Love for Loni Jane!

Treasure Trove of Luxury

I love Loni Jane! She’s beautiful, healthy, about to have a baby, and totally and completely inspiring. I’m not a vegetarian, let alone a vegan, let alone a raw vegan, omnivore/paleo BUT I have taken such inspiration from many vegans to incorporate more fruits and veggies into my diet. Recently she went public with how she turned her life around by becoming a raw vegan and the media completely twisted everything she said like they do with so many others. I hate that so much! I hate when people judge other people’s weight and diets.

We have rolling news these days but the idiot media didn’t take into account that NOTHING happens 24/7 around the world that’s interesting enough to drop what you’re doing and watch the television, so instead they have to sensationalize everything to get a rise out of the public. Then of course the public are complete sheep…

View original post 191 more words

New Blog!

I’ve started a new blog. I’ll still be using this one but my new blog will be more geared towards my fitness stuff. Here it is.

OBSESSED: Dr Marten Chelsea Boots

Beautiful!!

TOTALLY OBSESSED with these Dr. Marten Cherry Red Arcadia Chelsea Boots. The Cherry Red Arcadia are my faves but I also love them in the Smooth Black and Gaucho Crazy Horse (rugged work boot brown) colors. I don’t hate them in the classic Dr Marten Cherry Red Smooth Color but they just don’t do anything for me and I really don’t like them in the Navy Arcadia at all because it’s patent. The Cherry Red Arcadia are beautiful and classic and I think they’ll age really well and I can wear them all year round really. I am getting a pair of these, in this exact color, very soon courtesy of my mom LOL (love her!)

Going’s On

1. Drawing: I’ve been working on my drawing. I’m still a very remedial artist LOL. But I want this to happen. I want to be able to draw my fashion creations. Having my own line of handbags is very important to me. It’s very important to be able to draw what you want to be made before you can send it off to be made. The people making it need a visual lol. I want to be able to draw out the creations that I come up with and I also want to learn how to use photoshop and illustrator. Right now my plan is to draw everyday and go slow and keep going no matter how frustrated I get. I do see that the slower I go the less frustrated that I get.

2. Nursing: Still doing pre-reqs. This semester was hard. My GPA took a MAJOR hit! I’ll be retaking the two classes I’ve done horrible in this semester past. I’ll be retaking one this semester and the other next semester but I’ll be taking three classes in all this semester: re-taking A&P I, Microbiology, and US History II AKA the GPA booster. Then I’ll be re-taking Chemistry the semester after this one coming up along with Statistics and any other classes that’ll boost my GPA. I’m also switching to a campus that is closer to my home so instead of an hour and eighteen minute commute, I’ll have a forty-five minute one by car but hopefully I’ll be having someone to at leas take me to school every morning and pick me up but if not both, I’ll hopefully have someone to at least take me to school in the mornings. Long commutes can be really hard on you. I’ve been doing the hour plus commute for almost two years now and I have to say it’s been dragging me down for A VERY LONG TIME. I love the campus that I’ve been studying on but the commute is a killer and it’s a bus stop on every corner, it ALWAYS crowded, the bus can break down and traffic be congested which makes that commute EVEN LONGER than the HOUR and 18 minutes (which I believe is more like 30 on average) it already is!! I also know that I will be spending more time at the library that is close to my home. I cannot study at my house. My father is a total pain in the ass who is always annoying me. But I do get distracted by my own stuff like surfing the net and reading everything but my textbooks. Anyway, here’s to a better Fall 2013!! I’m going to keep my head up and keep going.

3. Thinking about the future: ALWAYS! And always worrying about it.

Protected: Feeling Blue

This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Password:

The Secret: Gratitude

Right now I’m reading The Secret. I have to say, so far I’m really liking it and it is inspiring me. I’m on a part of the book that talks about gratitude and how gratitude can change your life. I don’t think everyone has heard that before, though I’m sure a lot of people have, I’ve heard it before. My mother has always told me: “Be grateful!” (sometimes shouted it lol). It’s not something you really think about when you’re younger, but now that I’m older I am. I want to be grateful for what I have, less selfish, more giving. Rhonda and all of the teachers in The Secret say that you can’t get further in life, change your life, get more out of it and all of the things that you don’t have but want, if you’re not grateful for the things and people that you already have. So without further ado, here is a list of things that I’m grateful for, that I came up with this afternoon:

1. My mom

2. My health

3. Waking up this morning

4. The past 19, almost 20, years I’ve spent on Earth

5. My grandaddy (may he RIP)

6. My brother

7. My house

8. The food on my table

9. My dreams and ambitions

10. My college experiences so far and all of the amazing people I’ve met so far

11. Living in a democracy

12. Being free

13. Being ME!

I’m sure there are other things that I’m grateful for and I’ll be adding those things/people to my list. I want to start every morning saying what I’m grateful for. (It can be kind of hard as I’m SO NOT a morning person and so when I wake up I just want to be grouchy and complain LOL)

Let’s Shop Vegan!!

Okay so I was just surfing the net & this website with these two cool Vegan grocery lists popped up. I’m posting the links to the grocery lists here and here! The first is from Oprah and the second from Katie. They’re amazing, big lists, very comprehensive; wonderful for those of us who are still at the beginning of the journey to being vegan/vegetarian or just want to incorporate more of the lifestyle into their lives.

Needing My Own Bathroom = Musing over other Shit I’ve Got to Deal with!

I need my own bathroom!

This early morning, like other VERY, VERY, VERY early mornings before them, I ha and upset stomach and had to got to the bathroom so bad! (Use your imagination, that way I won’t have to get all TMI!) I get up to go and who else in the bathroom but my brother. He’s always in the bathroom, at the most inopportune time, and VERY, VERY, VERY few times is he urinating! Then to top it all off, he never turns on the fan!

My mom, my dad, my brother, and my grandmother moved into the home that we currently live in the summer before last (2011). It has a lot of space and though it’s not perfect, it’s pretty nice. But the thing is that I don’t think any of us (esp my mom) thought about all of the deal breakers in this house, like it only having two bathrooms. One bathroom is on the second floor and one bathroom is in the basement.

The bathroom upstairs seems to always be occupied by my brother. Though we have a second bathroom in the basement, it’s reserved for my grandmother. The rest of us, which now includes three foster children, cannot use the bathroom my grandmother uses b/c she can’t use the b

This whole situation then leads me to these other thoughts, conclusions, and feelings.

1. I’m annoyed that my my brother is always in the bathroom. = My mother needs to take him to a doctor AGAIN! She took him to a doctor when he was a lot younger to see if anything was wrong with him b/c he has always immediately pooped out everything that he eats. I do feel guilty when I yell or kick up a fuss about him being in the bathroom. I don’t like when people rush me out of the bathroom so I don’t want to have to do it to anyone else but then again it has to be acknowledged once again that I’m no the one always in the bathroom and then for a very long time.

2. Annoyance at my grandmother getting her own bathroom. = I’m annoyed that my grandmother gets her own bathroom AND because she can never make it to the bathroom or leaves a mess of sorts so I cannot use it AT ALL! This then sends my mind onto something that I don’t always want to acknowledge because it’s guilt inducing and I guess mean. But the fact is that I feel it anyway, so better to acknowledge it. I resent the fact that my grandmother lives with us. I know that’s mean and horrible & I’m probably a selfish (I do have selfish tendencies so it’s very possible and something I need to work on) person because of it, but there it is.

A couple of years ago my grandmother & three cousins came to live with us. This was when we still lived in our INCREDIBLY small house in WJ. It was a nightmare, everyone was on top of each other, someone was always yelling (my grandmother mostly), the boys didn’t want to follow the rules at all. At our new though, my grandmother is the only one that lives with us but even with just her I still feel like we got the short end of the stick. I hate that feeling! Everything changed when everyone who lived with my grandmother decided that they wanted to move and not care to take her with them. My mother was the one who paid the rent for the house she lived in and bought food. My mother was the one who took in my three cousins when she died of aids a couple years ago. My mother is now the one who has to take care of her everyday and no one in the family helps at all. Heck, no one in the family even calls her let alone comes to pick her up and take her out. Everything changed when she came to live with us, and though I’m not the biggest lover of change, I’m not completely adverse either. I just in no way like how during the high school years everything seemed to change for the worst.

3. My diet is pissing me the fuck off! = Though I’ve not been been eating huge quantities of food, the quality of what I’m eating is crap! It’s really pissing me off and I need some fresh food and lots of vegetables and lots of fruit. I’m trying to really get on track with that. I can’t wait for winter to be officially over and for the Farmer’s Market to open. I can’t wait to get a job so that I can pay for my own trips to Whole Foods. I know how to do the right thing. Then there’s the fact that I think my stomach is naturally sensitive to a lot of things now that I’m older (good Lord! that makes me sound old! For the love of God, I’m only 19!). But the fact is that my stomach has a love hate relationship with a lot of foods. One day I can eat a hamburger, simple hamburger that’s most turkey these days, and it’s like my stomach has gone to heaven. The next day if I try to have one my stomach says fuck this LOL. The same for other foods. Of course, I’m completely lactose intolerant. I can’t even eat a milk chocolate candy bar b/c my stomach just … and yes I still eat milk chocolate sometimes lol, complete knowing that my stomach will hate me for it. I try to drink it with extra cold water b/c that for some reason calms the stormy seas of my stomach lol. I most definitely have to keep my diet simple and I gravitate to more simple dishes: fruits & veggies, little bit of chicken or beef, pasta w/ no meat. Nothing too crazy, nothing too greasy, and most definitely nothing junky!

The more problems I experience with my stomach, the more I feel like I’m ready to go vegetarian.

4. Uncertainty about my future making me upset which in turn is making me physically sick = I’m stressing about my future a bit lately. I’m on track to finish my requirement credits so that I can apply to a nursing program. I want to work for two years as a nurse and then become a traveling nurse. Unless of course I decide to move to another country and work there. I’m seriously considering moving to one of the Scandinavian and countries. I’ve always loved Denmark and Norway, beautiful countries with incredibly high standards of living. I don’t think that I want to be a nurse for the rest of my life, at least not for money. I think I’d like to do more volunteer work. Financially I want to make a living with my own fine jewelry collection. I just have no idea how much money I will need to fund that and get my business off the ground. I’m going to do it but I’m nervous and I want it to succeed. To be independently wealthy is very much a goal of mine.

There’s so many things to think about as you get older and start to set off on your own and in this economy …. #UGGGGGGGHHHHH!

So there’s my rant, I’m done. I have officially released all of my issues that I’m dealing with at the moment. That’s what I love about writing down my feelings. Every time I do so, they’re no longer knocking around my head as loudly as they were before. It’s 3:40 AM now and I’m going to go finish filing in my study guides for my A&P Exam and practical that I’ve got coming up.

Good night/Good morning! 🙂

Don’t Support Corrupt Adoptions!!

Terry Achane is a U.S. Army Drill Sergeant, who while away in South Carolina, doing his job for the army, whose (now) ex-wife gave his daughter away for adoption when she was a baby without his consent. Archane and his now ex-wife were originally from Texas, 10 days after he left for his new job in South Carolina, she flew to Salt Lake City, Utah, gave birth to the baby, and signed over her parental rights to Jared and Kristi Frei. The adoptive parents were informed and KNEW that the child’s father had not consented to adopt her and would not give consent. They went ahead with the adoption anyway, then three months later tracked down the father, something that they should have done BEFORE they consented to the adoption. The birth mother Tira Blands and the adoptive parents Kristi and Jared Frei are maintaining the LIES that Tira told them before she put the baby up for adoption of Terry abandoning her. Although, Terry has produced documents proving that he was still supporting HER and HER daughter from a previous relationship although they were in the process of SEPARATING with divorce on the horizon. This man was still paying the mortgage on their house in Texas, she and her daughter were on his health insurance policy, and when her car was repossessed because she didn’t pay the bill he offered to buy her car to drive. And let’s not forget that he’s a soldier and with all that they do for the country THEY DON’T MAKE MUCH! Terry also made arrangements for Tira to come live in SC but she decided to remain in Texas her reason being that she had family there. Terry has been trying to find out where his and who his daughter was adopted out to since he came back home and found out she was adopted. He’s been fighting for custody of his daughter since he finally found out where she was at two months, Teleah is now 21 months old. The Freis claim on their website for Teleah that “Over the last 19 months, despite the law requiring that a father show interest in his child and at least attempt regular communication to establish a bond, the father has never shown any interest in Leah other than to hire an attorney.  He has never sent her clothes or toys, or even a gift on Christmas or her birthday.  He’s never inquired into her health and well-being, or other details like when she started crawling, walking, talking, or cutting her first tooth. In short, he hasn’t shown any of the natural affection or interest of a parent. “. I mean seriously him fighting for his daughter is not showing interest??? Recently he’s had two 3 hour visits with his daughter but other than that the parents have made no attempt, present OR PAST, to contact him or let him talk or visit with his daughter of their own free will. Again, recently a judge in the 4th District Court has awarded custody of Teleah. The catch is that Jared and Kristi Frei have 60 days to relinquish custody of her to Terry (that last day will apparently come some time in mid-January.) Jared and Kristi have basically stated through their lawyer that they are not going to do so, that they believe it’s God’s will that Teleah be with them (As someone who believes in God, I’m so tired of people using him as a means to commit and get away with wrongdoing!!!), and they are now filing for a stay and hoping to appeal. They have not been granted the stay. I doubt that they will be granted the stay, seeing as the judge who is currently presiding over the case will have to grant it. I don’t think he will and I sincerely hope that he doesn’t change his mind. Today is December 26th and the closer it draws to January is a little bit more relief yet fear that something is going to impede the justice that this man deserves!

The birth parents and adoption agency receive no sympathy from this corner. They both knew what they were doing was illegal. I read another article that stated that the adoption agency the Kreis used, has operated under several other aliases in the past. Nothing new to ANY type of business that rely on corrupt practices. THIS AGENCY NEEDS TO BE SHUT DOWN PERMANENTLY! The owners should be on someone’s list with their picture included with and a sample of their DNA if necessary, and never allowed to apply for licensing again! The parents seem more caught up on the fact that they spent 25,000 dollars each on their adoptions than whether or not it was legal or what’s best for Teleah. Also, THE LEGALITY OF THE ADOPTION OF THEIR FIRST SON NEEDS TO BE LOOKED INTO IMMEDIATELY!!! The birthmother Tira Blands needs to be locked up UNDERNEATH the jail because quite frankly she’s a spiteful bitch! Hope her first daughter doesn’t turn out like her.

THIS WAS NOT A CASE OF ADOPTION BUT HUMAN TRAFFICKING. NOTHING MORE, NOTHING LESS. ALL INVOLVED SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF THEMSELVES AND PROSECUTED.

Utah is coming under MAJOR FIRE recently because of the corruption arising from it’s very lax adoption laws. “Birthmothers” are flying to Utah to have their babies and give them up for adoption. Something that’s not surprising when you think of the lengths people will go to be spiteful, vicious, and corrupt. But in terms of lawful adoptions, is not what I’ve seen practiced AT ALL. (I’m not saying it doesn’t happen but I doubt often and I’ve never seen it practiced.)  When the birthmother lives in another city, the adoptive parents travel to that city, when the birthmother lives in another state, the adoptive parents travel to that state. When the adoptive child lives in another country, the adoptive parents travel to that country. Even in cases of surrogacy, the bio parents travel to the place, town, state, country of where the gestational carrier lives.

You can read the story at ABC, Huffington Post, and other news sites.

Please Support & Like Terry’s Facebook Page

If you have it in your heart to help Terry with his legal fees please contact his lawyer:

Terry Achane is in need of assistance. As an active duty service member, funds can be extremely tight. Lawyers fees have been paid as he has been able to. The Frei family that illegally adopted Terry’s daughter lost the most recent court case which they have vowed to appeal. Please help with anything possible. 
Donations can be made directly to Terry Achane’s attorney. This will help with legal fees, airline fees, and hotel fees. Their contact information is as follows:
2825 E. Cottonwood Pkwy. Suite 500 
Salt Lake City, Utah 84121 
Tel: 801-990-1230 
Fax: 801-880-7070
Please help this Soldier get his daughter back.

Here’s another article on a corrupt Utah adoption: Salt Lake Tribunal

An answer to my question

My last post is on private and will remain that way, but the whole post was about my doubts on single parenting. I had some questions but soon after I wrote the post, I found my answer! This is reposted by , from a wonderful woman who has been married over 30 years and has more than a few children LOL A Place Called Simplicity. Thank you so much; this post was so inspiring!

 

Should A Single Woman Adopt?

It’s 2:10 AM and I have not been able to sleep.
I knew this question was churning all day
in my heart for a reason!! This question has come
up so many times, and even more so with
the post the other day about our treasure Elizabeth,
that I just had to address it publicly.

I am thrilled that so many are wondering and
praying and asking.

Here’s my thoughts…..

I have often heard people say, “I am praying to see
if this is the Lord’s will for me. I have such a
desire to adopt, but I am single.”

There are two concerns that come to mind with this question:

1. Is it God’s will?

2. But I’m single…

Whether it’s about adoption or really anything else –
when praying about “God’s will” we must first
find out if it in any way contradicts with scripture.
If it does, then it is most definitely NOT God’s will.

When this applies to adoption, the question should be…..
“Is there anywhere in scripture where God says,
“Do NOT care for the orphans”?”

Of course there is NOT!!

Almighty God says there
are two things that show true religion:

{1} caring for the orphan
and
{2} caring for the widow.

There is not one place in scripture that I am aware of
that God says, “You are single, sit back and take 
it easy, the care of the orphans is only for them-thar 
married folk.”

Not a chance!!

The Lord has one definition of “true religion”:

“Caring for the orphan and widow”
James 1:27

He did NOT say that pure religion was being a:
pastor; staff pastor; Bible college employee;
Sunday School teacher; world evangelist; prophet;
deacon; elder a nice person or anything else…..

He simply said:


show me you love me by caring 
for the orphans and widows.

Okay, so now is it God’s will that single people
{specifically} care for them. At the risk of sounding silly:
How could something that is clearly God’s heart
not be His will for you?

I tend to think that people who struggle with this question
are truly struggling with this:

I want this so bad, I must not be worthy of it.

{And that would be a lie from the pit of hell.}

Sweet bloggy friends: God has given you ONE life to live.
It is only to be lived for Him. If it is lived for Him,
He will one day say, “Well done thou good and
faithful servant.” It is not to be lived to please
yourself but to please Him and only Him.

So how could God’s will be different for you just
because you are single?

It isn’t.

It is the same.

We are to live to please Him by taking care of orphans, caring for the widows, serving the poor, giving our things away, living to meet the needs of others not our own personal wants.

If you are looking for permission to adopt – here it is:


God’s word says to do it!


He does not have one standard for married people 
and one standard for the single person.

In fact you are in a better position! I hear from many
married folks whose heart wants desperately
to adopt yet their spouse says, “not a chance”.
{To which I say: fast and pray for a change in
your spouses heart, but don’t tell them you
are fasting for that reason.}

The other day I was downtown with Dw. Infact, come
to think of it, it was our anniversary. We had some
time to waste as we were waiting for our dinner
reservation time. We went in a little shop and
there was a sign for sale.
It struck me funny.
You have to remember we have been
happily married for 31 years
{to the day}…..
but that sign said:

Any woman wanting a husband has obviously never had one

I laughed when I read it. I am a counselor by trade.
I have talked to a bazillion ladies who are so
unhappy with their husbands. And I have talked
to more than my share of women who were once
single and thought that happiness would come
when they found that perfect man. Only thing is
that that perfect man doesn’t exist. And today,
there are even fewer Godly men in existence.

You can wait for that perfect man and waste valuable
years that could have been spent raising precious
little ones in desperate need of a mommy.
Two parent homes are thought by many to be ideal, but really….who says that has to be?

Ever asked an orphan?

“Ummmmm, excuse me. I am single. I want to be a mommy…
but I am waiting for a daddy…
so in the meantime you sit there and enjoy
that orphanage….cause I’m sure you’d rather
be one of 400 kids….with no one to kiss your boo-boos
or listen to your dreams while I sit over
here waiting for Mr. Right.”

Yeah, I don’t think so.

There are kids all over this world who are longing
for someone to say, “You are mine and we’re in this
together. We may not have a daddy at the moment
{or maybe ever}, but we will let God be your daddy
and I will be your mommy, and by the way
He happens to be a really cool daddy, infact He
is the only Perfect Daddy.”

Here are some kids that you could pose that question to:

Would you rather have just a mommy and not a daddy

OR

Would you rather wait, hope, dream that someday a mommy & daddy come for you?

I applaud the courage of some of my sweet bloggy
friends like: Carol {in northern Colorado}, Sandee,
and Nancy…..just a few of the women who have said,
“I am not married, but I can be a great mom and
I’m not waiting for a husband to do that. I will care
for the orphan because that’s God’s will for all of us!”
You guys have my utmost respect – may God pours
heaps of blessings on you and your children!!

So maybe you’re still not convinced……take time to
fast and pray and study scripture…..just for starters
take a look at these folks…..

Esther….who God used to protect the Jewish nation
from certain impending death….Esther was raised by her
uncle…and there is never a mention of an aunt.
(Doesn’t mean there wasn’t an aunt,
but she obviously wasn’t very important to the story.)

Or how about Moses……drawn out of the water and
eventually lived with Pharoah’s daughter….
never a mention of Pharoah’s daughter’s husband….
(Doesn’t mean there wasn’t one, but he obviously
wasn’t very important to the story.)

And on that note….I am 100% convinced that
single women should adopt.

I am 100% convinced that it is God’s heart.

I am 100% convinced that He will meet every single
need each one has as they are in the process
and throughout raising each child.

I am 100% convinced that God has a child
in mind for each of you who are willing to say,
“Okay, I’m going for it!”

I am 100% convinced that the body of Christ has been called
to partner with singles who adopt to make
their road smoother.

I am 100% convinced that there are kids all
around this world wondering and praying and
begging God if there couldn’t possibly be
a mommy out there for them?

I am 100% that you will make a great mommy!

I am 100% convinced that His plan for you is NOW!