Licence And Registration... Please!!!

Hi all!!
The other day Terrin brought a very interesting article in the Brandon Sun to my attention. The article was basically a very entertaining rant as to how the current trend of naming children absolutely ridiculous names should be considered an act of child abuse. If you want to read the article I'll put a link to the site at the end of my blog.The example the author used was from a birth announcement that she had seen for a new born baby with the name of.... are you ready for this?
Zipper! ZIPPER!!!! Her older sister's name is apparently Pandora.
What the frick!
No seriously you guys, what are people thinking? Those poor girls! How can they live down names like that? As soon as their peers learn of the phrase "Pandora's Box" the older one will have to go into hiding until she can change her own name legally. Terrin and I further discussed a plethora of other horrible names people have named their children. Here are some examples of what horrible names celebrities have given their children:
Nicholas Cage's son's name is Kal-el Coppola Cage
Gwenyth Paltrow and Chris Martin's daughter's name is Apple Blyth Alison Martin
Jonathon Davis' (Korn frontman) son's name is Pirate Davis
Jason Lees' son's name is Pilot Inspektor Riesgraf-Lee
Madonna's daughter's name is Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon
Director Robert Rodriguez's kids names are: Racer, Rebel, and Rocket
Helen Hunt's daughter's name is Makena'lei
Shannyn Sossaman's daughter's name is Audio Science

All of the before mentioned examples leads me to my second point... people should have to get a licence qualifying them to have and raise children. As obsurd as that sounds, I'm only half kidding. You need a licence to fish, drive, dig in your own backyard, own a firearm , and the amount of paperwork and screening required to adopt someone else's kid can take years! But yet any stupid person can get knocked up and "raise" a child eventhough they have no concept of being able to take care of themselves, let alone another helpless being. Don't get me wrong, I know a lot of really amazing people who seem to be doing a great job with their kids. But on the other hand, there are other people in this world who name their kid Audio Science....

Brandon Sun article: What's in a Name? Abuse, plain and simple

I've Been Tagged!

Okay so apparently Terrin has "tagged" me on her blog...
The rules are as follows:
Each player of this game starts with 6 weird things/habits about yourself. People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird things/habits as well as state this rule clearly. In the end you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave a comment that says "you are tagged" in their comments and tell them to read your blog.


6 weird things/habits about me:

1.) I talk to myself! No really, I do.
2.) I usually dislike everyone I meet. I eventually warm up to people, but initially I dislike nearly everyone I meet. Just ask Terrin, I used to not like her too. lol!
3.) I can do a little girl voice that apparently reminds people of a child mass murderer.
4.) I can't leave my house without some kind of make-up on my face. I just can't, I can't do it.
5.) I have anger ADD, seriously, I can be like "that stupid son of a b-, oh look a bunny!"
6.) I name my stuffed animals and my plants.


I Choose to tag:
1.) Laurel N.
2.) James
3.) Tyler
4.) Brodie
5.) Carly
6.) James (the other one)


Good luck!

Ought I To Be Offended?!?!?!

*Warning*: This is not an intellectual blog in any way shape or form, this is a rant...
So yesterday I was talking to one of my friends on the phone and he called me a "goody two shoes". A GOODY TWO SHOES?!?!? What the frick! No seriously! Can anyone who knows me honestly look me in the eye and without smirking or grinning in any way call me a friggin' goody two shoes! NO! I didn't think so. I was actually offended! I worked too long and hard on my reputation to have it sullied by someone calling me... that! It's like a curse word in my house!
My mom called me while I was still in the midst of my shock, and I told her what I was called. Do you know what she said? My own mother? And I quote... "Is he on drugs? Does he even know you?" That's what my mother said.... MY MOTHER!
I also mentioned it to my friend Terrin, who has known me for years and used to live with me. She was shocked! And hillarity apparently ensued on her end of MSN. K guys, she used to LIVE with me!
For any of you still questioning whether or not what I say is true, please consider this:
I'M FROM VIRDEN!

Case closed!

Take Me To Your Leader

Hey guys... talk about long time no see. Sorry about the extensive absence of blog writing in the last while, I've been incredibly busy, you see, I actually go to my classes now, so that eats up a lot of my time. :) So I've been getting heckled about abandoning my blog so I decided to write about something that's been on heart lately with the swearing in of a our new prime minister, the search for a new pastor, and filling of places on the Varsity Christian Fellowhip exec at school: the issue of leadership. Let me first say that I have been in leadership before and the responsibility that it presents is not an easy task to undertake, especially in spiritual leadership.
Now let me be very clear on one point, everyone is not meant for leadership. The word lead, or to lead means: 'to show the way by going in advance', or to 'guide or direct in a course'. The Bible has some very strict standards for leaders:
'Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being a leader, he desires a noble task. Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband, of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkeness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgement as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap. Leaders are to be men worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain. They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience.'
1 Tim. 3:1-9
What bothers me about leadership, especially Christian leadership is that people think that just because they are Christian, that means that they are capable of leading, this is simply not the case! Leadership, or the ability to lead is not a quality that everyone is blessed with, and leadership certainly isn't a position that God calls everyone to fill. So how can you know whether or not you should be in a position of leadership? First read 1 Timothy and Titus and compare yourself to the strict standards that God sets out, these are things He really expects from His leaders. Are you sincere? Are you pursuing dishonest gain? Are you violent? Quarrelsome? Respectable? Do you have a good reputation with outsiders? These are questions you must ask yourselves.
'Since a leader is entrusted with God's work, he must be blameless - not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkeness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined.'
Titus 1:7-8
God intends His leaders to meet all this criteria so that they can guide God's people not only by words, but by their own actions. God desires His leaders to lead by example.
So if you can't lead by example, YOU CAN'T LEAD!

We All Live Happily Ever After or Die of Horrible Curses...

Wouldn't it be lovely to live in a fairy tale? To know that 'happily ever after' was actually an option? To be on the lookout for your prince charming on the horizon, riding in on his white stallion, or y'know a half-man/ half-wolf swinging through a castle window in a very bad attempt to save you from some inept trolls ("Suck an elf!")
Sorry, got sidetracked there for a minute, Mike, Terrin, you know exactly what I'm talking about! "You have a Tail!!!!" Okay, sorry again, moving on...
This particular entry will be similar to my last one, so if you didn't like my last one, stop reading now, and if you did? I'll try not to repeat myself.
Ephesians 5:33 says, "However each of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband." Do you ever wonder why God wanted to emphasize those specific directives to a woman and a man? Considering the fact that God created men and women, and created them so blatantly different, it might be wise to ponder this statement in order to try to understand the complexity of the male/female relationship. Now on my last blog I went into detail as to why respect is so important to a man, now I don't see a man's need for respect and affirmation as a bad thing, or something to be ashamed of, God made the male species with that need for a reason. I think the most important reason for this need is so that men can draw that needed affirmation from God, to be affirmed in the knowledge that he is a child of the Almighty. I think it is also important for men to realize that they need to go to God for that affirmation first and foremost, however, with that being said I also think it is important for women to affirm their husbands/boyfriends, and sons because that will deepen and strengthen the relationship they will have with those particular men. I'm not going to go into great detail about the issue of respect for a man because, as I have already stated, my last blog was almost entirely devoted to that.
Today I would really like to focus on the issue of love and why women need to feel loved, just as men need to be respected, and why these needs are so different and important in their own way. Please remember that God made women and men like this for a reason, and I'm sure it's more than just for entertainment sake. ;)
The dictionary in the back of my bible defines love as: strong affection, desire or devotion. My social psychology text book breaks love down into two categories in order to describe it:
Companionate love: the feelings of intimacy and affection we feel toward someone with whom are lives are deeply intertwined.
Passionate love: an intense longing for another person, when things are going well - the other person loves us, too - we feel a great deal of ecstasy, when things are not going well, we feel a great deal of sadness and despair.

My text book also goes on to describe the triangular theory of love which depicts love as comprising three basic ingredients: intimacy, passion, and committment. I find it interesting that in this theory that all three parts are required in order to be considered love. In the Greek language there are also 4 different words that can be translated into the word 'love', but they all have different meanings.
Eros: romantic love (in ancient greek, desire)
Philia: friendship love (platonic)
Agape: divine, unconditioned love
Storge: natural affection
( I really hope I got those right because if I haven't, every bible school student who once was in school or is currently enrolled will slaughter me if explained those wrong. Forgive me I go to Brandon University!)
Clearly there is much fascination with the concept of "love". It is mentioned in the Bible multiple times, it is defined in my psych textbooks, the Greeks had 4 different ways to describe it! So if it is so important why did God not command the wife to love her husband? Guess what! Because it's not an issue!!!! Women are hardwired to love, God made us in such a way that loving (especially when it comes to that special guy in our life) is not something that needs to be asked of us. It's like putting cheesecake in front of Jill, Susan and I, and pleading with us to eat it! Let me tell you, that is not neccessary!!! A wonderful lady by the name of Donna Lynch broke it down for a group of us girls years ago at Sonlife Bible Camp. She explained that men are task oriented, God has oriented them to the task at hand, leadership and living a life honouring to God. Women, however, are relational rather than task oriented, God has oriented the woman to the man. Donna suggested that this 'orientation to the man' occurs primarily during physical relations, the idea being the more physical you are with someone the more oriented you are to that person, which is why it is important that we are careful of who we become intimate with and why God commands that sex remain in the confines of marriage. Let me be very clear, this is unique to women! Men are not wired in the same way. Which is why the command to love your spouse is directed to the man, not the woman.
I mentioned earlier that our instinct as women is to love, how is this for a twist? Men feel loved if they are respected. So if you really want to love your man you need to respect him. Now I know most women don't see the two as the same thing, or even remotely connected, because we experience love differently than men do (we're hardwired differently, remember?). But that is most likely why the command to respect and submit to our husbands is directed at us. Isn't it funny to know that God knew this was always going to be an issue enough to put it in the Bible, it's kind of like a timeless classic.
Emerson E. Eggerichs calls this phenomenon 'The Crazy Cycle', which is composed by two main ideas:
Without Love: she reacts!
Without Respect: he reacts!
And that is basically the complexity of the male/female relationship broken down to it's simplest form...

Until next time.
Stay Fit and Have Fun :P

"What Was I Thinking? I Was Comparing Men To Animals...

And let's face it, sometimes they are, but sometimes they are not!"
Okay one of my most favorite chick flicks of all time is Someone Like You. The main character of the movie has this huge revelation at the end of the movie that not all men are scumbags, that some men can be the real deal. I may even hazzard a guess that most men are actual decent human beings, who have faults (just like we do ladies) who have fears, concerns, who love, and feel hurt. One thing I'm not sure that most of us realize however, is that men are not hardwired the same as us!!! Sometimes it is almost shocking how different the sexes actaully are.
In the last little while I have been reading a book by Shaunti Feldhahn called For Women Only. It's an awesome book, Shaunti is an analyst who interviewed and polled a ton of men to find out the mysterious motivations behind their baffling and sometimes angering behaviour.
In her book she passes on the information given to her by these men explaining why they do things such as: not asking for directions, working late all the time, pulling away from their family and their relationships, and how they show love compared to how we show love. In one of her studies she polled men on if they had to choose, would they rather feel alone and unloved, or disrespected and inadequate? 74% of the men she polled said they would rather be unloved and alone. Most men actually correlate respect and love as being the same thing, so if a man feels disrespected in his relationship, he is going to feel unloved in the relationship! Shaunti outlines 5 area where men need to feel respected:
#1. His judgement - if we are constantly questioning his judgement, he will believe we think he is stupid and can't handle making simple decisions
#2. His abilities - this is where not asking for directions comes into play, by us asking him to pull over and ask for directions is equal to us saying he can't do it, he can't cut it, this is heartbreaking for men, to know that the women they love don't think they can cut it
#3. In communication - he can hear disrespect in the tones we use and in what we say, sometimes we think they don't pick up on our "subtle" hints that we are angry, they know, they just don't say anything
#4. In public - this one is huge, if you disrespect him in front of people, especially people from his work, he takes it VERY hard
#5. And finally in our assumptions - this is one I admittedly have trouble with, I automatically assume the worse when the guy I'm seeing does something "jerkish" when the real reason he forgot about whatever he forgot about was because of a plethra of other reasons that he's not telling me now because I'm mad at him and won't talk to him:P
Another thing that us women find odd sometimes is the man's compulsion to work. 76% of the men Shaunti polled said they would still feel a need to provide for their family even if their significant other could provide enough single handedly to support the family's lifestyle. And 50% of the men she polled in another poll confessed that they are conscious of their responsibility to provide for their family most of the time. 21% said it was often in the back of their minds. For men work = love, they work because have this need to provide for their family, it's at the core of their identity, it's a burden they want and wouldn't part with for anything in the world. Doesn't that seem strange? It does to me.
Last Saturday night this very topic came up as my friend Des and I sat at the Double D until almost 1 am. She was having problems with her boyfriend of almost 5 years, once I dug a little deeper I found out that they had talked about moving back in together (he was working in a different town) but lately he had been weird and stand offish and it almost seemed like he didn't care about their relationship. After a little more probing I learned that he had lost his job a couple of weeks ago. She also confessed that she has been nagging at him to get a new job, and continuously reminding him of his poor financial situation. I gently suggested to my dear friend (who is a successful store manager and has been working for the same company for the last 4 years) that she might be the cause of his withdrawn attitude, her nagging is a constant reminder that he has lost his job to begin with, and the fact that he can't provide for her like he used to. The fact that she has also retained her job where he hasn't may also make him feel like less of a man, like she would have no use for him, and that he may actually be quite sensitive about the whole situation. She kinda brushed it off at the time, she didn't really believe me I think. However tonight when I got home from work she had left a message on my answering machine asking me what my new book was called again and telling me that I was right! And I love Des very much, but she only ever admits I'm right if it is absolutely necessary! So I found that quite amusing.
So I think I've typed enough to almost make up for not posting a in awhile... I think you should expect to hear more about this particular topic in the future, I'm only on chapter 5!!!
Anyways... love you all, be happy and healthy
You will hear from me soon!

He Must Still Love Me.....

My sister and I were discussing the issue of 'love' earlier tonight. We talked about the difference between being 'in love', 'in lust', and having a crush. We agreed that being in lust and having a crush are pretty simple things to do... allow me to deconstruct the necessary components...

1. You see something you like and you decide (whether consciously or subconsciously) that you want it. Now this 'something' that you decide that you want could range from the opposite sex to material objects (car, guitar, clothes) to money (and any way that you can get your filthy hands on money you greedy little....) to stature (degrees, and climbing the social ladder) to celebrities (I like Johnny Depp, and Jude Law, and Vin Diesel, and Hugh Jackman, and Ioan Gruffudd, and...). Anyways, you get the idea.

2.You get excited. This 'something' starts to consume your thoughts, you think about it when you go to sleep at night and you think about it in the morning, you talk about it with your friends, and you learn more about it. For example, if there is a job you really really want you will research various aspects of it, how much it could pay, what you need to get it, who you will answer to, what hours you will be working... that sort of thing.

3. The excitement fades. This 'something' doesn't hold your attention quite like it used to, you don't think about it as much and it becomes less important. Perhaps you discover that your fave actor is a jerk, maybe that job just wasn't what you thought it was, maybe that degree is not worth the time or maybe the computer was outdated after two weeks of it being on the shelf. Whatever the case, your crush is just not worth your time anymore.

4. You find something new. A new actor, a new object, a bigger and better thing!

Love on the other hand is different, it has some of the same components: seeing something you like, getting excited, but instead of having the novelty wearing off and moving on to a better thing, the excitement changes to something that allows people to put someone's needs in front of their own, to share their possessions with others, to accept mistakes and flaws, to help when there is a need even without being asked, to listen even when the topic doesn't concern them, and to give without expecting something in return.

With that said I have a question for those of you who know Chirst to ponder... do you love God? or is He your crush?

P.S. You'll never find anything bigger or better than God... sorry! (in regards to point #4)

Til next time my freaky darlings...

She's a Witch.... Burn Her!!!

Well, I'm not really a witch, but according to quite a few of my loving friends I am classified as evil....
Actually there probably are quite a few people that would call me a witch too, and probably much worse. But I'm okay with that.
This is apparently Nicole's innocence test, presently also posted on Brett's blog, (Brett thinks that he is pretty innocent) so I wanted to see how innocent (or perhaps not) I really am...
Brodie called me deliciously evil tonight, based on this test tell me what you think. I really don't think I'm that bad..... ;)

(x) smoked a cigarette
( ) smoked a cigar
( ) smoked a joint
(x) crashed a friend's ...car
( )stolen a ...car
( ) been in love
(x) been dumped
(x) been used
(x) failed someone
( ) shoplifted
( ) been fired
(x) been in a fist fight
(x) snuck out of my parent's house
(x) had feelings for someone who didn't have them back
( ) been arrested
( ) made out with a stranger
( ) gone on a ...blind date
(x) lied to a ...friend
( ) had a crush on a teacher
( ) been to Europe
(x) skipped school (oh did I!!!)
( ) seen someone die
( ) had a crush on one of your myspace...friends
(x) been to The U.S.
( ) been to Mexico
(x) been on a plane
(x) seen the Rocky Horror Picture Show
( ) thrown up in a bar
(x) purposely set a part of myself on fire
(x) eaten Sushi
(x) been snowboarding
(x) met someone in person from the internet
(x) been moshing at a concert
(x) been in an abusive relationship
(x) taken painkillers
(x) love someone or miss someone right now
(x) laid on your back and watched cloud shapes go by
(x) made a snow angel
(x) had a tea party
(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) been ...lonely
(x) fallen asleep at work/school
( ) used a fake id
(x) watched the sunset
( ) felt an earthquake
(x) touched a snake
(x) slept beneath the stars
(x) been tickled
(x) been robbed
(x) been misunderstood (I'm all sorts of misunderstood)
(x) petted a reindeer/goat
(x) won a contest
(x) run a red light
( ) been suspended from school
(x) been in a car accident
(x) had braces
(x) felt like an outcast
( ) eaten a whole pint of ice cream in one night
(x) had deja vu
(x) danced in the moonlight
(x) had deja vu
(x) hated the way you look
(x) witnessed a crime
(pass) pole danced
(x) been obsessed with Post-it notes
(x) squished barefoot through the mud
(x) been lost
(x) been to the opposite side of the country
(x) swam in the ocean
(x) felt like dying
(x) cried yourself to sleep
(x) played cops and robbers
(x) recently colored with crayons/colored pencils/markers
(x) sung karaoke ("Tearin' Up My Heart?")
(x) paid for a meal with only coins
(x) done something you told yourself you wouldn't
(x) made prank phone calls when you were younger
(x) laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
(x) caught a snowflake on your tongue
(x) danced in the rain
(x) written a letter to Santa Claus
( ) been kissed under the mistletoe
( ) watched the sun rise with someone you care about
(x) blown bubbles
(x) made a bonfire on the beach
(x) crashed a party
(x) gone rollerskating
(x) had a wish come true
( ) humped a monkey (yikes)
( ) worn pearls
(x) jumped off a bridge
( ) screamed penis in public
( ) ate dog/cat food
( ) told a complete stranger you loved them
( ) kissed a mirror
(x) sang in the shower
(x) had a little black dress
(x) had a dream that you married someone
( ) glued your hand to something
( ) got your tongue stuck to a flag pole
( ) kissed a fish
(x) worn the opposite sex's clothes
(x) been a cheerleader (Okay guys it was Halloween, back off!)
(x) sat on a roof top
(x) screamed at the top of your lungs
(x) done a one-handed cartwheel
(x) talked on the phone for more than 6 hours
(x) stayed up all night
( ) didn't take a shower for a week (Ewwwww.... by the way)
(x) picked and ate an apple right off the tree
(x) climbed a tree
( ) had a tree house
( ) are scared to watch scary movies
(x) believe in ghosts
( ) have more than 30 pairs of shoes
( ) worn a really ugly outfit to school just to see what others say
(x) gone streaking (please don't ask)
( ) played ding-dong-ditch
(x) played chicken
(x) been pushed or just went into a pool/lake with all your clothes on
( ) been told you're beautiful by a complete stranger
(x) broken a bone
(x) been easily amused
( ) caught a fish & ate it
( ) caught a butterfly
(x) laughed so hard you cried
(x) cried so hard you laughed
(x) mooned/flashed someone
(x) had someone moon/flash you
( ) cheated on a test
( ) have a Britney Spears CD
(x) forgotten someone's name
(x) slept naked
( ) French-braided someone's hair
( ) Caught a Duck
( ) Stolen A Road Sign
( ) Snuck A Goldfish Into A Grocery Store and placed it in a 4L Water Jug
(x) Broken into someone's house

Well that's it... that's a pretty thourough little quiz, I think maybe you all didn't need to know all that... ah well
So tell me what you think.... I'm curious to know!

Til next time.