Things are a few of my favorite things...

On a beautiful day like today, I cannot possibly think of anything but happy thoughts. So I totally stole this idea from Amanda Monell, modified it, and produced a few of my favorite things:

• Learning- Big surprise there. I absolutely love to learn, whether it is new things or extending my knowledge of things I already know. I love being at school. (Well, I loved being at U.T.) I love teaching kids and seeing their faces light up with new knowledge. I even enjoy studying, provided I am studying something I find interesting.

• Tennessee- I do love Tennessee as a state, but I think we all know what I really mean is I love the University of Tennessee. It is simply the best place in the world. Last year it became my home, and I cannot wait to get back to it. I miss my friends. I miss Inskip. I miss sporting events. I miss everything. I became me at U.T., and I simply cannot wait to be a Volunteer again.

• Ryan Smallwood- It would be impossible to count my blessings without counting him. He makes me smile, laugh, and forget my problems. He helps me make decisions, makes me into a better person, and brightens my day. Even though we cannot be together all of the time, I still feel like I am a priority in his life. He tells me all the time he's lucky to have me, but I think I am truly the lucky one.

• Nature- I heard a prayer recently after it had snowed in which the man thanked God for snow that covered up all the ugly things man has made. Well, not to offend Howard Roark, but I have to agree. Man may have produced some remarkable structures, but nothing compares to the beauty of what God created. Mountains, streams, flowers, animals, blue skies, snow, sunsets- the list goes on and on.

• My family- I'd be nervous looking up dysfunction in the dictionary because I am fairly certain my family's picture is there. We are not your typical family (Does that even exist?) but we work for us. We love one another, and isn't that what matters in the long run?

So there it is. I hope on this beautiful day you were reminded of your favorite things too :-)

If you don't like dogs, just stop reading now. This blog will make zero sense to you, and at the end you'll be left thinking, "This kid is some weird freak." I would prefer that NOT happen.

Ok, so let's start by establishing this fact: I LOVE animals. (Except bugs.) I love dogs; I love cats; I love animals with fur, scales, feathers, or none of the above. I once owned a snake- yes, a snake- until it got loose and I completely intentionally accidentally forgot to tell my mother. I still liked that snake. Anything that falls into kingdom Animalia wins my heart. (Except bugs.)

~Disclaimer: Truthfully, I don't know enough about science to tell you exactly what falls into that kingdom, so the above statement may or may not be true. I still love animals.~

So now that you get the picture, let me now point out that my favorite animal is....SURPRISE! Not a penguin. My favorite animal is a dog. I recently have reached this conclusion about myself. I never knew how much man's best friend meant to me until last weekend.

Here's some background. I have a dog. Her name is Abby (from NCIS...watch it) and she is a beautiful, playful, athletic, and loving Border Collie/Labrador. I am also a starving college student who does not make enough money and really shouldn't own one dog, much less two. I did not want another dog. I did not need another dog, and if I were to get one, I really wanted a male Schnauzer so I could name him Ducky or a male Lab so I could name him Gibbs. (Both NCIS names.)

So why did I find myself last Saturday spending $100 to get a female Lab mix? Because when I walked up and kneeled down to pet her, she immediately put her front paws on my shoulders and started licking me in the face. And the lady selling her just had to say, "She hasn't done that with anyone else. She must really like you!" I never thought I'd say this, but I am a sucker for a soft coat and wagging tale.

So now I have Kate. (Yet another NCIS character. It's a really good show.) Kate is the polar opposite of Abby. Abby is overly energetic and never sits down unless we absolutely make her. She loves to play tug, fetch, go running with me, or just perform trick after trick for treats. Kate is laid back. She may fetch a ball a couple of times. She is just as content lying at your feet as running at your side. Abby is crazy; Kate is chill. One thing they have in common: When I arrive home, they both run to greet me and can't stop wagging that tail. That is truly what I love about dogs.

When I was a little girl, I used to sleep with at least ten stuffed animals a night. Now I sleep with two huge ones. Both Abby and Kate come from abused backgrounds, so now they want constant attention and are hard to train. Abby's had some health problems, and Kate is a bottomless pit for food. Yet no amount of money or time could replace the feeling I get watching them play or having them lick my face in the morning. They're by my side always, even when I don't want them there. I wouldn't replace them for anything.

I usually like to conclude things I write with a quote. I searched and searched for the right one, but the truth is no one can truly relate to the feeling between dog and owner (or any pet and owner really) until they have experienced it. There truly is no companionship like it, and it cannot properly be put into words.

Abby, unusually calm

Kate snuck up to nap with my brother. Lazy, lazy, lazy

The Palin Puzzle

I embrace conservatism. I keep an open mind and weigh both sides of most issues, and I usually fall on the right. But I cannot embrace Sarah Palin, and it leaves me wondering why my fellow right-wingers can. How can they throw so much support behind a woman whose best foreign policy experience is the view of Russia from Alaska? How can they embrace a woman who could not give a definitive answer on which newspaper she regularly read? How can they embrace a woman who, instead of attacking the actual flaws on the health care overhaul, makes up ridiculous claims of death panels? And last, how can they support a woman who writes notes on her hand? Seriously?


"Human" is what they call her. Mitt Romney called her "magnificent" on David Letterman last night. Notice no one calls her "intelligent." Truly she is a strong female who stands up for herself, her family, and her country, but I have recently reached the conclusion that Republicans do not like Sarah Palin for this reason. In fact, Republican don't like Sarah Palin at all. Republicans use Sarah Palin.

Honestly, how could a woman no one outside of Alaska had heard of end up as McCain's running mate in 2008 and the front runner for the Republican presidential candidate in 2012? Because no one else wanted the job. Conservatives aren't stupid. They knew not a single Republican could defeat the Obama machine in 2008, so they sat it out. They sacrificed John McCain and Sarah Palin in order to save their own presidential hopes. Shameful? Maybe. Brilliant? No doubt.

But Palin is more than the sacrificial lamb. She embodies what Republicans needed to reach the people they were otherwise not helping. First of all, she is a woman. You want to call the right-wing sexist? How can you do that when Palin is their queen? Next, she's normal. Her daughter had a baby out of wedlock, in high school. So, if you think the Republican party is a bunch of religious fanatics, you must be wrong, because their leader's daughter didn't exactly extol the virtues of Christianity. And, she has a child with Down syndrome. Even better, because if you think conservatives do not know what it is like to go through the choice of having an abortion, here we have Palin to the rescue to show us that she too had to make that decision, and is so happy she choose to have her baby.

Palin was a politician, what the right-wing needed in a leader, but now she works for Fox News. The Republicans thought they could use Palin to get exactly what they needed. Maybe they should have picked someone a little less outspoken. Their plan backfired, and now they are sitting at home coming up with their next losing strategy, while Democrats lead our country in Washington. So here's a tip for conservatives everywhere: Campaign on your policies, and let the people decide who has a better plan.

In the end, Sarah Palin will not achieve what conservatives wanted her to do when they threw their support behind her in 2008. No, most of Palin's loyal followers are gun-owning, church-going, America-loving white Southern men, the same ones who've been voting red since Reagan's era. Republicans may love her, but they would be wise to change their tactics from politics to policies if they want to win back Washington in 2012.

Charge On!

Less than two weeks ago the lives of the students and faculty at the University of Alabama in Huntsville were rocked by tragedy. I am not a UAH student, but I have many friends that are, including my best friend, and spend a lot of time on their campus. And after hearing of the actions of UAHuntsville's president David Williams, I feel more a part of the community than him.
Last Friday's memorial service was a time to cry together, smile together, and most importantly, come together. Apparently, Williams thought the most appropriate response was to encourage the community to "move on." Keep in mind this memorial service came just one short week after Dr. Amy Bishop, for reasons yet to be discovered, took a gun and killed three faculty members, wounding three others, two of which are still in the hospital. Keep in mind the tragedy took place at a school, one of the few places most people believe they can feel truly safe. Keep in mind there were people there in the building shocked, scared, and confused. And his solution? Move on?
I don't know the origin of the "Charge On" mantra, but I do feel it is a better representation of what the UAH community needs. Students will walk into classes and not see the same great professors in the front. They will not be able to "move on," to forget who once stood there. At these moments, the students need to support the substitutes and do their best in honor of their former professors' memories. They need to charge on.
When students see the memorials to the victims set up on campus or walk into the Shelby Center, they will not be able to set aside the memories of what happened in that place, but they can renew their pride in their school, in being a Charger. They can charge on!
I cannot imagine what the students and faculty of UAH went through. It is probably still hard for them to wrap their minds around it. I also have no psychology or counseling degree. But I am a student somewhere, and I have talked to university students. What the students and faculty need now is not a mental eraser, but a mental conviction to show the world that the University of Alabama in Huntsville can rise above tragedy and come out stronger in the end. Don't move on, CHARGE ON!

Man's Greatest Asset

"Man's greatest asset is an unsettled mind."

I read that quote in my eighth grade literature class. I don't remember the story, the author, or the subject. I just remember that quote. It's stuck with me.

I have always been fascinated with learning, whether it be learning how to do something new or just getting more in depth on topics I already knew about. I constantly shift my beliefs and alter my perspectives (notice I never use the word "change"), thought I firmly hold to a few simple truths. My mind is simply unsettled.

Our society is plagued by people who have loss the ability to think for themselves. We hear of a media bias that tells people the way they should think. If media bias is a relatively new concept, and I do not believe it is, it does not force people to think a certain way; people allow it to do so. Media bias has probably always existed, but not until now do people legitimately allow it to alter their viewpoints. Apparently it is easier just to let someone else think for you than to think for yourself.

America would have never reached its potential without people who wouldn't let their minds settle. Edison would not settle with the fact fire was the best way to light a room. Many extraordinary people would not settle with archaic beliefs about women or African-American roles in society. Our country has morphed into a melting pot of fascinating cultures and experiences, founded by people who would not settle with their homeland but looked for a way to a better home. Why now are we so quick to accept what we are told is normal?

Elisa Luna and Amy Brace are two extraordinary people. They refuse to accept that kids from poor neighborhoods won't make it in this world. They have taken their passions and transformed them into a way to reach out to a community otherwise forgotten. They had the concept of no child left behind way before anyone in Washington thought of it.

Imagine what the world could be like if everyone adopted that mentality. Refuse to accept what is "normal." Whether your passion is music, dancing, sports, politics, writing, drawing, working with children, building, or learning, use that passion in a different way than anyone else ever has, because our world needs. Better yet, our world thrives on it.

"Read, every day, something no one else is reading. Think, every day, something no one else is thinking. Do, every day, something no one else would be silly enough to do. It is bad for the mind to continually be part of unanimity." ~Christopher Morley

Failing at Capitalism

Here's to the business owners who get up early, watch the stock market, analyze data, and wear fancy suits. Here's to the guys who host meetings over computers and have someone fix them their coffee. Here's to the ones who obtained their MBAs from the nation's best colleges and bring home paychecks that easily cover their former tuitions. Here's to you business man, with just one question...

How do you live that way?

Seriously. I used to want to be a teacher, and I still may do that for a couple of years with Teach for America. But, once I had reached my breaking point with the education system, I switched to the one career that actually brings home a salary smaller than that of teachers: journalist. I may never live in a three story home out in the country, wear designer clothing, and eat $18 salads, but I think I will survive. What do I get in exchange? Maybe I will spend time on Capitol Hill, interviewing the nation's most powerful (and idiotic) people. Maybe I'll fly out to the Super Bowl and rush into the winner's locker room after the game for a post-victory interview just as all the Champaign is flying. Maybe I will expose the nation to the hardships of some small country and set up a relief effort. Or maybe I'll sneak into the deepest jungle in search of some deadly beast, just to get a good idea of its true nature. Hey, it beats teleconferences!

I know that journalists sometimes work weird hours, and I know that my income my first year of employment will probably will be less than my entire student loan debt. I also know that when I look back at my life, I won't be thinking, "Man, I wish I had done this or that." I'll have the opportunity to experience all of what life has to offer, all through my career.

Even if I never get to travel outside of the state of Alabama for any incredible story, there is still the greatest thrill of all: knowing that someone somewhere is reading what you are writing and having some sort of reaction to it. So, no offense to Donald Trump, but I will pass on the big business, big bucks route of life and will instead take the one that leads to adventure. Because you only live once, and I intend to do it right.

Happy trails!

Three Weeks In and Lessons Learned

This is typically more religious than I like to go, but I just can't get it off my mind.


Somebody that I am too tired to look up at the current moment once said that everything you need to know, you learn in kindergarten. There is probably an element of truth in that statement, but I am going to go out on a limb and say everything I need to know I learned in the past three weeks.

Today is the 20th of January. Just three weeks ago I was welcoming in the new year with no clue as to the direction it was going to take me, and this point was driving me crazy. My interests were in so many different places, and I can honestly say I have never felt so much like my life had been turned upside down. Everything I had planned was going down the drain. Slowly and mostly silently I was falling apart.

Fast forward to last week. Growing up I had one best friend. Yes, one. I had several friends, and a couple really good friends. But "best" implies that there is none better, right? Therefore there can only be one best friend, and I had found her. Jessica Deaton and I sort of operate as two people sharing one brain. Since we started college, we sort of drifted apart. We always had little to nothing in common, and this point seemed especially emphasized when we found ourselves only together on occasional weekends. Little did I know she was all I needed all along.

Last week we were sitting in IHOP in the wee hours of the night (or morning?) eating strawberry banana pancakes (the kind with bananas on top, not cooked in). We sat and discussed how our lives had been, dishing out everything that we knew no one else would understand. We both felt like we didn't know what we were supposed to do in life or who we were supposed to be. As I've said before, I know why I am in Huntsville, Alabama in the I grew up here and the college is cheap aspect, but I don't know why I am here in the everything happens for a reason aspect. If the universe followed my plan, I should be in Knoxville, Tennessee, but I am not. Well I haven't figured out all the specifics yet, but it turns out all I needed was reconnection with the other half of my brain to figure some things out.

I've spent much of the past couple of weeks asking people close to me what they could see me doing for the rest of my life. I am fairly certain most of them just had no legitimate clue, but everyone came up with the typical, "Do what makes you happy...""Follow where God leads you...." sort of thing. Not helpful. But somewhere between fighting over the cheesy part of the eggs and making fun of how much sugar Jessica had in her coffee (or coffee she had in her sugar) my best friend helped me discover what I want to do, what I have always wanted to do. It wasn't that she knew to pinpoint to the exact career I would be most happy in, but that she knew what concerned me the most about my career choices and helped me hash them out. She understood why it was hard to commit to a career that would scarcely allow for a family life. She knew that graduate school was a definite option because of my love for learning, even though that does not make sense financially. And she understood that above all, I wanted to find what God wanted me to do, while trying to reconcile that with what I want to do. I hope, but don't know, if I helped her as much as she helped me, but I know in one sitting at IHOP she changed my life.

Fast forward to last Sunday night. The greatest man I know is an 18-year-old United States Marine. He was able to come home for a visit this weekend, just in time to alter my life once again. After what was possibly the oddest movie I have ever seen in my twenty-year existence (Youth In Revolt) we were driving home discussing the next time he would be home. He didn't know, of course. Signing up for the Marines is essentially signing up for a life of uncertainty. He didn't know where he would be headed after his training at his current location was done, and calmly explained this point to me. Finally all I could say was, "Well you've got the 'someone else is in control' thing figured out a lot better than I have." I simply cannot comprehend how you live without knowing what you'll be doing the next month. I want my problems solved now. I want to know where I'll be going to school next year, and I want to know NOW. But I don't, and I probably won't for a while. But every burden seemed to fall off my shoulders when he hugged me and told me it was going to be ok. And something in the way he said, "You do the same," after I told him to take care of himself seemed to imply there was more behind that than just a friendly gesture.

There's a line in one of my favorite songs about a girl who runs off from the small town life in search of what she's looking for. Her mom tells her as she is leaving that home is where the heart is. In one of the closing lines, Lady Antebellum sings, "Then I realized there's something momma always knew: Love is what I really had left to find." Why do I have such a newfound confidence in that everything is going to work out for the better? Because I have found what I am looking for. Through my closest friends, I've discovered peace with myself and peace with God that surpasses whatever life throws at me next. Wherever I go this fall, I will be happy because I've got my friends and I've got my God, and in the end that's all I really need, all I really had left to find.

And for those of you who are curious, it's journalism. I haven't decided the specifics yet...