You never know how short your time is..

We had to put my dog down today. He suffered over 12 seizures in less than 24 hours. The vets thought he had a brain tumor, and there really wasn't much they could do. As the 24 hours went by he got progressively worse. You know something is wrong when your amazingly-strong pitbull becomes....not so strong over night.

It was more sad to see him go than I could have ever imagined. I never thought it would hurt this bad.

With this I have taken one thing away from it all. We take so much for granted, and we don't even realize it. All the days he greeted me with love and kisses, and I was too busy to notice. Why is it that we have to always be so busy to not notice the little things? Today it was nice, I got home and laid on the floor with him until it was time to go. I think that is one of the best memories I can have, other than the time he bulldozed me in the hallway when I was ten!

He was such a blessing to my family and I. He was definitely a Godsend. This experience has given me the opportunity to grow to understand that life is too short. Say I love you as often as you can. Mend your old friendships, and be there for the ones you love. Spend as much time as you can with your family and your friends. Because when it all boils down, all life is about is having intimate friendships. We are called to have a wonderfully fulfilling relationship with our Lord and Savior, as we are to have these amazing relationships with our neighbors.

Love everyone.

I would appreciate prayers for my family and this difficult time. I know letting him go was best for him, at least he isn't in pain any more.

I hope that, for those of you, who think pitbulls are terrible dogs realize that this was an AMAZING pitbull. He was full of more love than ANYONE I have ever know, other than Jesus. He was the first one to greet me when I walked in the door, and always there to say goodbye. All he ever wanted to do was get a little love and snuggle as often as he could. I just wish I would have snuggled with him more often.


I hope you walk away having learned something.

How are you living?

Ceasar Moncada of Verizon was a guest speaker at the LeaderShape Conference this year.

I wanted to share something he spoke about when talking about how he defines leadership.

He said that leadership doesn't consist on the basis of what you know and the things you can do, but more so on your values and your self being.

It was really eye opening to hear him speak about a leader and even just an every day person needing to take a step back and a step out of the situation you are in and look in and evaluate it. Are you really acting the way you wanted to? Are you living up to your own expectations? Are your values showing through what you do on a daily basis?

I have never had anyone mention the need to evaluate your own actions. I know it's essential to have accountability partners to help give you guidance and feedback, but never did I think about the need to look inward in my everyday life.

I know from a spiritual context I do look inward and see if I am truly living a Christ-like life, but I guess I never applied that to my everyday little actions.

But it makes total sense.

Whether you believe in the God Almighty or not, I think everyone needs to see if they are living up to their ideal values.


How are you living?

Here's what I discovered...

So, a few weeks back in my introduction to creativity class Dr. Griffin gave us the idea to do a blog on an issue that we are completely against, but do research about it and try to see it from the other side of the issue.

I chose a difficult one: abortion (pro-life or pro-choice)



I am pro-life and will always be, but I wanted to try to see it from another perspective. It was really difficult, and I'm not sure I was able to fully see it from another person's shoes. I can't picture myself sitting in the clinic about to do something like that. I relaize there are people who say, "you don't understand until you are in that situation." But then when I look back to the people who I went to high school with who used abortion a "safe way" to have sex it makes me sick. If you are going to have sex with your partner be ready to suffer the consequences. Not that having a child is a negative consequence that will cause suffering, but it will if you are in college and not ready for it. I think Norma McCorvey, who was the "Jane Roe" in the Roe v. Wade suit said it best when she was interviewed USA Today she stated that once, while employed at a clinic when no one was in: "I went into the procedure room and laid down on the table... trying to imagine what it would be like having an abortion... I broke down and cried." On ABC's World News Tonight, Norma McCorvey said: "I think abortion's wrong. I think what I did with Roe v. Wade was wrong."


If found this quote from a pro-choice fundamentalist Dr. Malcom Watts, he was writing a pro-abortion piece for the California Medical Association said: “...it has been necessary to separate the idea of abortion from the idea of killing, which continues to be socially abhorrent. The result has been a curious avoidance of the scientific fact, which everyone really knows, that human life begins at conception and is continuous until death.”



RU 468 "It works by blocking progesterone, a crucial hormone during pregnancy. Without progesterone, the uterine lining does not provide food, fluid and oxygen to the tiny developing baby. The baby cannot survive. A second drug is then given that stimulates the uterus to contract and the baby is expelled."

Suction-Aspiration "The abortionist inserts a hollow plastic tube with a knife-like edge into the uterus. The suction tears the baby’s body into pieces. The placenta is cut from the uterine wall and everything is sucked into a bottle."

Dilation and Curettage (D and C) "This is similar to a suction procedure except a curette, a loop-shaped steel knife is inserted into the uterus. The baby and placenta are cut into pieces and scraped out into a basin. Bleeding is usually very heavy with this method."

Dilation and Evacuation (D and E) This is done after third month of pregnancy: "A pliers-like instrument is inserted through the cervix into the uterus. The abortionist then seizes a leg, arm or other part of the baby and, with a twisting motion, tears it from the body. This continues until only the head remains. Finally the skull is crushed and pulled out. The nurse must then reassemble the body parts to be sure that all of them were removed."

Prostaglandin Abortion "Prostaglandin is a hormone that induces labor. The baby usually dies from the trauma of the delivery. However, if the baby is old enough, it will be born alive. This is called a “complication.” To prevent this, some abortionists use ultrasound to guide them as they inject a “feticide” (a drug that kills the fetus) into the unborn baby’s heart. They then administer prostaglandin and a dead baby is delivered. This type of abortion is used in mid and late term pregnancies."

Dilation and Extraction (D and X) Used on mid to late term babies: "The child’s body is then pulled out of the birth canal except for the head which is too large to pass through the cervix. The baby is alive, and probably kicking and flailing his legs and arms. The abortionist hooks his fingers over the baby’s shoulders, holding the woman’s cervix away from the baby’s neck. He then jams blunt tipped surgical scissors into the base of the skull and spreads the tips apart to enlarge the wound. A suction catheter is inserted into the baby’s skull and the brain is sucked out. The skull collapses and the baby’s head passes easily through the cervix."

It is hard for me to sit here and read these discriptions about the medical methods of abortion and be even remotely okay with the idea. I mean sucking out the body in pieces? Sucking the brain out? I just don't understand how someone can be okay with that.

Then I realize that people comment about what if someone was raped, and I realize that is already a hard position, but there are so many things you can do. Yes, I realize that it would be difficult to bring a baby to term after being raped, but wouldn't it be hard to kill it too? I've talked to several people who have had abortions and gotten the same response back: it was the worst mistake they have ever made and a day doesn't go by when they think of their lost child.

I tried hard to see it from the other side, but after reading all the methods and policies about abortion I think my understanding of the issue and what I think is right is more firm after reading the research.

What is your legacy?

I was thinking back to a conversation I had with my dad about a sermon we had heard on line a while back. The pastor was talking about life and he asked everyone, "what is your legacy going to be? how are you going to be remembered?"

I really wish I took at least a few minutes every day to think about my impact. Not only my impact on my family, my friends, but the community as well.

When looking back to the trip I went on over spring break I can't help but go back to the thought, "WHY AREN'T THERE MORE PEOPLE DOING THIS?" Why aren't there hundreds and hundreds of students taking their time to volunteer to help others. Not even just students, but ANYONE?

I hope that whenever my time comes to leave the earth I have a legacy of love, friendships and encouragement. I am very much an intrapersonal type of person and I always try to be there for many people. I hope that not only through the love of service that I have, but from the wonderful fiendships I have that people see that.

The most important thing is the realization that we cannot MAKE a legacy. We have to be a legacy. Life your life to be remembered by your family, friends, peers and colleages.


Life your life with love.

Wow, and you have a drivers license becase...

Did you notice the car in the far right lane? If not, watch it again closely.


Does this person NOT realize how valuable and precious our lives are? I really think there are so many people out there who don't understand the meaning our lives have. People...please, please wake up and realize that you need to live your life- except NOT like this person..