Facebook Foofs (yes, foofs), Driving Disasters, and a Hopeful Heart

I might just quit facebook. I'm tired of being harassed about my views and all the passive agressiveness on there.

If I see an extremely unattractive or possibly x-rated picture of one of my friends, you sure as hell bet that I'll tell them because I care about them. We all have those pictures. People like me have them more often than not, just because I'm extremely non-photogenic. I'm sorry if you'd rather not hear the truth, but I really do care about you and the way you present yourself to the world.

No matter what, I accept all my goofy friends, no matter what. Whether they're transgendered, cross-dressers, gay, republican, religious, country-music lovers, poor, rich, white, black, etc. (And yes, I have at least one friend for each of the above.)

Sorry, it's been a rough day. I'm just a bit sad and shaken up. I made several driving mistakes today, mother got scared and started yelling, and I hit a curb (no apparent physical damage, though.) I am determined to improve, however! Mr.Beardly has been awfully depressed about our situation of not being able to see each other as often as we'd like. I've been sad too, but not quite as much because I've been planning a little surprise for him. <3 And goodness knows, he never reads my blog (No one reads my blog, lol, this shit is boring, man! XD) so I'm not worried about him finding out. However, it's better to be safe than sorry, right?

I was inspired yet again by my cousin Butch. His most recent FB status talked about him losing two friends because they did not agree with his philosophies and they were very negative all the time. I knew what that felt like, so I could sympathize with him. His philosophies have been part of the reason I am enjoying life so much today! I must give credit to myself, though, too. Had I not come to my own conclusions based on the experiences within my own life, his words would have fallen on deaf ears and a stone heart. Thankfully, I've never let myself become completely shut off and now it feels so wonderful to just be open and loving and to not live in fear of being hurt anymore. Every day is another chance to share a smile, cheer a friend, help a random stranger, so many things! Even bad experiences, they teach you so much! Once again I feel so thankful that my life has been filled with so many "bad experiences". To me, they have all been an opportunity to grow! I haven't risen successfully from all of them, but I am doing my best now, and things are looking pretty good. :)

Have a wonderful day everyone/anyone! Please remember, keep your chin up, and keep an open mind and heart! Carpe Diem <3

Good Deeds witnessed! :3

Today, I happily experienced (and witnessed) many good deeds being done, for the sake of another person. For anyone that needs a booster (or proof that there are good people in the universe) please read! ^_^

~~~ First, I'd like to thank miss Tanis. She's an employee at Walmart. I was looking at all the phones and plans and she was SO KIND and INFORMATIVE! She knew what she was talking about! And today, after I ordered a phone from walmart.com, I called up the store to see if I could get the additional warranty added, and guess who answered: MISS TANIS! She was so helpful, she even remembered me. ^_^ So, thank you miss Tanis, for making my Walmart shopping experience ever so pleasant!

~~~ Next up! Today at the farm market, one woman was short 50 cents for her purchase. After realizing this, she was about to simply put back one of her items. The lady checking out next to her set 50 cents down in front of her and said not to worry about it, then she walked off with her own groceries. Thank you, anonymous stranger, for your kind deed. ^_^ It has not gone unnoticed!


~~~ Miss Amy Kaple! My finantial-aid packager. Today she gave me a call back, and I was able to get my work-study back AND reduce my loan! Thank you Amy, for helping me to sort out my finantial aid package and keep my wonderful job at school!

~~~ The guy in the dunk tank at the Aero's game last night. He was such a good sport. He played it up for the kids, plugging his nose and making faces. There was one kid who threw the ball and missed; then the dunk-tank guy told the kid's friends to cheer him on. The friend started jumping up and down, shouting "C'MON, YOU CAN DO IIITTT!!!". Holy cow, the next ball hit smack in the middle, and SPLASH went dunk-tank dude. He then told the kids, "See, that's the power of positivity." *HIGH FIVE MR!* That guy's got the right attitude!

~~~ And last, I'd just like to mention how AWESOME it felt to donate 5 bags of old clothing to Goodwill the other day. I never wore that stuff anyway, and now some (non-high-brow) family can buy and wear my clothing, since I took really good care of it! Afterwards, I bought three new dresses and a pair of shoes (from another thrift store). Sharing is caring! :3 I love thrift store clothing. I'm not picky, I just like something that covers my goodies and feels comfortable. Who needs a $300 dress when a $2 one will work just as well?

* Witnessed any good deeds? Done any good deeds yourself? Please post in the comments below~ Together, we can spread goodness and positive vibes! =^_^= *

Story of a girl + my life update

Let me tell you the story of a girl. Please read the entire story before you read the information at the bottom of the page. This girl might just change the way you view other people. This is a story of someone I know.


She was about sixteen years old when she began to date a seemingly nice fellow a few years older. After a little over half a year together, something happened. She became pregnant. She was barely seventeen, and still in highschool. She married the father, of course, just before the baby was born. A baby girl was born, beautiful as could be. The young couple depended greatly on the girl's parents for financial and emotional support, since neither the boy nor the girl was ready to be a parent. The young man did his best to support his family. However, he became facinated and obsessed with the occult. He got a large religious symbol tattoo'd onto his chest. The girl is still not yet 20 years old, and now the young couple is getting divorced. Their poor baby child will likely suffer the repercussions of their poor decision making. 

Now, this seems like a sad story, right? It is. It's really tragic for the poor child. It's unfortunate for the young couple too. So young, and now each of them is carrying so much baggage. Maybe she's from a poor family? Maybe she's a minority race? Maybe she's one of those "filthy" liberals?

Please highlight the next paragraph to see the truth.
Fact: The young girl is a white, die-hard christian and conservative republican. She absolutely hates homosexuals and muslims. She believes that Obama is the antichrist. She has said several hateful statements over her facebook. She is completely against abortion and birth control. She is from a wealthy family and believes all poor people are lazy. She judges pretty much anyone whom is different from her (or anyone who tries to cure her ignorance).

Still feel sorry for her? Well, actually, I do. I feel sorry that she's filled with so much hate.

All I am saying, is that we shouldn't judge others without owning up to our faults and poor decisions. I'm not perfect either, in fact, I'm far from it. I've lied, I've tried alcohol, I'm currently sleeping in a car, I sometimes blow off friends because I'm feeling antisocial, and so much more. I think, what causes hate might be when people hold themselves to different standards than others. This girl would be friend material to me if only she wasn't filled with such hatred and hypocrisy.  You can mess up your life as much as you want, but don't go preaching about your "good values". Good values are only worth something if you show them in your actions and choices in life.

I will NEVER tolerate ignorant hatred.

I want a baby so much, but seeing all these train-wrecks prevents me from doing something foolish. I will wait until my life is all goddamn set for me to have a baby. I'm going to do everything I can for my child, even before I end up pregnant. I believe abortion should be available for ALL WOMEN, even if I myself wouldn't terminate my little parasite. I want to raise a child very much, but I am well aware that I am not ready, even at the age of 20! This is not just for me. This is for my future family.

So let's all focus on solving the problems in our own lives, instead of being mean to other people.

SO! Let me tell you how I've been working on my life's issues:

My diet has been going well! I've kept pretty strict on it, and I never realized how little I really need to eat in order to feel full. Work has been going well too! I love the days where my boss makes me do a lot of work, instead of just standing behind the counter all day. It's only after I've sweat my ass off that I really feel like I've done a good job. I feel happy whenever the customers talk to me like a real person :D It's helped me to become kinder in the way I treat other customer service helpers.

Good news! I should be switching to a new cell phone and company soon. Probably just Straight Talk. That will be one less thing my mom has to worry about. Sprint's prices have just gotten ridiculous!

I only have two more years of college left! Yippee! I will probably try to get a Masters degree in something if I can afford it, but for now I'll just start looking for some good full-time jobs after graduation.

Poor Mr. Beardly has been stressed out about his car. I'm hoping it doesn't affect our relationship too bad. I've been doing what I can for him. I told him I'd pay for his new engine, but he wouldn't take my offer. That guy is such a sweetheart. I'm looking forward to seeing how long I can stay by his side <3 It's funny, even if our relationship doesn't work out... I will still always cherish the time we've spent together. He's been one of the best things to ever happen to me. He is such a sweetheart. He really deserves the best. And he has helped me to grow so much!

Hell, I'm driving in my car with my dad as a teacher. All for some guy! I must be nuts.

No, I think... I think they call it "love".

Be bold, be bold, little star.

I feel quite satisfied today. I've finally decided that I won't be afraid of anything anymore. I am not going to allow myself to let silly things prevent me from achieving my best!

Today, I donated $3 to the Obama campaign. Yes, I am soooo desperate to attend his birthday party! I want to wear my Raichu cosplay and give the president a pokemon glomp ^_^ Boy, that would totally make my life worthwhile! It might sound like I'm kidding... but... you'd be surprised. :P

So I've been sleeping in a car for just about a month now. It's been a little hotter than normal this summer, but so far it's only been miserable for 2 or 3 nights. It's really not as bad as it seems. Most of the time I fall asleep like a baby. It's so nice to wake up to fresh air! Plus, rent is FREE!!!

My boss gave me one of her leftover stuffed peppers that she cooked last night. I have been craving stuffed peppers so bad! I'm so excited to try it tonight! I'm sure it will be super yummy. 

In other news, I now have this lovely little sign to hang in my dorm room.

A pinch of positivity :)

My total body-mind-spirit cleanse is working fantastically!!!

I remember a few conversations I’ve had with my Cousin Butch. I’ll never be able to remember everything he’s told me, but he’s a really wise man. He once told me that everything starts from the inside out. And I’ve found out that it’s absolutely true!

A pinch of positivity goes a long way!

I’ve never realized before how much I really love working at the greenhouse and farm market! Every customer that I speak with just makes my day so much brighter! I’m so happy that I can’t help but smile and chat with them to make their shopping experience as enjoyable as possible.

Even working full shifts the past two days, in this 100 degree weather (not exaggerating), has been really fun! I love all the girls I work with, they are fantastic! Sure, I’m sweating myself to death, but it makes each little breeze feel like heaven. I’m really learning that the small pleasures in life, are actually the most important. :)

The sweat and screaming muscles also reminds me that I’m losing toxins and weight! I can feel my abs on my tummy if I poke really hard, but about an inch of insulating fat remains. Maybe I should just stay the way I am, I’ll probably freeze if I lose any more body fat. Dear body, thank you for all your hard work! I will never call you fat or ugly or stupid ever again.

Also, working helps me earn more money for my family and my car. Lilly still needs some work, but hopefully soon I’ll be getting her on the road and getting my license so I can take her down to school with me. The more mobile I am, the more people I can serve! I will finally be able to volunteer at the humane society more often.

I can’t believe how big of a difference just having a pinch of positivity makes on my life. Absolutely nothing is physically different, but I feel a million times happier on a day-to-day basis. And now all I want to do is spread the love and hopefully infect the people and customers I see every day. :) And it’s also thanks to my role models, I’ll be posting about them soon!

Even all the comments and messages I once interpreted as being hurtful and bitter, I was just being stupid and my mind was cloudy! I see now that my friend wanted exactly the same thing I want now: to be the best that I can be, and to keep on working to make myself into a better person and the world a better place! :) 

I’m doing my best. Life isn’t perfect, nor will it ever be, but with a pinch of positivity, almost anything is possible!!! :) And I'm trying to work hard to infect others with this amazing happy-bug I've got going on! 

Side-effects are listed below:

- Excessive smiling

- Occasional giggles

- Warm, fuzzy feeling in chest cavity

- Potential desire to hug others

- In rare cases, kittens may spontaneously appear. If this occurs, please call your local animal shelter.

Critter Tales! Killdeer, Gimpy the Robin, and Barn Swallows!

And now it's time for the critter corner! :) Adorable little stories and lessons about my backyard's wilderness. Today I'm going to focus on the amazing birds of my backyard.

Killdeer

I'd like to start by saying a Killdeer is neither violent, nor a deer. It's a bird. It gets it's name from the shrill cry it makes. This link is absolutely amazing for information about Killdeer: Kildeer, Idenfitication, All About Birds.

Pictured below is an adult. Killdeer are also known for their clever way of protesting their young. A parent will squawk and flap it's wings like shown below, pretending to be injured. This is intended to lead a potential predator away from the nest and towards the parent who is perfectly capable of escaping danger.

They like to make nests in what I call our "dump", where my father used to have dirt dumped. Now it's just a dry, weedy plane of...well.... dirt. Here's what a nest looks like:

After a few weeks, my dad and I were starting to think the eggs were not fertile and thus were never going to hatch. Before I drifted off to sleep, my hand drifted to my lower abdomen and I said a little prayer of fertility for them, thinking on my own hopes to someday be able to have a child. The next morning, look at what I found in the nest:

 

Look at the one that just hatched! The runt of the egg clutch is still damp!!! How precious! The other one must have hatched earlier. Another baby was only a few feet from the nest. The fourth baby was already up and running around. Look at the little adventurer. :)

Seeing them left such a warm, fuzzy feeling in my heart. I couldn't help but pet one of the fluffy ones before I said goodbye. X3 On the day that they hatched, I had many more awesome animal encounters.

Captain Falcon / Gimpy

This is one of those "inspirational" animals. I've seen this little bird hopping around my backyard. He's a young robin. It seems he doesn't have any parents looking out for him, teaching him how to catch worms and whatnot. What's more, his wing appears to be broken. He can't fly at all. It's been over a week now since he showed up. But every day, I wake up to see him hopping around happily outside. That kid's a fighter. No matter an orphan, no matter a gimp, he's getting along just as fine as any other robin. So he can't fly, he's not letting that get him down. So I renamed him Captain Falcon. He's got the spirit of a falcon, that's how he's surviving and thriving. I hope I can be stronger like you, Captain Falcon. You inspire me.

The Barn Swallows

I love the barn swallows that show up every summer. Barn Swallow, Identification, All About Birds.These guys look like they have so much fun flying in the sky, swooping and diving. Their call is also quite unique. Sounding more like chitters and mechannical sounds.

Pictured to the right are two juvenile barn swallows. The parents have been flying in and out of our garage for over the past month. Originally they had four little babies up in a nest in the (falling-apart) insulation on the ceiling. Not too long after they hatched, the poor babies fell out onto the hood of our car!!! It's happened in the past though, and sadly one year my father didn't know in time and all the babies died.

We took care of them though. My dad put them into a box with a towel and set it up high so the cat couldn't get to it. I didn't think it would work, but sure enough, the parents kept caring for the babies and one day they flew out and two sat on the wire up in the garage, where I took this picture. A week or so later, it seems as though the parents are building a new nest!

----

All three of these birds fill me with such a sense of wonder and amazement at the living things in this world! Especially the determination to survive and protect their young. Maybe, just maybe, we humans could learn a little something from them. 

I've got plenty more happy Critter Tales coming soon! Next time look forward to: Golden Retrievers, my cat Rikki, and more. :)