Trick or Treat?

So I definitely celebrated Halloween this year!  Not only did I manage to win "Best Costume" for my Black Swan costume (which I was so proud of)

but I agreed to be the fatter half of the "Sister Heroes" at work today.

I will post better pictures of the Black Swan costume when Des downloads them from her camera.  That picture does not do my perfect make-up job justice. 

Halloween 2011

So Katrina and I spent last night on our Halloween costumes and I am pretty darn excited.  I have not really ever been a huge Halloween fan and I never put a lot of thought or energy into a costume but this one is gonna be awesome.  Little Sister made my tutu. 

So ignore the leggings and boots but can you guess what I am going to be?  Here is a hint

Gonna be rad!

You Know What I Think?

I think that everybody believes in love but we are all one terrible heartbreak away from losing faith in it and hoping we never have to go through it again. 

To those who have been fortunate enough to be truly loved by a great person, it seems painfully obvious that love is out there.  But to the ones who have seen that love can tear apart your insides and leave scars so deep they reach your soul, it is painfully obvious that love is a dangerous fantasy. 

Those who have been blessed by lasting love want to think they did something to deserve it.  They claim they chose right or they followed certain rules or they worked for it but I don’t believe that.  I believe love is like life, nobody deserves it and it’s a blessing you are lucky to have while you do.  It can be stolen by death, addiction, or abandonment.  If you have been blessed, cherish every moment because there really are no guarantees.  If you are walking wounded, just heal and maybe tomorrow you will believe in love again.

For all you believers out there:

Book Club

I have wanted to start a book club for a while.  The idea came to me about a year or so ago when I thought my sweet friend Krista was going to be moving here with her husband.  I wanted to start a book club in which we each take turns hosting.  The host prepares a favorite meal and hands out the recipe.  It would be an opportunity to expand our minds and our domestic skills. : )  Krista never moved here so I never started it up.  However, I decided that I am going to start the book club now.  I am pretty excited.  I am thinking we will meet once a month on Thursday evenings.  I also think I would like it to be co-ed but I don’t know.  I have a few ladies who have said they definitely want to participate but no men have committed yet.  I also think our first book is going to be Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand.  If you have thoughts, ideas, words of the wise, etc. please share. : )

Religious Propaganda

*****Be warned there is a visually upsetting picture is below*****

Christians burnt alive by Sunni Muslims in NIGERIA........PLEASE SHARE IT OR JUS...T UPLOAD YOUR OWN...BUT SOMEHOW SPREAD IT IF YOU'RE EVEN 1% CHRISTIAN — It is still not over yet!

Let us pray for them.

'Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those Christians burnt alive by Sunni Muslims in NIGERIA and those Sunni Muslims who are doing this now too.'

'For the sake of His sorrowful Passion have mercy on us and on the Christians burnt alive by Sunni Muslims in NIGERIA and those Sunni Muslims who are doing this now too.'

'Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the Christians burnt alive by Sunni Muslims in NIGERIA' and those Sunni Muslims who are doing this now too."

The truth is that there was an oil truck and peolp were attempting to collect fuel from the wreckage.  Somehow the oil caught on fire and about 400 people died in the fire (117 were Christians).  You can see the story here:

http://www.m300ministries.org/reports1/view/3149/reaching_the_hardest_places_at_great_cost

This story is truly tragic.  So why in the world would someone feel the need to make up some nonsense about the Muslims killing Christians in this brutal way?  I mean they are incorporating lies and hate into a prayer! That made me more sick than when I believed for a minute that this might be true. facilitating propaganda.  Do a little research. Think a little deeper.

When I searched the story myself, I did not find the exact story this blog is referencing.  I did find, however, that there have been several oil trucks that have burst into flames and killed local Nigerians in the last 5 or so years.  I also found that they are owned by Shell.  Shell initially claimed that someone blew them up but later admitted that these trucks were faulty and Shell was, in fact, to blame for the fires (and the lost lives of poverty stricken people who are getting no wealth from the oil that their land is being depleted of).  There was a lawsuit started back in 2009 for this exact  issue but if this story is true, Shell clearly does not give a $#!t about preventing these fires or the deaths of innocent people.  Maybe that is more important to focus on than made up religious wars.  Just sayin.

The Good Marriage

I don't blog much about the books I read because I don't want this to turn into a book blog.  However, sometimes I like to express the thought process that a book provokes in me and that is what I am going to do here.  I am reading a book entitled "The Good Marriage" by Judith Wallerstein and Sandra Blakeslee.  If you know me, I am sure you just blurted out "What?!!!" and started laughing.  It's okay.  I don't judge you for that. : )  My favorite professor from college and I met for lunch a couple months ago and we talked about life (as we always do) and she gave me practical solutions on all my life's challenges (as she always does : ) and one of her tips was that I read this book.  I put it on the list (a bit begrudgingly) and started reading it in Destin.  My older sister read the same book when she was beginning her relationship with Jason and it was really interesting to hear the things she gleaned from it at that important time in her life. 

It is, in fact, a very interesting book.  I am often plagued by fear of a failed marriage or an unhappy one or betrayal, etc. (You know...the usual fears...?)  I think I thought I was going to find some answers in there about how to choose the perfect mate but it isn't that at all.  It is just little treasures from happily married couples; tools for a successful relationship.  I have found it very interesting and I am not even annoyed by it at all (believe me, it surprises me too).  It has been extremely thought provoking.  I am realizing that I have become chronically selfish and that if I were to marry, the success of the marriage would hinge on 1) my ability to humble myself and become a we (Ew. yuck.  I didn't even like saying that) and 2) communication (damn). 

Anywho I am learning a lot and it has also provoked some very interesting conversations.  I am excited to keep reading and keep doing my own little research study. : )  If you are married and reading this, I would be really interested to hear thoughts. : )

Vacation

I am back from a 10 day vacation and I feel great!  There is not a lot of exciting things to report because honestly, Kim and I just relaxed the whole time.  Saturday through Monday, we spent some time with Jasey-poo, ate some yummy food, did a little shopping, and watched a couple movies. 

 Tuesday morning, Kim and I drove Destin Florida.  It was a long drive but Kim had the brilliant idea of listening to a book on CD (We chose The Confession by John Grisham) and that helped the time go by quickly and the distraction helped me not get so car sick. 

The beach was gorgeous.  The weather was warm but not horrible, the sand was like sugar, the water was green and we just laid on the beach for hours every day.  We read, we slept, we talked, we ate, we shopped, and we had an amazing time.  I would not have changed a thing (except maybe how much I spent at the outlet mall).  We stayed until Saturday morning and then we drove home (and listened to our tapes). 

Sunday we all relaxed together went out to dinner, and then we watched a movie. I loved the time with Kim and Jason and I loved the relaxing Kim and I both needed. Now I am home and so far Larry hasn’t ruined it. ; ) He was pretty glad to have me home though. I am happy to be home too. Okay holidays, bring it on.

 P.S. Sorry about the lack of photos, Katrina wasn't there and Kim and I are hopeless at remembering to take pictures.