I thank God through Jesus for you. That's first. People everywhere keep telling me about your life of faith, and every time I hear them, I thank him. And God, whom I so love to worship and serve by spreading the good news of his Son, knows that every time I think of you in my prayers, which is practically all the time, I ask him to clear the way for me to come and see you. The longer this waiting goes on, the deeper the ache. I so want to be there to deliver God's gift in person and watch you grow stronger right before my eyes! But don't think I'm not expecting to get something out of this, too! You have as much to give me as I do to you. Romans 1:8-12 The Message
Another Translation:
How I thank God through Jesus Christ for you. God knows how often I pray for you. Day and night I bring you and your needs in pray to God, whom I serve with all of my heart… One of the things I always pray for is the opportunity, God willing, to come at last to see you. For I long to visit you so I can share a spiritual blessing with you that will help you grown strong in the Lord. I am eager to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours. In this way, each of us will be a blessing to the other. Romans 1:8-12 Life Application NLT
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Friday, September 2, 2011
A Letter from CEO of Starbucks
September 2011
Dear Starbucks Friend and Fellow Citizen:
I love our country. And I am a beneficiary of the promise of America. But today, I am very concerned that at times I do not recognize the America that I love.
Like so many of you, I am deeply disappointed by the pervasive failure of leadership in Washington. And also like you, I am frustrated by our political leaders' steadfast refusal to recognize that, for every day they perpetuate partisan conflict and put ideology over country, America and Americans suffer from the combined effects of paralysis and uncertainty. Americans can't find jobs. Small businesses can't get credit. And the fracturing of consumer confidence continues.
We are better than this.
Three weeks ago, I asked fellow business leaders to join me in urging the President and the Congress to put an end to partisan gridlock and, in its place, to set in motion an upward spiral of confidence. More than 100 business leaders representing American companies - large and small - joined me in signing a two-part pledge:
First, to withhold political campaign contributions until a transparent, comprehensive, bipartisan debt-and-deficit package is reached that honestly, and fairly, sets America on a path to long-term financial health and security. Second, to do all we can to break the cycle of economic uncertainty that grips our country by committing to accelerate investment in jobs and hiring.
In the weeks since then, I have been overwhelmed by the heartfelt stories of Americans from across the country, sharing their anguish over losing hope in the strongest and most galvanizing force of all - the American Dream. Some feel they have no voice. Others feel they no longer matter. And many feel they have been left behind.
We cannot let this stand.
Please join other concerned Americans and me on a national call-in conversation on Tuesday September 6th hosted by "No Labels," a nonpartisan organization dedicated to fostering cooperative and more effective government. To learn more about the forum and the pledges, visit www.upwardspiral2011.org
America is at a fragile and critical moment in its history. We must restore hope in the American Dream. We must celebrate all that America stands for around the world. And while our Founding Fathers recognized the constructive value of political debate, we must send the message to today's elected officials in a civil, respectful voice they hear and understand, that the time to put citizenship ahead of partisanship is now.
Yours is the voice that can help ignite the contagious upward spiral of confidence that our country desperately needs.
With great respect,
Howard Schultz
chief executive officer, Starbucks Coffee Company
Dear Starbucks Friend and Fellow Citizen:
I love our country. And I am a beneficiary of the promise of America. But today, I am very concerned that at times I do not recognize the America that I love.
Like so many of you, I am deeply disappointed by the pervasive failure of leadership in Washington. And also like you, I am frustrated by our political leaders' steadfast refusal to recognize that, for every day they perpetuate partisan conflict and put ideology over country, America and Americans suffer from the combined effects of paralysis and uncertainty. Americans can't find jobs. Small businesses can't get credit. And the fracturing of consumer confidence continues.
We are better than this.
Three weeks ago, I asked fellow business leaders to join me in urging the President and the Congress to put an end to partisan gridlock and, in its place, to set in motion an upward spiral of confidence. More than 100 business leaders representing American companies - large and small - joined me in signing a two-part pledge:
First, to withhold political campaign contributions until a transparent, comprehensive, bipartisan debt-and-deficit package is reached that honestly, and fairly, sets America on a path to long-term financial health and security. Second, to do all we can to break the cycle of economic uncertainty that grips our country by committing to accelerate investment in jobs and hiring.
In the weeks since then, I have been overwhelmed by the heartfelt stories of Americans from across the country, sharing their anguish over losing hope in the strongest and most galvanizing force of all - the American Dream. Some feel they have no voice. Others feel they no longer matter. And many feel they have been left behind.
We cannot let this stand.
Please join other concerned Americans and me on a national call-in conversation on Tuesday September 6th hosted by "No Labels," a nonpartisan organization dedicated to fostering cooperative and more effective government. To learn more about the forum and the pledges, visit www.upwardspiral2011.org
America is at a fragile and critical moment in its history. We must restore hope in the American Dream. We must celebrate all that America stands for around the world. And while our Founding Fathers recognized the constructive value of political debate, we must send the message to today's elected officials in a civil, respectful voice they hear and understand, that the time to put citizenship ahead of partisanship is now.
Yours is the voice that can help ignite the contagious upward spiral of confidence that our country desperately needs.
With great respect,
Howard Schultz
chief executive officer, Starbucks Coffee Company
Thursday, September 1, 2011
I hope and pray that this helps my case.....
Ohio: State Highway Patrol, Columbus, OH. 614-466-4056.
§4513.31 All loads to be properly secured.
No vehicle shall be driven or moved on any highway unless the vehicle is so constructed, loaded, or covered as to prevent any of its load from dropping, sifting, leaking or otherwise escaping therefrom, except that sand or other substances may be dropped for the purpose of securing traction, or water or other substance may be sprinkled on a roadway in cleaning or maintaining the roadway.
Except for a farm vehicle used to transport agricultural produce or agricultural production materials or a rubbish vehicle in the process of acquiring its load, no vehicle loaded with garbage, swill, cans, bottles, waste paper, ashes, refuse, trash, rubbish, waste, wire, paper, cartons, boxes, glass, solid waste or any other material of an unsanitary nature that is susceptible to blowing or bouncing from a moving vehicle shall be driven or moved on any highway unless the load is covered with a sufficient cover to prevent the load or any part of the load from spilling onto the highway.
Whoever violates this section shall be punished as provided in section 4513.99 of the Revised Code.
§ 4513.99. Penalties.
(A) Any violation of section 4513.03, 4513.04, 4513.05, 4513.06, 4513.07, 4513.071, 4513.09, 4513.10, 4513.11, 4513.111, 4513.12, 4513.13, 4513.14, 4513.15, 4513.16, 4513.17, 4513.171, 4513.18, 4513.182, 4513.19, 4513.20, 4513.201, 4513.202, 4513.21, 4513.22, 4513.23, 4513.24, 4513.242, 4513.25, 4513.26, 4513.27, 4513.28, 4513.29, 4513.30, 4513.31, 4513.32, or 4513.34 of the Revised Code shall be punished under division (B) of this section.
(B) Whoever violates the sections of this chapter that are specifically required to be punished under this division, or any provision of sections 4513.03 to 4513.262 or 4513.27 to 4513.37 of the Revised Code for which violation no penalty is otherwise provided, is guilty of a minor misdemeanor on a first offense; on a second offense within one year after the first offense, the person is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree; on each subsequent offense within one year after the first offense, the person is guilty of a misdemeanor of the third degree.
§4513.31 All loads to be properly secured.
No vehicle shall be driven or moved on any highway unless the vehicle is so constructed, loaded, or covered as to prevent any of its load from dropping, sifting, leaking or otherwise escaping therefrom, except that sand or other substances may be dropped for the purpose of securing traction, or water or other substance may be sprinkled on a roadway in cleaning or maintaining the roadway.
Except for a farm vehicle used to transport agricultural produce or agricultural production materials or a rubbish vehicle in the process of acquiring its load, no vehicle loaded with garbage, swill, cans, bottles, waste paper, ashes, refuse, trash, rubbish, waste, wire, paper, cartons, boxes, glass, solid waste or any other material of an unsanitary nature that is susceptible to blowing or bouncing from a moving vehicle shall be driven or moved on any highway unless the load is covered with a sufficient cover to prevent the load or any part of the load from spilling onto the highway.
Whoever violates this section shall be punished as provided in section 4513.99 of the Revised Code.
§ 4513.99. Penalties.
(A) Any violation of section 4513.03, 4513.04, 4513.05, 4513.06, 4513.07, 4513.071, 4513.09, 4513.10, 4513.11, 4513.111, 4513.12, 4513.13, 4513.14, 4513.15, 4513.16, 4513.17, 4513.171, 4513.18, 4513.182, 4513.19, 4513.20, 4513.201, 4513.202, 4513.21, 4513.22, 4513.23, 4513.24, 4513.242, 4513.25, 4513.26, 4513.27, 4513.28, 4513.29, 4513.30, 4513.31, 4513.32, or 4513.34 of the Revised Code shall be punished under division (B) of this section.
(B) Whoever violates the sections of this chapter that are specifically required to be punished under this division, or any provision of sections 4513.03 to 4513.262 or 4513.27 to 4513.37 of the Revised Code for which violation no penalty is otherwise provided, is guilty of a minor misdemeanor on a first offense; on a second offense within one year after the first offense, the person is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree; on each subsequent offense within one year after the first offense, the person is guilty of a misdemeanor of the third degree.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Friday = A terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day
Friday was a day was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day!
I was in a car accident on my way home from class that morning; which put the rest of the day in a fog for the most part. If the white truck that caused the accident didn't return to the scene, I would have been held liable for the accident. But thankfully she did return.
She was pretty much "Pacing me" or challenging me to race her all through New Miami, then when it turned into a 1 lane street she forcefully got infront of me. All the way through New Miami (when the road was a 2 lane road on both sides) she drove insanely!! When we got to Seven Mile she tried to drive like a bat out of Hell (forgive that analogy but it's was really like that).
Just out of Seven Mile when the center line became a doted line instead of the straight yellow she passed the Black Hyundai infront of her. However, she failed to look before she passed him, because there was a full sized red Semi-truck too close to pass someone comfortably. So she "gunned" the gas, at the same time she accelerated toilet seats came literally flying out of the bed of the truck as well as black smoke from her exhaust system. Afraid one of them would come down on my car I swerved to miss it.
At that point in time I thought there was a good car's length between me and the car in front of me (the car that she passed), the Black Hyundai. Or so I thought.... because he had slowed down to almost a complete stop because of the toilet seats flying out of her car. I slammed on my breaks (there was at least a small car's length between us, assuming b/c my skid marks are that long if not longer) but not soon enough. I hit the Black Hyundai.
What freaked me out even more, was the fact that they had a 2 month old infant in the car with them (thank the Father in Heaven she was buckled in correctly). This baby was so shaken up!!! I am still scared that there is something wrong with her because I haven't heard anything (like I'm gonna ya know?).
At the scene of the accident everyone appeared to be alright, just really thrown to the moon in back in a matter of seconds. The woman in the white truck (the person who was at fault) came back to collect her toilet seats that had "fallen" out of her truck. When she started to walk over to the evidence I turned to the grandma of the little 2 month old and told her that she's going to collect that and say she had no part in this. The grandma then yelled out to this woman, "Hey you, you better leave those right where they are... that's evidence!!!" The woman said back that she's just seeing where her stuff was (yeah right.... she was gonna collect them and leave!!). That's when the cops showed up.
After every thing was said and done the Deputy turns to me and says, "Now, on a normal traffic accident like this I would site you because you hit them (pointing the Black Hyundai) but this is anything but normal. We have series of events that happened leading up to the collision of the two car's" I'm thinking I'm still gonna be cited for it but then he says, "I'm not going to write you the ticket, she's getting it (pointing to the lady sitting on the bumper of her truck that'st now parked in a drive way). If you have ANY questions at all please call me, I work all weekend. I'm off Monday and Tuesday. Here's the report number, and your accident report will be ready on Monday."
After everything is said and done, I get home and I'm still a little frazzled. So I sit and talk to my dad a little bit about everything (Daddy came to my rescue when I called him from the scene- I love my daddy!!!!). I had to go to the Oxford Police Dept to get a background check for my psych class's for my field work, so on my way I stopped by a friend's house who owns an Auto body business to look at my car and write me up an estimate. I need to pretty much get an new front end!!! It's at the very least going to be $2000's!!!
Later on Friday night, I was still hurting. The pain levels kept climbing. If I was sitting still it stayed between a 6 and a 7. (1-10, 10 being the worst pain imaginable) However, if I sneezed (which as been happening a lot lately no thanks to Mother Nature) the pain level shot up to an 8 or a 9!! And HURT!!!! The Doc at the ER gave me some muscle relaxer.... that KNOCKS my little butt OUT!! So I can't take it when I have class, or when I have homework (like I have now....). So in pain I must sit for a bit to get it all done.... finished.... complete... you call it how it is.
As well, I have to go to court if this dumb woman (who thinks she's so hot of a driver) contests her ticket for driving like a crazy person.
Will the drama EVER end?
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Locked out and don't know how to get back in
So I'm house/dog sitting at my cousin's for this week.
Friday night was my first night in this house. I kicked my flip flops off... and at my feet was Dakota. Their black lab/weenie dog mix. He ate one of them. I only brought 1 pair of shoes besides my work shoes. This was just the start of my night here.
I went to bed at like quarter till 11 PM. Angel, their yellow lab, was sleeping in the room on the floor. And like most men (he's a male) he snores.... LOUDLY. Sometimes when he's asleep he'll make a different noise (kinda like my random hick-ups that I'll make every so often) and he made a different noise that I'm not use to hearing. So I woke up really abruptly at 11:30 PM thinking someone broke into the house (even with the entire house locked up). I laid back down thinking that I forgot to do something. Like 5 seconds later I remembered; I forgot to turn off the sprinkler in the garden.
Angel followed me down stairs, and I went outside. Couldn't use my flip flops because one was ate up. So I went out in my bare feet. Turned the water off and went to go back inside to go to bed. But I couldn't get back in. The door was LOCKED!! I tried to undo the latch on the fence to go around front (thinking "crap how am I going to get back in?!") but I couldn't even open the gate (in the dark)!!!! I had to climb the fence to even get out of the backyard.
I get out front and the neighbor's house is pretty much all lit up in the front, so I think they are still up. I go over and ring their door bell 3 times for help. But no answer. I'm FREAKING OUT!!!! I have it in my mind that I'm going to be sleeping in my car for the night and calling for help in the morning. I go to my car and I lay the driver seat down, really seriously thinking that I'm stuck outside all night. Then I remember that they have a keyless entry on the garage, just gotta remember the code. I go and enter a 4 diget number in the thing. Wrong number. I walk back to my car and sit/lay down in it. Another number comes to mind, I enter it. Wrong number again. It's getting later and more later as I try this. I try again.... another WRONG number.
I go back to my car really thinking that I'm going to be sleeping in the car that night. So I put everything that was in my back seat in the front passenger seat. I take the zip up hoodie that I had in there to keep me warm during my summer classes under my head. I seriously attempt to see if it was at all possible to sleep in the back seat of my car. Yeah- no it didn't work at all!!! TOTALLY UNCOMFORTABLE!!!!
So I prayed HARD for God to help me remember that number. I knew that I knew it, because it's a number that I've seen as well as called before. About 5, 10 maybe even 15 min's later another number came to my head. That "short" amount of time though felt like FOREVER!!! I hurried out of my back seat of my car as fast as I could without hurting myself, and tried the number a few seconds later..... The garage door starts to open!!! PRAISE GOD!!!!!!
I get back in and Angel is looking at me like, "Where did you go? And why did it take so long for you to come back?" As cute as a dog can be he was that x10!!!! We get back to bed way after mid-night....
Then the next morning I called Old Navy to see if they would mind me walking in bare foot, and explained to them why I would be. I had also taken the flip flops with me to attempt to walk in the store with some sort of shoe on my feet.
Saturday was a long day because of the events of the night before.
Friday night was my first night in this house. I kicked my flip flops off... and at my feet was Dakota. Their black lab/weenie dog mix. He ate one of them. I only brought 1 pair of shoes besides my work shoes. This was just the start of my night here.
I went to bed at like quarter till 11 PM. Angel, their yellow lab, was sleeping in the room on the floor. And like most men (he's a male) he snores.... LOUDLY. Sometimes when he's asleep he'll make a different noise (kinda like my random hick-ups that I'll make every so often) and he made a different noise that I'm not use to hearing. So I woke up really abruptly at 11:30 PM thinking someone broke into the house (even with the entire house locked up). I laid back down thinking that I forgot to do something. Like 5 seconds later I remembered; I forgot to turn off the sprinkler in the garden.
Angel followed me down stairs, and I went outside. Couldn't use my flip flops because one was ate up. So I went out in my bare feet. Turned the water off and went to go back inside to go to bed. But I couldn't get back in. The door was LOCKED!! I tried to undo the latch on the fence to go around front (thinking "crap how am I going to get back in?!") but I couldn't even open the gate (in the dark)!!!! I had to climb the fence to even get out of the backyard.
I get out front and the neighbor's house is pretty much all lit up in the front, so I think they are still up. I go over and ring their door bell 3 times for help. But no answer. I'm FREAKING OUT!!!! I have it in my mind that I'm going to be sleeping in my car for the night and calling for help in the morning. I go to my car and I lay the driver seat down, really seriously thinking that I'm stuck outside all night. Then I remember that they have a keyless entry on the garage, just gotta remember the code. I go and enter a 4 diget number in the thing. Wrong number. I walk back to my car and sit/lay down in it. Another number comes to mind, I enter it. Wrong number again. It's getting later and more later as I try this. I try again.... another WRONG number.
I go back to my car really thinking that I'm going to be sleeping in the car that night. So I put everything that was in my back seat in the front passenger seat. I take the zip up hoodie that I had in there to keep me warm during my summer classes under my head. I seriously attempt to see if it was at all possible to sleep in the back seat of my car. Yeah- no it didn't work at all!!! TOTALLY UNCOMFORTABLE!!!!
So I prayed HARD for God to help me remember that number. I knew that I knew it, because it's a number that I've seen as well as called before. About 5, 10 maybe even 15 min's later another number came to my head. That "short" amount of time though felt like FOREVER!!! I hurried out of my back seat of my car as fast as I could without hurting myself, and tried the number a few seconds later..... The garage door starts to open!!! PRAISE GOD!!!!!!
I get back in and Angel is looking at me like, "Where did you go? And why did it take so long for you to come back?" As cute as a dog can be he was that x10!!!! We get back to bed way after mid-night....
Then the next morning I called Old Navy to see if they would mind me walking in bare foot, and explained to them why I would be. I had also taken the flip flops with me to attempt to walk in the store with some sort of shoe on my feet.
Saturday was a long day because of the events of the night before.
Friday, July 29, 2011
My Brain's Constipation
Okay I have been thinking about posting a blog about everything that's "floating" around in this head of mine. But I have no clue how to organize my thoughts.... so this is my brain totally pooping out in this...
Yesterday at work I totally had like 4-5 anxiety attacks!!! I am insanely busy!!! And I know this, but as well I have had like 4 of my really good friends tell me that I am, and that is sad. With me having work at Chick-fil-a (which is totally amazingly wonderful), with my 2 classes that I am in now (Educational Psychology and Theatre), trying to work my small business, as well still trying to stay committed to the out reach that I have vest at least 3 years of my life too (the Good Samaritan Run aka Good Sam Run). I miss all of my friends that both serve on the team as well with friends that we serve.
How busy am I? For example, I had to get stuff done at school (Miami University-Hamilton) when I got off of work the other day I had every intention of leaving work and going to school to get things done. However, I found myself driving home… for what? I have NO FREAKING CLUE!!!! What did I do? Change my clothes (that I had in my car ready to change into at work), and left again like 15 minutes later for Miami University-Hamilton. Pointless right? I know!!! I feel space less, yet everything that I am dealing with RIGHT now is going in one million different directions at the same time.
I am finding it extremely hard to focus on any one specific thing. I feel like my thoughts are like a wild loin that is exceedingly hard to train. Or it’s like my thoughts are on the Fortune 500 racetrack with like 100 other racecars competing for first place. ARGH!!!
I know what needs to get done…. But where do I even begin? I know, I know, I know “at the beginning” but where is that at?
For example… I have a paper do in my Theatre class next Wednesday and this paper has specifics. The rubric is very detailed in what has to be in the paper. Each paragraph is pretty much written out as to what is to be written in it (but in our words based on a local performance we went to) as well a word minimum and maximum (700-800). I started the paper a few days ago… and totally worked on the rest of it today (yes, with my thoughts going everywhere in my mind) and finished it. However my word count is 917…. 117 words OVER limit.
As well, tomorrow I am going to King Library in Oxford, Ohio to work “solely” on my Ed Psych project. And I have to seriously rock this out. On my mid-term I got a D… Not good at all. So the reason why I need to rock this out is because if I do well on my project (due Tuesday) and on my final exam (on Thursday at 4 PM), she will sorta “weigh” the two good (I’m praying they turn out to bee) things against the bad mid-term. So I gotta do it as best as I can.
3 of my classmates, who I have been paired with in my Theatre class, have to do our final performance together on Wednesday, which is a huge part of our final exam. The 4 of us have written a short 15-minute (I hope it’s that long) skit that we have to act out ourselves. On Sunday I have church in the morning (can’t wait to get recharged) then at 2PM the other 3 are meeting up with me at church so we can practice afterwards. I am a little scared because it is 3 guys (Leu, Bobby, and Caleb) and me (the only female). I am playing 2 different girls in my skit…. Meaning I have change my clothes for each 4 scenes with only a minute in between scene changes…. I’m figuring that I’ll wear the same black bottoms and throw on a different skirt for the last two scenes? I’m not even sure?
Like I said insane!!! And that’s just next 6 days!!!!
God please help me? Please?
Friday, June 10, 2011
The Dream Man of Mine
First and foremost he's got to know the Lord as his Savior & not just "know of the Lord." They need to walk together daily.
I want to love me for being me, imperfections and all
He's got to be a man of character
Has dignity
Has his own personality
Is educated
Loves music- BOUNS if he can sing and play an instrument (guitar or piano)
Likes to cook- so we can cook together
Is older than me
Taller than me
Doesn't drink to get drunk but is a social drinker
Does NOT smoke (anything)
Has big hands- i.e. to hold me firmly but softly and to make me feel safe
Loves to read, camp, explore, drive
He loves to travel
Lives and outwardly focused life
Loves to volunteer in the community
Willing to pray with me and for others
Has goals in his life and things he would like to achieve with his wife.... me
Wants kids either biologically or adopted
Will challenge me daily to be a better person, woman, and Christian
A man who will lead me
A man who dresses nice but who can rock out wearing a T-shirt, plaid shorts and sandals
A man who will want to rip my clothes off of me every time he sees me, but respects me enough to keep that for our private times
A man who is close to his family, but knows when to be his own person without them
Who loves coffee
Who's a hopeless romantic
A man who inspires me
Loves to laugh and joke around
Wants to go on mission trips together
A man who can handle my overly dramatic family
Who dreams about me
Who prays for me even though we haven't met yet
Who takes challenges head on and doesn't run from them
Who is supportive of my dreams and goals
Who will make me breakfast in bed and spend the whole day laying around with me when I am sick
Someone who is willing to be late to work just to make me smile before he leaves
Someone who is willing to take a scenic route home just to see the sights and to spend more time with me
Who holds my face while he kisses me
Who sees me in his future
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