You spin me right round baby right round...

Wow, one of my classes this semester is almost done, and I'm approx. 1/6 through my program...hooray! It doesn't seem like much, but really it is. As usual life has been hectic, busy, and ultimately just the way I like it. My newest obsession in life is traveling. I know I cannot afford to do anything too extravagant, but really want to go somewhere, and do something. I guess I'm almost feeling "trapped" here in Wisconsin. Ultimately I love this state, I love the friends I have, and I love my autistic kids, but I really think something is missing, and that something might just be different scenery. I've actually been looking into internships in other states due to their short term and the great experience they provide, not to mention I can gain credit through my MBA program with an internship. I'm quite sure nothing will happen soon or immediately, but just the excitement of looking is keeping me motivated.

We shall see what happens....

Motivation

They say the best thing about having a blog is being able to use the "first draft" of your writing without needing to edit or worry about the fundamentals of writing. So, that is what I am doing here, I am feeling inspired and need to get my words on paper, or at the very least this screen.

As human beings I think we often hear about thinking "outside the box", but I feel we rarely truly do this in our lives. I guess I'm speaking on global terms as in thinking of the entire world or human population. Every day I complain about something in my life. How I don't feel well, how work is difficult, or about how little time I have in the day. Rarely do I take an opportunity to step outside of that to think about how lucky I am to only have those complaints. *Obviously tonight is a different story*

Regardless of how you grew up, where you are now, or what obstacles you've had in life one thing is certain...Life is not easy. Being a person that does believe in God, I think that he has a lot to do with what obstacles you get. If you don't believe in God, then I'm sure you have your own theories, which is fine as well. Ultimately I've always believed that what doesn't kill us only makes us stronger. I have been through and seen a lot of things in my past 24 years, but recent endeavors have truly inspired me more than ever. While I don't feel guilty about complaining about things...I know in my heart that I live a great life. There will always be great experiences I will not get to experiences as well as major heartaches I will not have to endure. My path is my own, and I feel that I am finally ready to explore and take advantage of every moment.

Working with autistic children has been extremely rewarding, more than I could have ever thought. To work, or spend time with anyone who has any sort of disability might possibly be the best thing in the world. If you are lucky enough to truly get to understand and know the person or child you work with, everything they do becomes so special and personal. I can vicariously live through the successes that I see my children have, and am hurt and disheartened by any pain or setback. This all comes through children who I had never even met 9 months ago.

When I work with "my kids", the rest of my life goes away. I no longer think about work, what I'm going to do about bills, or what I should make for supper. In that moment, the child is the only thing that matters. When I think about the families that live and cope with a family member with a disability I can't even possibly begin to understand how they do it. Yet, at the same time it has shown me that love and compassion can always conquer adversity. *It's true what all those famous quotes and pretty motivational materials tell you--However it probably doesn't mean much until you have the self realization*

To continue on a cliched path, I would never want to walk a mile in anyone else's shoes. I would much rather walk in my own shoes along side someone else, and ultimately that is all you can ever do. I will god-willingly never have to understand what it is like to fight in a war, or be in a country divided by war. I hope to never have to search alleys for a place to sleep and food to eat. I did not grow up in a place where mortality and disease is all around me. I CAN do my best to understand and have compassion for those that are in these situations, and be the best person I can be as a friend, co-worker, mentor, and human being.

I know that working with children who have autism is not a passion or good choice for everyone, but I truly hope that everyone gets to be as inspired and motivated by something in their lives. The people who find these passions and continue with them are truly the ones who can live happily, understand how lucky they are, and ultimately make a difference in the world. If you don't embrace your passion, you are not living to your full potential. I never want fame and fortune, but I do want to know that I've used my talents and my time in a way that benefits others...well and let's be honest...if fortune comes along with it...I'm not going to turn it away. I don't know where I'll be 10 years from now, and I'm not even sure what I'll decide to do next week. The honest and truthful answer is that I am going to start to follow my passions, dreams, and desires, and wherever I end up through those means is fine by me.

My favorite quote is; "Be the change you want to see in the world," and I aim to live up to that every single day.

More Fails...

Thanksgiving Rick Roll

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

Oh...too funny...

So here I am watching MTV, I know...shocker. I can't keep myself away from pointless unimaginative television that is also called reality t.v.....especially with the busy life I lead.

At any rate...I was watching the Road Rules/Real World challenge "The Island". Johnny...a "regular" on these shows had an awesome quote tonight. "I don't mean to be a male chauvinist or anything, but...doing dishes, yeah she's really good at doing that, leave the boat building to the guys."

That may not be the exact "" , but nonetheless the funniest part is verbatim. Awesome. Also, I came across possibly my new favorite site, which is noted below. http://failblog.org/

Too funny, and the word fail has now become a large part of my vocabulary. Plus, doing what I do...I get to use it often :)

In addition, complaining pays off...BW3's sent me a 15 dollar gift card after my complaint e-mail about their shitty service during my last visit. Pretty sure that equals 4 Gin and Tonics...that's awesome!

Well that is all, it's time to finish watching crappy t.v. and then head to bed!

A new obsession...Fail Blog

I get by with a little help from my friends...

The never-ending post...

Holy pancakes and waffles folks it's been quite a while since I've given a worthy update. Well, it's Friday night, I'm single, and there's really nothing better for me to do that make a blog post...LIVIN' THE DREAM!!

Life has been...life. Busy is a word that spews from my mouth every single day. I'm surprised I'm even sitting down to write this post. Between work, school, autism sessions, volleyball, and a limited social life there hasn't been a whole lot of time for anything else. So much has happened in the past few months that it would be silly to even try to recap it. SO, I'll just put together some banter that may be fun to read, and even better to reply to.

Holy crap, in 3 weeks we will be voting for a new President. Holy crappier, I haven't been following the debates and things as much as I hoped, but I surely find what I have been involved with interesting. If I had to classify myself either way as far as my true values, I'd certainly have to say I lean more Republican. However, there are key issues that I don't necessarily agree with, but that is life, unless I myself run for President chances are I will be able to find things I do not agree with in every single candidate that walks up to the podium. Lots of crazy stuff has been going on...OMG Obama's a terrorist, OMG McCain delivers an unexpected blow by choosing and inexperienced VP, OMG McCain is old, OMG Obama's too young...

I know, Oh my god. I love elections because, as I think it should be...people get super riled up talking politics. I myself, tend to stay out of debates...I'm more of the...throw a stone and get someone on a rampage. I'll fight/defend either side, and love the fact that a majority of people have no idea what my political feelings are. Honestly, it would be hard for me to sit down and even try to explain my feelings, as they are my feelings...you know, personal choice and all that jazz.

I never really try to convince anyone to vote or think one way or another, I just like to make sure people just THINK. While freedom to vote is a privilage, it's also the voter's responsibility to truly educate themselves. It's always important to remember that whomever takes office will break promises, anger some country, do something stupid and forever memorable, and most importantly we need to remember that they are human. Humans get corrupted, make stupid choices, lie, cheat, and steal. Government officials want to make you believe that they are there for you, but there is no way for them to be completely objective, and there's certainly no better position for a politician's resume than President. (Alright, so I'm breaking it down a little ridiculously here, but that's my style yo...but just think about it)

At the end of the day your vote has to go the person who you feel will make the best decisions, or be able to handle consequences when things go wrong. End of story. My biggest pet peeve during election time is people trying to tell me why I should vote one way or another, especially when that person uses personality traits to make their argument. Just because Obama is good speaker doesn't mean he's fit to be President, and just because Obama's name isn't Steve Smith captain America, doesn't mean he's a terrorist. For the love of Pete people, get your heads out of your ass and look at the important issues. I don't care if McCain's old or that Obama's too young as long as one of them can help to turn this economy around and help to repair America...I'm good to go!

It's also hard for me during election time to listen to any entertainer. I know they should be able to voice their opinions as well, but I think that there's something wrong with a country that would vote for a leader based partially on the fact that one of their favorite actors/singers backs them. (Another good tactic by politicians...man they are sneaky). I'm not saying that all Americans are blind sheep, but just think about how many stupid people over the age of 18 you run into every day...yeah....they can vote, and chances are if they are too stupid to enter your order right at the drive though, they probably aren't too concerned with looking into the facts regarding presidential candidates or political party platforms either. (Oh how I love alliteration)

In summation, I love politics, and really wish I had more time to follow it more closely. Everything I see and read, whether it's fact or opinion deepens my interest in politics. When I was 20, I chose not to vote...but I can tell you this year I will exercise my right and am excited to see what happens on Nov. 4th. I'm also excited to see what sort of bells and whistles are thrown out in these final weeks. So no matter who you are voting for, or what party you affiliate with...enjoy the upcoming weeks and just make sure to vote!

Summertime

Alright, after further review, I do still love NKOTB, their video has given me new appreciation to the song.

Hair...we were discussing...

Organic food...

Continuing my trend to save the environment, I'm trying to buy more natural and/or organic foods when possible. Not only is it good for you, it's also good for many other reasons. I can't wait to be a grown up and GROW some of my own things...tomatoes, cucumbers...and other various delcious things. I also regarding food...Iwant to purchase some canvas bags to use while shopping, becuase I realize I get a LOT of plastic bags. I do use them for garbages, but I probably could cut down my usage a little.

With the weather being awesome-tastic...A/C usage has been low for me, I think 5 or 6 nights total, which really isn't bad. Recycling at work has also been going much better. It's now pretty much habit to recycle paper and whatnot. At home, I have started tossing my papers/bills/etc that need to be tossed in a box until I get a shredder to shred and recycle it. It's amazing how much paper you get in the mail! There is a neat service Green Dimes (www.greendimes.com), that can help you reduce your junk mail. It gives you addresses of how to get your name off of lists once you sign up, or if you donate money (and get some neat stuff in the process and some trees planted), they are more proactive in doing it for you. That's pretty cool. I know I get a lot of junk mail...and I plan on using this more to see what sort of results I get.

We'll see how things progress, but as I am doing things, I am finding it easier and easier and to add the little things in helping to reduce my usage of our resources.

Motivation...or lack there of

So, for years I have loved Despair.com. Their demotivational posters are genius. I remember Aaron had a site to make your own at least a year or two back...and that was fun too.

The classics always get me though...too good. I can't get decent sized images...so Priorities is my new favorite and background on my work laptop. So many of them are laugh out loud funny though (LOL), and if you have never checked them out, or it's been at least 24 hours since your last viewing...GO NOW!

I'm trying this Monday..