The Joy of Not Having Children

Valentine's Day

So, Etsy is officially one of my Top 3 favorite websites.  

Thanks to Etsy, I was able to find the perfect Valentine's Day card for Kyle...a custom-made, chemistry inspired card that used the periodic table to spell out the greeting. 
In return, Kyle gave me an intricate origami rose (also from Etsy). 

Holly the Hedgehog (aka Holly Hedgie)

I have always wanted a hedgehog.  I researched their behavior and pet requirements for about a month...and yesterday was the big day.
Since there are no pet stores with exotic animals in my immediate area, I decided to search for a breeder.  My fiance, Kyle, suggested Craigslist.  I was very skeptical about this idea, but decided to give it a try anyways.  I found a hedgehog breeder in my area who had just posted an ad.  She had several hedgies, and when I looked at them, I immediately bonded with this little one ----->

There are many rewards to having a hedgehog.  Once they get comfortable and bond with you (which takes some patience), they will make wonderful little friends.  Their spikes are pretty prickly, but they won't puff up and spine you unless they're really scared/nervous.  Once a hedge learns to trust you, you can handle them without fear of getting poked.

Hedgehogs are easily litter trained, and will respond to their name after hearing it enough times.  They're nocturnal, which is perfect for me and others who are in school and/or work all day. 

The Saddest Part of Having Pets, is Losing Them :'(

Alfie, my second little hamster passed away last night :( She passed away exactly one month after her sister Lilo.

Yay Religion....

Ahhh...the ever controversial topic of religion.

Let's start with my upbringing and past church life.

I was baptized when I was very young, and my parents took me to church every Sunday.  When I was around 10 or 11 my mother took me to several different churches so I could see what other takes on Christianity existed.  We went to a Church of Nazarene, a Presbyterian church, a Catholic church, a few others I don't remember, and finally, a Lutheran church.  This became our family's church.  When I was old enough, I began Communion, and I served as the acolyte. In middle school I went to a private Christian school, but went to a public high school becuause I was in the IB Program (International Baccalaureate Program).  So basically, I was raised with a firm Christian upbringing.

But I always had questions.  I always asked the "wrong" questions. For example, in 6th grade I asked if my pets and other animals go to heaven. My teacher said no, because they don't know Jesus. Now...I love animals...often more times than people...so this did not sit well with me. Not at all.

I asked other questions, deeper than just whether or not animals had souls, but if I went into that I'd run out of characters for this post.

I have lost many family members in my life.  But none have been as painful as the loss of my Grandmother.  She practically raised me more than half of my life.  She was everything. When my parents fought with each other, or when they were upset with me...I turned to her for help. I never went to slumber parties with my friends, but I spent almost every single weekend at my Grandmother and Uncle's house growing up. My parents (and I'm sure I will regret saying this later) never really complimented me on anything.  Nothing was ever good enough for them.  But things were different with my Grandmother.  She told me everyday how much she loved me, that she was proud of me, and that I was beautiful and intelligent.  We had a tradition, every Thanksgiving and Christmas we would cook the meal for our family together.  My Mother would cook the turkey/ham, and my Grandmother and I would make everything else.  Then, after everyone ate, they would disperse throughout the house and it would be just me and her.  We would talk for hours, until she and my Uncle had to go home.

But it's not like that anymore.  Everything changed January 31, 2006. I am not the emotional/crying type of person...but I never cried as much as the day she left--and months after.  I cried myself to sleep for an entire year.  I would speak to her photo every morning and every night. I still have a photo of her in both the center of my bedroom at my parent's house, and in the middle of my apartment. I still tell her I miss her. I know this is silly, but every birthday since then, and for every birthday that I will have--I wish for her to come back, just for one day.

I apologize for the slight tangent, but I have to express how much she means to me for this to make sense.

So I had already had my doubts about religion starting in middle school. After the loss of my Grandmother, I threw out everything. At first I "prayed" telling God I hated him.  Then the prayers just stopped.  Then I started reading.  Actually reading the Bible, word for word.  I also started reading agnostic/atheist blogs on the internet.

Hopefully it's not too late to say this, but long story short: when I transferred to a new university, I joined the Atheist Student Alliance.  Many people would be surprised to know that Atheists are actually not evil, mean Satan worshipers.  We spend more time defending ourselves than sharing our point of view unfortunately. 

I don't understand how people buy into Christianity when the Bible is full of such awful things.  For example, Judges 19:1-20 tells of a story where a woman is raped all night long by "men of the city" and when she returns to her "master" he stabs her to death and then cuts her body into 12 pieces because she is a filthy, unclean whore now. That makes no sense! How can someone believe that such stories serve to teach morality and are products of divine wisdom.  Unquestioning adherence to the Bible would only serve to make one a sociopath instead of a "good/ethical person".  The next time I hear someone say there is no morality without the Bible, I will tell them to go read Judges 19:1-20.

From the website linked above: "The story, which must be one of the most disgusting stories ever told, ends with: "consider of it, take advice, and speak your mind." Those who do consider it will immediately reject the idea that the Bible is inspired by God. Hopefully, they then will speak their mind."

DIY Stickers

I like owls. I like stickers. And recently I have been searching online for owl stickers.  I quickly realized that one puny little sticker would cost about $4.00. So, I decided to make my own. They turned out so well, that I am going to share my method with the world!

First, you will need to obtain a sheet of Avery 2x4" label paper. You can probably get a single sheet for free from someone you know, or by asking very nicely at the print center (i.e. Staples). Then find 10 images you would like to turn into stickers, and paste them into a Word document. I had to adjust the margins to 0.45 for the top and bottom, and 0.25 for the left and right sides. Next, go to "Table" -> "Insert" -> Table" and adjust the table to 2 columns and 5 rows.  Assuming everything looks good at this point, go ahead and print. I wanted to prevent the stickers from fading and aging, so after I printed the stickers, I took a roll of clear shipping tape and covered 1 stickers at a time, applying the tape to where it just covered the image.

Final Product:

Bold Fashion Statement

Last night I think I had a fashion epiphany.  I decided to combine the simple outfit consisting of jeans and a white tank top with bold, impossible-to-miss hot pink Doc Marten boots. But then...I was inspired to take it just one step further.  The end result was the picture above.  A white tank top and dark skinny jeans with hot pink boots and a very visible, matching bra.  I feel like girls today are ashamed or embarrassed by their undergarments.  I also figured...if you're going to spend $50 on a garment, you may as well be able to show it off somehow. 

The overall reaction was shock and interest.  I received a few compliments from girls who would totally wear this outfit, but I also received menacing glares from people who either didn't like the outfit for some reason, or were jealous (I couldn't tell).