All my entries will be friends only from now on.

I am not really looking to add new friends at the moment. Mostly because I find very few people who I really connect with. If you feel we have a lot in common or you like my posts on another friends page or community, then let me know and I won't mind adding you. Other than that, if you found me from an old post in an Add_me community, I am not accepting new random friends at the moment. I will post again when and if that changes.

I would appreciate it if I only recieved requests from people in their 20's or older (prefer mid 20's even).

To my current friends, just skip over this for now.

(I posted this in the holiday_wishes community and want to post it here as a backup in case mine gets rejected the first time around. Also just to get it out there and see if anyone else will post this year. I will do my best to grant wishes, as always :)

Hello! My name is Kristen and this is like my 4th year posting here I think? I am a 27 year old mommy to two amazing (and rescued) furbabies (a Great Dane pup and a calico cat). I just moved back to MO after attending graduate school in SC for the last two years. I am currently unemployed though and haven't been able to find work since getting my Masters degree in May. So I am pretty broke, but at least I am happy, right? It feels great to be home and I am thankful to be near my family once again!

But on to the list now.

1) Mail First of all, I just LOVE getting mail. I love getting random packages of things (especially from other countries since I love traveling). I love cards too. I just love getting things in the mail other than junk for a change!

2) Books . All kinds of books. I love to read anything and everything. I love Laurell K. Hamilton and Melissa Marr right now. I love books on vampires and fairies, but also true crime, mystery, funny things, etc. Like I said, I love to read anything, so if you have books you have no idea what to do with, send them my way since I am broke and can't afford to buy books for myself very often! I have a ton of books on my wishlist, if you have used versions of those, that would be awesome too. I don't need my books to be brand new to enjoy them!

3) DVD's . Again, any and everything. I own maybe 7 DVD's and I entertain a lot. People often laugh when they see my collection. My husband and I also can't afford cable, so having a good college of movies would keep us busy on nights when we stay in (which is most nights). We especially like horror movies, thrillers and comedy, but will pretty much watch anything once! Don't have to be new as with the books either!

4) Giftcards . This is probably a lofty goal, but I worth a shot I guess. Even if they have a couple dollars leftover, it would help. My husband and I like to go out and eat for date nights but can't really afford to do it. Plus, Petsmart or Petco cards would be nice to pay for our pet food since we buy a premium kind (and let our pets eat better than us) and that can be a huge expense. Store gift cards would help since I lost a ton of weight and have maybe 2-3 outfits that fit me. So as you can see, I am not picky. Even a dollar or two left on a card would help!

5) More icon space . I really would like to have more space for icons.

6) Paid account renewed . My account expires in January I think and I would really like to keep a paid account. If I don't find a job, I doubt that will happen and that would make me sad since I love LJ!

7) People to join my group . Need a Good Deed. I created this group to help others in need find support and ask for help when it is truly needed. Now me and a co-mod are considering adding in auctions to help raise money for those who need it the most. I really wuld like to get the group on the Lj Spotlight and the more members and activity we have, the greater the chance that will happen. I really want to get it out there. I saw so much support when my family lost everything in a house fire that I want to spread that out to others who may need it.

8) Things for my family. I know my mom will probably post here too, but just in case, I would really like to get things for my family since they lost everything in a fire. Used items are fine. Clothes, household items, anything you think they might like would be appreciated. I can give you their info if you like. It will be the first holiday season that the kids will ever have without their home (my mom and little brother live in an RV on the land where the house once stood. My sister and her kids live in a very small house nearby.)

9) Things for my pets. They are my babies. Annabelle (the dane puppy) really needs a bed. They both love treats and toys. Or donate food and toys to your local animal shelter in their honor. Best case is you would ADOPT a rescue animal this holiday season in their honor. They bring so much joy to my life everyday, they are truly a blessing.

10) The obligatory wishlist. My Amazon Wishlist. Though I don't require things be new, I am perfectly happy with used items as well.

Please contact me by e-mail pixie_vixen117@yahoo.com.

(I forgot that last part in the original posting, so it probably will be rejected the first time since I forgot my contact info. Crap. At least I put it here so I can re-try later after the rejection.)

Shall Not Bear False Witness:

(Yes, I am trying to be funny at parts. I hope it worked. Just take what I write here lightly since I am a sarcastic person at times. Not a mean person, but certainly sarcastic).

Is it sad that I actually had to look up this weeks topic to figure out what it meant? I had a general idea but had no clue it was a commandment. It all came back to me once I did a simple Google search on the phrase. I was raised in a Catholic school as a youngster, but years of being agnostic must have made me forget the basics like that. Just for the record, I am agnostic, not atheist. There is a difference, really.

Sure, I remembered Thou Shall Not Kill and one about sleeping with your neighbors wife. The important ones I guess. Not to offend anyone, but I have chosen to base my morals not on a set of guidelines from the Bible, but from what I feel is genuinely right or wrong (basically not to hurt anyone, simple really). It is a good thing too because once I stopped believing in the certainty of God, I might have thrown all my morals out of the window if that was ALL I had based them on. Instead I have empathy for others and think about how it feels to have things done to me. If it was something that would hurt me (physically, mentally, or financially), then chances are it would make that other person feel the same way and thus, I did not want to do that to another person. Again, I am not saying every Christian is this way. I know many of you are wonderful, kind people because you sincerely care about others. I also know some that are not wonderful and kind for the sake of caring for others but because they are afraid of Gods wrath if they happen to do wrong.

But that is another topic for another time. Once I looked up this topic, I realized that this is still a rather important message. It just leaves some questions about its true intent.


Also, I found out that it was most likely talking about bearing false witness in a court of law. In Ancient Hebrew times, it was common practice for those who testified against someone to be punished with the same sentence that would have been imposed on the criminal if they were found to be lying, even if that meant death. They obviously took perjury very seriously back then.

For instance, it is often shortened, but the original wording had to do with not bearing false witness against ones neighbor. So as long as I don't make stuff about the guy living next door to me, it is fine? As long as I stick to people living a couple houses down I guess...

No, I am not an idiot, I promise. It really leaves it up to interpretation and I feel it should be that you should not bear false witness against anyone, no matter what street they live on. Lying in a court of law to convict an innocent person is a very serious offense and should be taken very seriously, be it your neighbor or some bum living on the street that you don't even know. Maybe that is why the “against ones neighbor” part is often left out since it seems to be a better moral fit.

Many people seem to throw the phrase around a lot these days. They will even use it to say how gossiping and bragging are wrong. While neither one are very nice, I don't feel they fit into this exact case. For instance, if what you are gossiping about is “true”, how does that qualify as being “false”? And bragging is usually about yourself, not your neighbor. So how does that make sense? Perhaps one should avoid doing such things if possible, but at least tell me a more reasonable explanation than the Bible says to not bear false witness if that doesn't happen to fit the scenario. Instead, focus on why gossiping hurts others and the damage it can cause emotionally. That makes more sense than quoting a Bible phrase that doesn't really fit the situation.

If it were to fit into any other contexts, it seems to be more in line with lying than bragging or gossiping. It might not be the original context, but I do see the connection. One should not lie. It is something we are taught very early on. However, what if a lie is necessary to avoid something far worse? How does that fit into the whole message of not lying? It is one thing to teach your kids to not lie and blame their sister for something they did. It is another thing to ask them to “lie” and not tell their mom or dad about a surprise birthday party when asked.

I now understand why this topic really confused me. My problem is I tend to take things very literally. I read things as it is stated and this topic wasn't something I could take very literally. It is up to interpretation on what is really means and thanks to changes in our culture since Hebrew times, the meaning of the phrase has obviously changed as well to reflect modern day society. However, I am happy to say I not only got a history lesson, my brain was put to work on trying to define what the topic meant to me. If anything else, I am thankful for that.

If you liked my entry posted here , please vote for me :) I really want to stick around a bit longer.

Poll #1485615 LJ Idol, Season Six – Tribe Current Events, Week Four
This poll is closed.
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: None, participants: 262

The Ballot:

“ The fourth-grader particularly liked Hannah Montana and Taylor Swift. She also baked cookies and worked puzzles with her mother and played dress-up with her animals.”

I felt nothing but complete sadness when I read about 9-year old Elizabeth Olten disappearing. Sadly, when kids turn up missing, they always seem to turn up dead. I really hoped that wasn’t the case for this little girl. I was visiting family in the Jefferson City, Missouri area when I read the original article about her missing. She was a local girl and it hit close to home to learn of her disappearance.

“Elizabeth's favorite color was pink, and some who attended her funeral wore pink shirts. Others wore buttons with her photo or ribbons that were pink or purple. Pallbearers wore pink ties and a pink flower. Bouquets with pink, red, white and purple flowers were placed on white stands.”

It hit even closer to home when they found her body the next day. What has happened to this world when kids cannot even walk home from a friend’s house without winding up dead? I really hate the world we live in some days. Kids are innocent, I still feel as if bad things shouldn’t happen to them. I know this is a naïve thought in todays society, but I still think that way and nothing will ever change that. I don’t understand why people have any desire to molest or kill a child. It makes me sick to even think about it the people who could even do such a thing.

“Two white horses pulled her casket in a glass hearse from the Jefferson City church to a nearby cemetery. Several dozen people stood along the road and released pink balloons when the funeral procession reached the entrance to the cemetery.”

“During the service, a slideshow using pictures of Elizabeth was set to music.”

The funeral services were held across the street from a friend’s house. It is said to have been a beautiful ceremony. Devastatingly beautiful, I imagine, considering the circumstances.

“After a graveside service, mourners released two white doves and more pink balloons”

Even more shocking is the suspect who was able to lead the police to the girl’s body. A 15 year old girl is in custody for her murder. I have only heard rumors as to what had caused her to do it. Obviously, with the suspect being a minor, not much information is being released into the media. A high school teacher is said to have killed himself over feeling guilty that he might have somehow caused or didn’t stop the murder. It has the entire town in turmoil.

Two young lives are affected by this tragedy. One little girl died before she really had a chance to live. The other may be tried as an adult and will lose out on parts of her life she will never be able to get back because of one terrible, terrible action.

Any case where a child is hurt or killed is sad and a tragedy. This type of thing needs to stop. They are innocent and beautiful and should be treated as such. Kids should be able to play outside without fear of turning up missing. Mothers of little girls and boys shouldn’t have to worry about their neighbors molesting or killing their children. The world we live in is truly a sad place when kids are even killing other kids and you can’t even trust your child’s friends to not harm them.


Link to the article I referenced for this.

http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-missing-olten,0,3875972.story



It was a pick your own topic this week (from 5 topics). I also added a touch of sexual ethics and "Moments of Devastating Beauty", but that just came about as I wrote. If you like what I wrote, please consider voting for me when it opens up on Saturday. I appreciate feedback, both good and constructive criticism so I can improve as a writer.

Smile. Have you ever noticed how easily puppies make human friends? Yet all they do is wag their tails and fall over. ~Walter Anderson, The Confidence Course, 1997

It had been raining for days and the ground is covered in mud. However, I knew that today had to be the day. My baby had been cooped inside for far too long due to constant rainfall and she needed to be free, even if just for an hour.

She knows exactly where we are headed by this point and starts getting all excited. She sticks her head out the window and I can see the smile in her eyes before I even park my car. She pulls on her leash on most walks, but it is always much worse when we come here. She is a 7 month old Great Dane who just so happens to weigh almost 90 pounds (which is over half my weight). She literally drags me to the gate and then waits for me to open the first gates latch before dragging me to the second gate.

I have to unleash her before opening the second gate to avoid being drug across the field. As soon as I open that gate, she takes off and runs across the muddy field. She looks so free and happy. I am glad I was able to bring her. I have a big grin on my face as I watch her run around, playing with the other dogs from time to time. I can't imagine anything more wonderful at that moment.

But I must admit, I love the dog park for selfish reasons too. I simply love animals, and dogs are certainly one of my favorites. I grew up with several at a time because my mom lived in the country and we took in strays fairly often. When I grew up and moved away, I wanted a dog more than anything. I was a responsible pet owner and knew that a dog was a big responsibility, one that I could not handle while in college, especially when I lived 800 miles away from family and would visit often.

I used to visit animal shelters just to interact with the dogs. I spent most Saturdays visiting with them and trying to make their lives better. In a way, it made my life better too. I wanted one, but knew I needed to wait. So to pass the time, I visited the shelters and volunteered to help wash the dogs for special adoption events. When I finally graduated from grad school and knew I was moving back home to Missouri, where we would have a big house and yard, I couldn’t wait any longer for a dog.

I especially love big dogs. I always have. I often joke that It runs in my family since my mom used to own a St. Bernard. My husband and I wanted a Great Dane or a Great Dane mix. Though I made a rule, we would NOT buy from a breeder. This dog had to be a rescue. We found our girl through Petfinder.com. We drove six hours to pick her up in a small town in Tennessee. I remember when they lady handed her to me and said “here is your puppy”; I had the biggest smile on my face. I couldn’t have been happier with my new baby.

So I visit the dog park not just for my sweet Belle, but for me. I love watching the dogs run and play. We have a big yard at home, but I make the special trip out any day the weather permits so Annabelle and I can have our “happy” time. I have made some friends there as well, which is saying a lot for me considering I have a very hard time socializing with others. I find that having a common link (in this case, dogs) allows me to be more comfortable talking to people.

Animals, especially dogs, are genuine. When they are happy, they let the world know it. Some people say dogs can smile. I certainly think they can. If anything, they smile with their eyes, their tails, and their whole body. If only more people were like that, perhaps the world would be a happier place. There is nothing else like a genuine smile when something makes you happy. If only more humans were like that. I would bet the world would be a happier place.

Both of my beloved pets make me smile every day. They are simply amazing. Every day is a bit brighter simply because they are there to share it with me.

Some lessons from Annabelle on how to be happy, to hopefully make YOU smile.




Always make time for naps. Several a day if you can. A good night (or days) sleep does wonders for your mood.




Be willing to laugh at yourself. Just try to avoid getting pictures when you look your silliest.



Play and play often. And in order to play, make friends with those around you. Even if those around you HAPPEN to be a cat.



If all else fails, deny, deny and deny some more. For instance: "What sock? I don't know of any sock hanging from my mouth. You must be mistaken..."



Finally, adopt a pet if at all possible. They will bring you many years of smiles, I promise.

I want to ask everyone on my friends list to please consider voting for me on LJ Idol. If you liked my post for the competition, which you can read HERE, then please vote for me. You can read other entries from the link at the bottom of my post as well.

I really want to stick this out a bit longer and challenge myself, so your votes would really be appreciated! I am only posting the polls I am in for now (there are four "tribes" and this is is just mine), just click on my name (and any others you might want to vote for) and hit submit. You can visit the LJ Idol group to vote from all the tribes if you like.

Poll #1478684 LJ Idol, Season Six – Tribe bigdoug, Week Two
This poll is closed.
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: None, participants: 246

The Ballot:

I just wanted to promote a group I have on LJ once again. We are making changes over there and I appointed another mod, so I am hoping to get more interest in the group once again.

needagooddeed

I appointed my real life friend, Lori, as a moderator since she came to me with a good idea to raise money for those in need. She knows more than I do about the logistics, but eventually we want to start a charity auction with services and small items we can provide and give that money to someone that is in need. Right now we are not looking for families that need money, still working on getting the idea in place. But once we do, there will a paypal account for all funds and the money will go 100% to whatever person/family we are sponsoring at the time.

The regular need posts are still going to be posted, so that isn't going to change. We have ideas on keeping it under control when we start the auctions though. But sadly, the group has mainly been dead with a few exceptions now and then, though I really want to make it work.

So please join. I am not asking you to give your time or money, right now I could just use your support as a member. If you have a talent that you would care to donate, great. If you just want to give advice or support, that works too.

And feel free to post this elsewhere as you see fit and tell others about it, especially if you know someone in need. The more members, the better. If we can help someone, that would be amazing!

Uphill, both ways, barefoot

This phrase personally speaks to me. Why you might ask? Because I know from my life experiences that nothing worth having is easy to get. One of my favorite sayings is "If it were easy, everybody would be doing it." So I take that philosophy into consideration when anything seems too difficult to achieve.

I grew up in poverty. I am not exaggerating on this. There were times we went without running water. I knew exactly what it meant to do without more often than not. I have been exposed to drugs and violence starting at a young age, though my immediate family tried to stay as normal as possible considering the circumstances. Many people are truly shocked when I tell them my life story. Don't worry, I won't go into it all here. It isn't the time nor the place for such a story. Though I swear it has made me into a stronger person who appreciates life more because I know I don't need "things" to be happy.

I am the first person in my family to graduate high school. College was no small feat. I had nothing as far as savings went and while I made decent grades in school, they were not great enough to get full-ride scholarships for college. I hated the idea of student loans and delayed going to school just to avoid having to take them out.

Not to mention, I have recently discovered I have Aspergers. This is not something I tell many people because I don't use it as an excuse for anything. But it has made things rather difficult when it comes to my school and personal life.

I took two years off and worked, which went against the advice of my guidance counselor who swore if I did that, I would never go back.

Boy, was she wrong. Not only did I go back, but I went on to complete graduate school as well. I really appreciated college too. I know many people who dropped or flunked out of college in the first year. I couldn't understand it because to me, just being at college was a blessing since I wasn't sure I would ever get the chance. I remember working at Wal-Mart in a college town and I was sincerely jealous of all the college kids who would come in to shop. I wanted to be them more than anything and didn't think I could afford it. Once I was able to go, I was sure as heck not going to screw it up just so I could go out and party every night. I worked hard to be there, it wasn't given to me, and I was going to make the best of it.

Honestly, I hear people complaining every day about how they aren't going to college because they can't afford it or some other excuse. I am not saying that it is always the case, there are many different factors that play in here, but if coming from a poor family is your only excuse for NOT getting an education then I just don't buy it. Obviously every situation is different, but don't give up so easily just because it seems like you are too poor to be able to afford an education. It may not come as easily as it does for others, but you can achieve it. I struggled every day with finances. I had to be frugal to make sure I made it through college and could afford to continue my education. I shopped at Wal-Mart for clothes and usually wore clothes that were given to me instead of buying new clothes. I didn't go on spring break vacations or drive a nice car (in fact, for part of my college career, I didn't even HAVE a car). I lived off of peanut butter sandwiches. I didn't even buy soda because I felt it was a waste of money when water was free. I considered fancy lattes a special treat to be consumed maybe once a month instead of daily like some of my fellow students.

Not to mention, I struggled in my classes. I stink when it comes to math. I just cannot wrap my brain around certain concepts. Yet somehow, I ended up getting a minor in Finance. No one saw that coming (least of all me). It took me longer to pick up the concepts, but I found that once I did, that I actually enjoyed the feeling of challenging myself.

There were days I wanted to give up because I struggled with different things, but I realized that if I did, I would forever be in the same situation that I grew up in. So I worked hard. I worked hard enough to graduate with honors and get into an elite graduate program.

And now, as I suffer through trying to find a job in this economy, I often feel as if my life is always an uphill battle. Some days I just don't understand why things have to always be so hard. Then I remind myself the harder I work to achieve something, the more I am going to appreciate it in the long run. I also realize how far I have come. I visit my family in their small RV (they lost their house in a fire last February) and remind myself that while I may not be able to afford cable tv or a gym membership, I have a roof over my head and I am living better than I ever have before.

And as far as the "uphill battle" is concerned, I say bring it on. I am strong enough to handle it all. Plus, I don't like wearing shoes anyway.






Posted for therealljidol. You do not have to be a member to read other entries and vote.

This is for anyone who may have added me recently (or anyone that I may have deleted from my friends list in the past). I request anyone that adds me to please leave me a comment telling me where you found me. If you are a friend I deleted in the past, please delete me back UNLESS you really want to be friends still. If that is the case, please let me know. I only delete people who I feel show no interest in my journal after many months. I may be mistaken from time to time or accidently delete someone I meant to keep (yes, that happened recently, I am an idiot).

So please, if you are not a mutual friend and want to be, leave a comment. Mutual friends may disregard this message.

I just want to make sure I have everyone added from LJ Idol that may have added me. It gets kind of confusing who added me from there and who may have added me months ago but never said where they know me from, so I may not have added you back if I was confused.