Well, 2013 was quite the year. I don't even remember if I did resolutions last year. If I did, I can't find them anywhere.
In order to avoid losing my resolutions, this year, I put them on Padlet. It's an online tool that I should probably use in the classroom, so I decided to mess around with it over break...and this is what I got.
http://padlet.com/wall/my_resolutions_2014 <-- there are pictures, too. Please click it. It's super cool.
Pretty 21st-century learning friendly, huh?!
Anyway, I am STOKED about 2014! I'll continue working on my master's degree, become an aunt, finish my third year of teaching, and hopefully accomplish all the goals set forth on the above Padlet. I'm so thankful for the many blessings 2013 has brought and can't wait to see what God has in store for 2014!
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Thursday, December 26, 2013
I Don't Need a Penis to Open a Door
Some women are deeply offended when a man opens a door for her. How dare he! the woman might think indignantly. I can open my own effing door! What a chauvinist pig! What decade are we living in, the thirties?!
Some women gasp and sputter when a man doesn't open or hold a door for her. How rude! He has no manners! What did his parents teach him about how to treat women? Nothing, obviously!
Despite the title of this post, I don't fall into the first category. In fact, I believe both of the above reactions to be presumptuous, unkind, unfair, and judgmental.
If a guy holds a door open for me, I smile and say, "Thank you." And if a man doesn't hold the door for me, I do not assume he's rude or wasn't raised properly. I assign positive intent in both situations.
Early on in our relationship, Randy always held the door for me, opened my car door, and so forth, because this is how he was raised, which is fine. It was nice, at first, though sometimes rather inconvenient. As we continued to date, though, I realized there were MANY times I didn't like him to hold the door.
Sometimes it was impractical (like in bad weather or when his hands were full).
Sometimes I wanted him to enter somewhere first.
Sometimes the car was parked next to a shrub and it was impossible for him to have room to open the door without sitting on top of a holly bush.
The list could go on and on.
So, I had a conversation with him and told him that I would prefer if he didn't always open the door for me, but I liked it if we were, say, out on a date.
And, because he loves and respects me, he listened.
I have to mention the two blood-boiling issues I've encountered since we had this conversation several years ago. The first is when people assume my husband isn't a gentleman because he doesn't open my car door or whatnot. These individuals don't know the private conversations my husband and I have had.
The other issue I've faced is men and women telling me I need to wait for a man to open the door for me. Grrrrr, I can't even tell you how that irks me. You may want me to because those are your beliefs. But no, I don't need to.
I really think the heart of the issue is this: our actions should be loving.
I do not believe it would be loving or kind of Randy to say to me, "You know, honey, I hear you say that you don't like me to hold the door for you for these various reasons. But I was raised this way, and I'm going to keep opening all your doors for you, whether you like it or not. I'm not going to abandon my upbringing because of your personal preference."
Sadly, I know some guys who have said that to the women they love.
Opening a door for someone can be loving regardless of one's gender. You see, I--a female-- also hold the door open for others out of kindness and the desire to bless them.
Example A: The other morning, there was a man walking out of Starbucks with his hands full of drinks and pastries, so I held the door for him.
Example B: Today at Barnes and Noble, a dad was carrying a screaming toddler, power-walking towards the door to try and exit the establishment before causing too much of a scene, so I paused and held the door for him.
Sometimes, it's just easier to pull a door open and hold it for whoever's approaching, so I do, because I think it's a nice thing to do.
Am I not allowed to do this simply because I have female parts and not male bits?
I've decided that I am absolutely allowed to open whatever doors I would like, for myself or for others.
Because I don't need a penis to open a door.
Some women gasp and sputter when a man doesn't open or hold a door for her. How rude! He has no manners! What did his parents teach him about how to treat women? Nothing, obviously!
Despite the title of this post, I don't fall into the first category. In fact, I believe both of the above reactions to be presumptuous, unkind, unfair, and judgmental.
If a guy holds a door open for me, I smile and say, "Thank you." And if a man doesn't hold the door for me, I do not assume he's rude or wasn't raised properly. I assign positive intent in both situations.
Early on in our relationship, Randy always held the door for me, opened my car door, and so forth, because this is how he was raised, which is fine. It was nice, at first, though sometimes rather inconvenient. As we continued to date, though, I realized there were MANY times I didn't like him to hold the door.
Sometimes it was impractical (like in bad weather or when his hands were full).
Sometimes I wanted him to enter somewhere first.
Sometimes the car was parked next to a shrub and it was impossible for him to have room to open the door without sitting on top of a holly bush.
The list could go on and on.
So, I had a conversation with him and told him that I would prefer if he didn't always open the door for me, but I liked it if we were, say, out on a date.
And, because he loves and respects me, he listened.
I have to mention the two blood-boiling issues I've encountered since we had this conversation several years ago. The first is when people assume my husband isn't a gentleman because he doesn't open my car door or whatnot. These individuals don't know the private conversations my husband and I have had.
The other issue I've faced is men and women telling me I need to wait for a man to open the door for me. Grrrrr, I can't even tell you how that irks me. You may want me to because those are your beliefs. But no, I don't need to.
I really think the heart of the issue is this: our actions should be loving.
I do not believe it would be loving or kind of Randy to say to me, "You know, honey, I hear you say that you don't like me to hold the door for you for these various reasons. But I was raised this way, and I'm going to keep opening all your doors for you, whether you like it or not. I'm not going to abandon my upbringing because of your personal preference."
Sadly, I know some guys who have said that to the women they love.
Opening a door for someone can be loving regardless of one's gender. You see, I--a female-- also hold the door open for others out of kindness and the desire to bless them.
Example A: The other morning, there was a man walking out of Starbucks with his hands full of drinks and pastries, so I held the door for him.
Example B: Today at Barnes and Noble, a dad was carrying a screaming toddler, power-walking towards the door to try and exit the establishment before causing too much of a scene, so I paused and held the door for him.
Sometimes, it's just easier to pull a door open and hold it for whoever's approaching, so I do, because I think it's a nice thing to do.
Am I not allowed to do this simply because I have female parts and not male bits?
I've decided that I am absolutely allowed to open whatever doors I would like, for myself or for others.
Because I don't need a penis to open a door.
Sunday, December 22, 2013
Why did I do it?
I admit that I can be rather impulsive.
My decision to chop off twelve inches of hair, however, has been a loooooooooooong time coming. When I cut my hair a few months before my wedding in 2010, I regretted it and decided to grow it out until I was 25.
My decision to chop off twelve inches of hair, however, has been a loooooooooooong time coming. When I cut my hair a few months before my wedding in 2010, I regretted it and decided to grow it out until I was 25.
My 25th birthday came and went this past September...I pinned pictures of Katie Holmes's cute bobs on Pinterest and found myself looking at other women's hairstyles in church when I was supposed to be listening to the sermon.
But I couldn't quite decide if I wanted to take the plunge.
Then, I thought, What's the worst thing that could happen? I don't like it and I grow it out again.
So, after getting a referral to an amazing hair stylist from my friend Emily, I went from this:
To this:
I love that I can't hide behind my hair anymore. I feel more confident, like people see me and look me in the eye.
I haven't regretted cutting it, not for one second. Here are the pros:
1) Even on a "bad" hair day, a messy pixie looks better than a greasy ponytail.
2) In the winter, I never have to go out with wet hair. With my long hair, I sometimes was forced to go to work with it wet because I didn't have 45 minutes to dry it and then style it.
3) I don't look like I'm 12 (you think I'm joking? Scroll up and look at me with braided pigtails). The short hair makes me feel more sophisticated and grown up.
4) It's easier to change up. I'm getting a trim in a few weeks, and I can play around with the style and color a little bit. I'm thinking of doing a fun wine red streak in the front, because, why not?
5) I actually WANT to fix my hair and style it. My long hair was just SO thick and SO...much...and literally the ONLY thing I do is blowdry it and put some clay in it. Presto! Good to go!
The only real downside so far is that I wake up with crazy hair and have to run a damp brush or straightener through it. But that's no big deal. Better than waking up with huge rat's nests, like I used to!
Don't you want a fun, short haircut now, too?!
Sunday, December 1, 2013
"Libtard"
I don't know if others should call me "conservative" or "liberal." I believe I am neither, and I'm quite confident in that belief, despite the fact that many of my friends/family are extremely conservative and a number of my friends are extremely liberal. I classify myself as a moderate and a libertarian, and I don't really need others to label me.
I try to step away from political conversations that I know will rile me up and tempt me to be ugly.
When I was at SAGU, I was often labeled as "too liberal" and "having unbiblical beliefs."
When I was at EMU, I was often called "too conservative" and "closed minded." I wrote a political piece for our school newspaper, and some old man who read it kept emailing me (and when I stopped responding, writing letters and leaving them in my school mailbox) to try and convince me I was wrong and that if I were older, I'd have his beliefs, and that my conservative beliefs were a result of young ignorance.
Whatever.
I do not swallow propaganda that is presented to me, and I don't merely go along with popular beliefs.
All I know is that I love Jesus and I let that influence the beliefs I have, no matter what others call me or what others tell me.
His example was one of love and grace and mercy.
He came to serve, not to be served.
He was utterly selfless and laid down His life for each one of us.
He did not come to earth and try to change the political climate, even though that's the kind of Messiah the Jews were looking for.
But I digress...
I don't know if I'm right or wrong about some political issues.
There's a lot I don't know. There's a lot YOU don't know.
But here's what I DO know: name calling based on political beliefs is unkind, rude, desperate, and low.
Truly, folks, I am sick and tired of seeing people called names because of their beliefs, and frankly, I am tired of being called names.
Especially, I'm tired of seeing Christians call people names just because those people believe two committed gay men should be able to get legally married, or because they don't believe in the death penalty, or because they are pacifists.
And I am tired of seeing some of my liberal Christian friends calling conservatives names because they believe that abortion is wrong, or that the government should not be responsible for providing certain services, or that the Second Amendment gives us the right to keep and bear arms.
I am tired of the ignorance and inflammatory speech from everyone but especially from those who profess to follow Jesus. And I know I fall into this trap, too...this post is a reminder to me, too, to remember how it feels to be harshly judged and called names because of politics.
Shane Claiborne writes in Jesus for President, “The Christian icon is not the Stars and Stripes but a cross-flag, and its emblem is not a donkey, an elephant, or an eagle, but a slaughtered lamb.”
So why do we let others' political beliefs offend us so much that we stoop to name calling and insulting?
I don't know.
But here's what I do know: I just can't see Jesus calling someone a "libtard" simply because that person has certain beliefs.
I try to step away from political conversations that I know will rile me up and tempt me to be ugly.
When I was at SAGU, I was often labeled as "too liberal" and "having unbiblical beliefs."
When I was at EMU, I was often called "too conservative" and "closed minded." I wrote a political piece for our school newspaper, and some old man who read it kept emailing me (and when I stopped responding, writing letters and leaving them in my school mailbox) to try and convince me I was wrong and that if I were older, I'd have his beliefs, and that my conservative beliefs were a result of young ignorance.
Whatever.
I do not swallow propaganda that is presented to me, and I don't merely go along with popular beliefs.
All I know is that I love Jesus and I let that influence the beliefs I have, no matter what others call me or what others tell me.
His example was one of love and grace and mercy.
He came to serve, not to be served.
He was utterly selfless and laid down His life for each one of us.
He did not come to earth and try to change the political climate, even though that's the kind of Messiah the Jews were looking for.
But I digress...
I don't know if I'm right or wrong about some political issues.
There's a lot I don't know. There's a lot YOU don't know.
But here's what I DO know: name calling based on political beliefs is unkind, rude, desperate, and low.
Truly, folks, I am sick and tired of seeing people called names because of their beliefs, and frankly, I am tired of being called names.
Especially, I'm tired of seeing Christians call people names just because those people believe two committed gay men should be able to get legally married, or because they don't believe in the death penalty, or because they are pacifists.
And I am tired of seeing some of my liberal Christian friends calling conservatives names because they believe that abortion is wrong, or that the government should not be responsible for providing certain services, or that the Second Amendment gives us the right to keep and bear arms.
I am tired of the ignorance and inflammatory speech from everyone but especially from those who profess to follow Jesus. And I know I fall into this trap, too...this post is a reminder to me, too, to remember how it feels to be harshly judged and called names because of politics.
Shane Claiborne writes in Jesus for President, “The Christian icon is not the Stars and Stripes but a cross-flag, and its emblem is not a donkey, an elephant, or an eagle, but a slaughtered lamb.”
So why do we let others' political beliefs offend us so much that we stoop to name calling and insulting?
I don't know.
But here's what I do know: I just can't see Jesus calling someone a "libtard" simply because that person has certain beliefs.
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