar Nampa. I decided third times the charm. If everything didnt run smoothly the third time i would give up and just waste the thirty dollars a week. Today was the third day and yet again I missed the bus and had to have my frustrated mother come get me. I dont know if its just me but it is quite annoying. I dont know what I should do now. Its nice that I dont have to spend three hours on a bus when I could be at home doing homework but its alo nice riding the bus not having to sit in rush hour or pay for parking or gas.

love and kindness

If you love someone aren't you kind to them? In turn If you are kind to someone you should love them. Many people say keep your friends close but keep your enemies closer. The Bible says love your neighbor as well as your enemies and pray for those who do wrong to you. Kindness is something we all can work on each and everyday, even the most kind people in our world. As humans we are flawed. we speak of love and being kind to one another but many of us are holding a grudge on someone we once loved or barely even knew. I know I'm not perfect and still have some hatred I'm trying to get over. Even though I don't actually hate anyone, having anger in your heart is having hate. If you, like me, are trying to be righteous forgive those who have done wrong to you. I challenge you to call, write, text, or e-mail this person and say " I'm sorry for all the anger and pain between us". you may not feel that you have done anything wrong to have to apologize but I'm sure that's not how the other person sees it. Besides, it takes two to tango. no one can have a fight on their own it takes two sides so whether or not you think you did anything wrong you probably did. All rifts can be smoothed over with a little effort and some communication, so go on tell the person how much they actually mean to you then watch the bridge of friendship mend.

Thats what friends are for

you know life is beautiful when you have friends and family to lift you up. even the poorest of men( and women) is rich when they have people who care. how many times a day do you tel those your closest to you love them. Whens the last time you told your mother and father how thankful you are for them? Whens the last time you told your sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, even your best friend how much you care? we as humans go about our daily lives not thinking about how others feel. we are all guilty of being wrapped up in our own little worlds. Why cant we do something for someone else instead of looking out for ourselves. for everyone who reads this I challenge you to do something extra special, and I mean over the top for someone you love. It may surprise them but deep down it will make them feel good just as it will make you feel.

the cost of living in peace

whats with our society these days? why is it always the blame game? if you do something wrong and are called out on it why dont you man or woman up and admit that you were wrong? Its like the song maybe its maybiline by RelientK no one wants to take responsibility for our own actions. throughtout history man has blamed every thing and anyone so as not to get caught. Butwhat happens really? Sure it gets you out of trouble for what, a day? a month? so what someone else is getting blamed its not like thy are geting hurt. Truth is they could very well be getting hurt. maybe not physically but mentally. how many times have you been in trouble for something you didnt do? Can you honestly say you didnt think to yourself and ask why you're being punished when you didnt do anything wrong. how manytimes have you helpped someone who stabbed you in the back by later turning around and blaming you for something they have done? If you have never in your life experienced this you can't possibly be human. no matter how great or small the punnishment or its length, I'm sure you didn't appreciate it. Instead of seeking revenge why dont youturn the other cheek. Better yet if you are the betrayer why dont you grow a backbone and admitt to your wrongs.

Life as we know it is filled with people of all shapes and sizes, colors and faiths. every individual is just that, an individual. every person is unique in his or her own way. like a fingerprint no two beings are the same; no matter how much they look alike. what makes each of us unique has to do with, yeah as always our genetic makeup, but also our environment we were brought up in and the experiences we've gone through. Although we may have gone through something similar to that of another, it doesn't mean we've gone through the exact same thing. yeah the same advice can be given to two different people who have gone through similar things but that doesn't mean they will interpret it the same way. If you want to really get someone to listen, try to speak to them as a person, an individual, not as a group of people, or generalization. For example if you know of someone who has lost a loved one and you didn't know them or the loved one very well, just heard through the grape vine that they lost someone, don't apologize for their loss. they don't want to hear it. to them its another shallow attempt to make conversation and forces them to recognize they are surrounded by people who listen to others talk about them and gossip about another persons grief. Instead save this mindless chatter to0 share with others who love to gossip. Now if you know the person and the lost loved one then its okay to share your feelings on a deeper level, not just a simple " I'm sorry" and " We'll truly miss them". sharing with this person shows that you actually care and are comfortable in sharing and even lightening their burdens. So please encourage those around you, show them they mean something to you by taking the time to listen and give advice to them as an individual and not a general public. everyone is unique and deserves a unique conversation.