Solid

In the face of opposition I will stand my ground.
Who are you to tell me what I can and cannot do?
Are you my Creator?
Do you have any control over my destiny?
I think not.
The God I serve SPOKE the heavens and the earth into creation.
The God I serve has a plan and purpose for my life.
The God I serve loved ME enough to sacrifice His Son.
The God I serve says that I am more than a conqueror through Him.
You can say what you want
And think what you want.
It has no effect on me.
Opposition, go ahead and find anotha’ sucka
: I am standing
on SOLID ground.

Corners...

Have you ever felt that you were backed in a corner and the only way that you could get out is to fight your way out? That is how I have been feeling a couple of situations in my life. My husband and I lived with his parents for about two years and recently (in Feb.) moved out of their house into our “own” small apartment. We chose a location that was semi close to I-10 but also gave us easy access to the U of A since I am going to school there. I wanted it to be close enough that I could ride my bike or take the bus (without having a ride that takes more than 30 minutes). We were in heaven… for about 4.5 weeks.


Then other people in my life made choices. These choices were careless and selfish and had reverberating affects on many people. So, after talking with my husband and attempting to convince him that it is okay for us to be selfish in this aspect, I was overruled (he is the sweetest, most caring, generous person that I know). The day after my 27th birthday, my husband and I became the "helpers." Happy birthday to me. Not really. More like goodbye freedom. Hello cigarette smoke. Hello confinement. Hello craziness.

The problem is that we can't just give up on family, we must stick by them and be there even when it is hard and frustrating and we're hanging on to the knot we tied at the end of our rope of patience. But the other problem is that I am barely hanging on to that rope but I feel like there is nothing I can do about it. I have never been on this side of the situation (before it was my in-laws letting my husband and me stay with them while I was recovering from Vally Fever and then letting us stay a little longer while we caught up on bills that had accumulated from the treatment). So, being the one that is the "helper" is different for me. AND HARDER. Which explains why I feel backed into a corner!

Anyone been in this type of situation before? How did you cope?

Why?!

Okay, so I have to get off topic for just a minute. Why is it that women, no matter the size, feel the need to wear short shorts and skirts as soon as the temperature begins to creep up? I’m not just talking about us bigger girls either.

Today, while I was out with my husband I witnessed two atrocities: the first one was a bigger girl with booty shorts on (and yes, I saw her booty). The other was a skinny girl with short shorts on but this girl had more cellulite than the bigger girl! All I could ask is, “Why?”

Obviously these females were proud of what they have- or what they think they have. But what about the rest of us who have no desire to see all of that? Are they really that selfish?

I have a rule that I don’t even wear shorts because of a strange “creeper” phenomenon: they creep up into the crotch further and further with each step the perpetrator takes. So, I decided that since I can’t wear them the right way, I just won’t wear them at all. I don’t know a better way to address this issue. I am concerned for these women who have no sense of modesty or decency to know that some stuff should be covered when you walk out the house.

My grandma gave me a good piece of advice to tell the kids at school: When you walk out the house, make sure that you’ve covered the three Bs- your Boobs, your Butt and your Belly! And if it doesn’t bother you, at least think about the rest of us!!!

Can't We All Just Get Along?

Conflicts. What’s the deal with them? We all know they are inevitable so why are we always surprised when they occur? Maybe we think we are immune because we are of the utmost moral integrity? Maybe we feel that we treat people how we want to be treated and that definitely couldn’t cause a conflict, right? Wrong.
I think a lot of conflicts between students have to deal with someone perceiving something to be one way when they really were (or weren’t) another. “She said I don’t know how to coordinate.” “She was looking at my boyfriend.” “He told me I was weak and didn’t deserve to have a girlfriend as pretty as mine.” “S/he said I was/looked/acted/sounded gay.” Why the conflict? Do you feel that you need to defend your sexual preference? Are you struggling in that area? Did the person call you out on something that you already knew was the truth? Come on!
I used to hate it when my older sister would want to have a talk with me. These talks always circled around the idea of why I had no friends. Basically, when it came down to it: I was just too darn mean! There really isn’t a nice way to tell someone that they are mean and unpleasant to be around- if you think about it. So those discussions would always end with me in tears and vowing to “never talk to her again.” But the hard part was that she was right.
So, why all the drama?! I don’t think it is hard to have a peaceable talk with the people with whom we are in a conflict with. But one of the people, or groups, in the situation has to be able to be mature enough to respectfully engage in a non-confrontational discussion. The key word: RESPECTFUL. In most every aspect of society, we have to give respect in order to receive it in return.
In the words of Rodney King, “Can’t we all just get along?”