Adoption =] December 10, 2009

The picture above is Chad and the picture below is Kaitlyn holding Ian!

I few weeks ago I had the opportunity to witness pure magic!!! My best friend Kaitlyn had invited me to go with her to the airport to see her new baby cousins Ian and Chad come home from Africa. Her Aunt Stori and Uncle Jamey have just adopted two little boy from Africa. In my opinion adoption is designed to give children the life that they truly deserve. It is one of the nicest things a person can do. Opening your home and family to children that need to be loved is one of the greatest acts of kindness a person can do. Being in the airport when their whole family was being united was one of the most amazing moments I have ever witnessed. Those little boys lives are going to be changed forever because of all the love that Jamey and Stori; Livia and Parker (their older children) and the rest of Kaitlyn's family will fill them with.

While we were waiting in the airport for the plane to land, they started talking about the conditions that these African children are living in and to be honest it made me want to cry. These children get one meal a day; rice or beans. They learn how to communicate at very young ages because they know that unless they make their presense known they will be ignored. They do not know the exact ages of the boys because there are no birth certificates. They think that Chad is 18 months old and Ian is 8 months old, its hard to tell because they are both really small for their ages. They were found and taken in by the orphanage that Jamey and Stori had heard of from a friend that had also adopted a little boy from. Hearing these stories and then finally seeing these little boys just warmed my heart. These children that are over there suffering did not do anything to deserve the life they have been given. Most of these children are orphaned because of their parents dying from disease.

I know that when I am older and ready to start a family I know that I want to adopt. I know that I have so much love in my heart that I would be a perfect person to adopt children like Ian and Chad. Just looking into their eyes when I saw them in the airport you could tell that they were finally happy and I think that they knew that they were home and they were finally where they were supposed to be. Jamey and Stori are amazing people with very big hearts, they both people that I look up to and hope that one day I can create that same magical feeling in someone else like they did for me!

Youtube =] December 10, 2009

One of my favorite websites is youtube. I love posting videos that I have made and looking at the other videos that people post on the website. Youtube is a website designed where people can upload and share their videos or music. The tag line that they use for advertising is You Tube: Broadcast Yourself. Youtube.com was founded in 2005 and has been thriving ever since. Youtube was created by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. I think that one of the reasons Youtube has become so popular is because you do not have to be a member or sign up for anything to watch the videos. You can simply go to www.youtube.com and type in something that you want to watch and there you go. But for those people that want to become a member it is so easy to sign up and the best part is it is free! Youtube has become and Internet phenomenon and is continueing to grow each and everyday! I wonder what they will come up with next?!?!

Brothers and Sister =] December 9, 2009

There are many shows on TV today that try to depict "The American Family." Not all of these show are great depictions of a real family. Families are not perfect. There are always problems that we have to deal with and that is just life. Life happens and you have to deal with it, most of the time you rely on your family to help you get through the tough times and they are there to celebrate with you during the happy times. You know that your family is going to be there for you no matter what happens! One of my favorite TV families is the Walker family, from ABC's hit TV show Brothers and Sisters. There problems are real and the drama is real life issues that family's really have to deal with. There are 5 siblings in this family and they bring all sorts of drama to the dinner table. They deal with the issues of divorce, money problems, illness, work problems, drug and alcohol problems, and of course what family doesn't have sibling rivalry. No episode is perfect and none of the family members are perfect but that is why I think I like this show so much. No real life families are perfect so it is nice that the Walker's are so easy to relate to.

To join the family drama you should check out Brothers and Sisters. It airs on ABC every Sunday at 10pm =] Check it out!!!

Stuff White People Like =] December 9, 2009

In my Sociology class my teacher asked us to visit a website and let us know what we thought of it. The website is actually a blog and its called stuffwhitepeoplelike.com :) Now I know that this website sounds a little weird but it actually is very funny to read the articles. After doing a little research I have found out that it has actually been turned into a book. I think that this blog and the book are designed to poke fun at the stuff that white people buy, also some of the silly traditions that white people do for fun.

Here is what stuffwhitepeoplelike.com had to say about camping:

"If you find yourself trapped in the middle of the woods without electricity, running water, or a car you would likely describe that situation as a “nightmare” or “a worse case scenario like after plane crash or something.” White people refer to it as “camping.”

When white people begin talking to you about camping they will do their best to tell you that it’s very easy and it allows them to escape the pressures and troubles of the urban lifestyle for a more natural, simplified, relaxing time. Nothing could be further from the truth.

In theory camping should be a very inexpensive activity since you are literally sleeping on the ground. But as with everything in white culture, the more simple it appears the more expensive it actually is.

Camping is a multi-day, multi-step, potentially lethal activity that will cost you a large amount of both time and money. Unless you are in some sort of position where you absolutely need the friendship of a white person, you should avoid camping at all costs.

The first stage of camping always involves a trip to an outdoor equipment store like REI (or in Canada, Mountain Equipment Co-Op). These stores are well known for their abundance of white customers and their extensive inventory of things for white people to buy and only use once. If you are ever tricked into going to one of these stores, you can make white people like you by saying things like “man, this Kayak is only $1200, if I use it 35 times I’ve already saved money over renting.” Note: do not actually buy the kayak.

Next, white people will then take this new equipment and load it into an SUV or Subaru Outback with a Thule or Yakima Roof Rack. Then they will drive for an extended period of time to a national park or campsite where they will pay an entrance fee and begin their journey. It is worth noting that white people are unaware of the irony of using a gas burning car to bring them closer to nature and it is not recommended that you point this out. It will ruin their weekend.

Once in the camp area, white people will walk around for a while, set up a tent, have a horrible night of sleep, walk around some more. Then get in the car and go home. This, of course, is a best case scenario. Worst case scenarios include: getting lost, poisoned, killed by an animal, and encountering an RV. Of these outcomes, the latter is seen by white people as the worst since it involves an encounter with the wrong kind of white people.

Conversely, any camping trip that ends in death at the hands of nature or requires the use of valuable government resources for a rescue is seen as relatively positive in white culture. This is because both situations might eventually lead to a book deal or documentary film about the experience.

Ultimately the best way to escape a camping trip with white people is to say that you have allergies. Since white people and their children are allergic to almost everything, they will understand and ask no further questions. You should not say something like “looking at history, the instances of my people encountering white people in the woods have not worked out very well for us.”

Note: this works for all races! "

This is a very funny blog, you should really take the time to read some of their other posts!!!

My Favorite Authors =] December 9, 2009

Reading is not really my favorite thing to do. But there are a few authors that I really love their books. I think that good books are designed to be an escape from reality for readers. People sometimes need to escape from the stress of their real world and books are a great escape.

My favorite author is Stephenie Meyers. She is the author of the Twilight Series. Once you start the Twilight Series it is hard to put them down. The Twilight Series is now being made into movies which closely follow the books. And of course I am a fan of the movies too!



My next favorite author would have to be Jodi Picoult. She has created many top selling books. Her books all involve some sort of trial. I think what makes her books so appealing is that some of them seem like real life situations. Most of her books are also made into popular movies.



Nicholas Sparks is one of my favorites, I can basically get into any of his books. A lot of his books are turned into movie because they are such great stories. His most recent book that is getting ready to hit theaters is Dear John.

The Blind Side =] December 9, 2009

One of the hot new movies hitting theaters this holiday season is The Blind Side. Based on a true story The Blind Side is the story about Michael Orr.

Here is the plot of the movie according to Wikipedia:

"The Blind Side depicts the true story of Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron), a homeless 18-year-old from a broken home. He enrolls in a private Christian school and struggles to fit in because he is woefully underprepared. Eventually, he is taken in by the Tuohys (Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Lily Collins, and Jae Head), a well-to-do Christian family who helps him fulfill his potential. At the same time, Oher's presence in the Tuohys' lives leads them to some self-discoveries of their own. Recognizing his potential talent as a football player, they encourage him get him private tutors and get involved in his football career. Living in his new environment, the 18-year-old faces a completely different set of challenges. As a football player and student, Oher works hard and, with the help of his coaches and adopted family, becomes an All-American offensive left tackle."

I have not seen this movie yet but it has been given really great reviews. I think that this movie is designed to make us realize that your family does not just have to be the people that share your same DNA. The Tuohy family was able to open their home and their hearts for a boy that was struggling. They are an incredible family that we could all learn a little from. There are always little ways that we can make big changes in our lives and we just need to keep our eyes open :)

Winter Weather =] December 9, 2009

This winter is going to be a little different for me. Normally I really do not like snow or cold weather but this year I am trying to enjoy this winter weather since I really will not get to see to much of it this year!!! As I have previously posted, I am moving to Florida in January and well we all no that it does not snow in Orlando... I never thought that I would say I might actually miss snow. Most of the time it is so pretty to watch but it creates a big mess when you have to travel in it. I think that this weather is designed to make us appreciate summer a little more. We have to endure these cold winter days so that in the summer we can have beautiful sunny days!!!