New start, new life, new blog . . .

I will leave this blog up for a while - but I'm working on a new one.  I'm taking a 30-day Facebook vacation - so I should be able to get this blog up and running.

Here's where to find me:  http://myworldforaflashlight.blogspot.com/

My IndyFringe Experience

Want to learn more about the IndyFringe Festival on Mass Avenue in Indianapolis?

Check this out.

What I've been up to lately . . .

HELP MAKE A FAMILY COMPLETE!!

Please read these posts about helping to bring Kameron home.  

http://ourjourneytohome.blogspot.com/

http://theadoptionshop.blogspot.com/2011/03/ipad-fundraiser-prizes-added.html

And most importantly - please read this blog post (and the linked post) about TEARING THE ROOF OFF to help someone!!

Step out of your comfort zone today and help bring this precious little girl home to her forever family!!

THEY HAVE THREE DAYS LEFT TO RAISE THE MONEY!!

It is our mission to help 'the least of these.'

Finally!

A blogger background that I LOVE!  What do you think?  Is it me?  ;-)

Thankful Thursday

This week, I have a lot to be thankful for.

In November, I had a surgical procedure that threw me for a loop both physically and emotionally.  After that, I got a really bad sinus infection - which is JUST NOW finally starting to get better.

For the first time in months, I actually feel pretty good and positive about life.  And I am so thankful!

I am thankful for my family, for our puppies and our kitties, and our friends.

I am thankful for GOOD HEALTH and I am thankful for the chance to make 2011 great.

And hate me if you want - but I am thankful for SNOW!!  I just love it when the world is covered in white.  I think it looks beautiful.

What are you thankful for today?

Living trumps blogging

I haven't had a lot of time to blog about my life, I've been too busy living it.  And I think that's okay.  :-)

I'll try and update soon.

Oops! Gotta catch up! Month of Thanksgiving - November 6-10

November 6th:  I am thankful for weekends spent with family and furries.  Even if it is just lounging around the house in our jammies - it is always fun.

November 7th:  I am thankful for HunkaHubby's day off.  He finally has a day off to spend with us - and we are all thankful.

November 8th:  I am thankful for milestones reached at a job that hopes to make a difference in the lives of many animals.

November 9th:  I am thankful for giggle girls and smiley boys, best friends who are always there for you, and marriages that last (Michelle & Francisco AND Dad & Susanne!  Happy Anniversary!)

November 10th:  I am thankful for warmer weather and the ability for lives to change when you never thought it was possible.

What are you thankful for?

Month of Thanksgiving - November 5th

I've mentioned that the past year has been rough for many reasons.  Over this year I've renewed old friendships and drifted away from others (and drifted back again).  I've also had a lot of eye-opening and brain-exploding experiences.

I grew up in church.  I had a few people in the rough high-school/young adult years that I would turn to for spiritual advice or questions when I didn't understand something I read.  Over the past year - I've found that more than one of those people no longer attend church and struggle to even believe.  This turned my world upside down.  I didn't know what to think or what to feel.  These people who were my "pillars" - no longer believed what they had for so long.  Did it make me stop believing?  No.  But it has made for some great conversations!

On the opposite side, there have been a few people who were NOT raised in church and who used to scoff at the idea of religion of any form who are now attending church and having spiritual conversations with me.  I think this is wonderful, but it is surreal to me.

It is ALL blowing my mind.

But then I realize how thankful I am that God has given me the gift of listening without judging.  I didn't always have this gift - and sometimes still slip into wanting to close my mind to what I am hearing.  But through all of these experiences, I have learned a lot about who I am.  I LOVE having conversations with people.  And it doesn't matter if we disagree - what matters is that we are willing to respect each others' opinions.

As a young child through a teenager - my Dad and I would always debate issues.  Politics, religion, social issues . . . he always had a strong opinion - and many times, my opinion differed from his.  We would have these great big conversations, arguing our points, disagreeing, but in the end - we never had hard feelings toward each other.  We loved and respected each other and could laugh at agreeing to disagree.  I wish that everyone could be like that.  There would be a lot less tension and a lot more willingness to work together for the common good.

We all have to fight prejudice every day in some part of our lives.  Often - we have to fight our own inner prejudices.  I know I do.  But I have realized one major thing . . . it doesn't matter if you agree with someone, their beliefs, their lifestyle, their religion . . . what matters is listening . . . respect . . . and LOVE.  We are commanded to love ALL - not just those who share our beliefs.

So today - I am thankful for the great diversity of people in this world.  I am thankful that God gave me the gift of listening, and that he gave us the Greatest Example of Love. 

Be thankful for our differences today . . . and strive to listen without judging, and love with everything in your being.

Month of Thanksgiving - November 4th

Okay - this one is going to be controversial.  Everyone always complains about how holiday merchandise comes out sooner and sooner every year.  My aunt always said that people seem to miss Thanksgiving because it is overshadowed by Christmas.  Well - because I have decided to make ALL of November Thanksgiving - I think it is okay for me to be listening to . . . CHRISTMAS MUSIC!!

Yes, today I am thankful for Christmas music and this entire holiday season.  Christmas music is so uplifting and it makes me happy and brings back so many wonderful memories.  Last Christmas wasn't so fun - and I am so thankful for this Christmas and the opportunity to make it so much better.

Some of my favorite Christmas songs are:

• Oh Holy Night
• Stille Nacht by Manheim Steamroller
• Strange Way to Save the World
• Breath of Heaven (and pretty much ALL Amy Grant Christmas music)
• Sleigh Ride
• Silver Bells
• Pretty much all Trans-siberian Orchestra music
• The Bell Carol

Oh - who am I kidding?  I LOVE IT ALL!!!!

So - I apologize Auntie Linda . . . but I'm listening to Christmas music!!!

What are you thankful for today?

Month of thanksgiving - November 3rd

Today I am thankful that I have an understanding boss.  The past year has been pretty crazy for me, I've had to be off work for kid issues, I've been an emotional mess, my health is kind of 'eh' and I've had to be off for testing, etc.  But he is super supportive of me and that makes me want to work that much harder.

So I am thankful that I have a good paying job and an understanding boss!!!!  :-)

A Month of Thanksgiving

Several Facebook friends challenged others to use the WHOLE month of November to find things to be thankful for.  So - because I just saw this - I have to catch up from yesterday and then add today.

1.  I am thankful that I know what unconditional love is.

2.  I am thankful for pets who show me that unconditional love every day.  I've never seen it said better than the video attached below.

I challenge you to find something to be thankful for EVERY DAY.

Wow - I suck. LOL

I haven't updated this in a while.  I've been super busy!!!  I always think it is a good thing to neglect your blog if you've been out living life.  :-)  I'll do a picture update soon!!!

Are we doing enough?

I had to share this post that I found through my friend Rett's blog.

Please read it - and pray about what you learn.  Is there something you can do?

http://onceuponamooncake.blogspot.com/2010/09/statistics.html

Living

I haven't updated my blog since the end of my FaceBook experiment, but I've been busy!!  I've been busy . . . LIVING.  Which is awesome.

I'm having tons of fun supporting and spreading the word about Hunkahubby and his art and the group of artists that he is a part of - The Artists Upstairs.  Check them out - you'll be inspired!

Now do something creative and inspirational today!!

Facebook Experiment - Part 6 - STILL GOING

I'm going on 80 hours without Facebook.  Woohoo!  I'm proud.  I do have "willpower" after all.  Next week - I AM transferring this willpower to my penchant for eating things I shouldn't . . .

Last night, I ALMOST caved.  Simply because a dear old friend who has known me most of life was EVIL and texted me with this - "Oh my gosh, if you're on a Facebook vacation, no wonder you didn't text me!  You haven't seen my Facebook page today!"  Okay - first of all, this guy ALWAYS plays the gullibility card on me and I almost always fall for it.  Secondly - it took me FOREVER to convince him he should use Facebook and he very rarely updates.  Third thing - he is a very "keep to himself" kind of person and there is no way he would post something personal on his page that I would HAVE to see.  Then he says that he didn't actually post it, that someone else did.  Ugh.  He's mean.  But I didn't cave.  I didn't look.  But he KNEW it would drive me crazy.  What a brat.

Finally - I think the vacation may end today - simply because I'm afraid of the "notifications" I might have when I log back on.  Of course - what if there aren't ANY?  What if no one missed me?  Will I be able to handle it????  LOLOLOL

Thank you for going on this journey with me during my Facebook Vacation.  I recommend it to anyone who is addicted to Facebook.  It really helps to put things in perspective.  The world WILL go on if you don't update your status every time you go to the bathroom.  The world WILL go on if you don't water your farm.  The world WILL go on if someone ::GASP:: unfriends you.  Facebook is entertainment and a great networking tool . . . use it wisely. 

Facebook Experiment - Part 5 - GUEST POST - UNFRIENDING!

I asked my dear friend, whom I frequently nickname "Oh Wise One", and she agreed to do a post on Facebook Unfriending.  Now OWO has a knack for saying what she thinks and I absolutely love that about her.  However, because my blog is family-friendly . . . I am going to "censor" some words in her post (notated in red). . . BUT - if you want to see the post in all of its uncensored glory - you may view it on her blog - here.

The Dreaded Facebook Unfriending, by Dr. Yoda, Oh Wise One

Dealing with the DREADED FB UNFRIENDING is the sad connundrum we ourselves have placed upon us. Why is it SO terminal when we are minding our own business on Facebook...checking out what people are doing, and GASP! We realize in horror that we have been UNFRIENDED, or (EVEN WORSE) BLOCKED!!!!!

Is it the fact that this was SUCH a public display of a diss? Personally, I have been unfriended a few times, blocked a few times, and each time, I simply have to laugh. Sure, there is the initial "shock and awe" of HOW DARE THEY?!?!?!!?!? But really, this all boils down to the equivalent of a group of 5 year olds on the playground taunting each other. And it is - because Facebook is the adult playground.

This year in fact, I had an UNFRIENDING, which to this day, leaves me cackling....

I was sitting on my computer, with Facebook up, doing homework, and typing on Yahoo IM (multi-tasker!!!!). I was chatting on Yahoo IM with a male friend who was having some issues with me...and I was listening, rather, pretending to listen, as he ranted on and on. It ends up he gets SO pissed with me, he signs off IM abruptly. I think to myself, well, ok, he needs to cool off, ok fine.

So back to my homework I go...

Next thing I know, my phone starts buzzing continuously as this fellow is rapid-fire texting me...as I pick up my phone to look at it, I do believe I said aloud, "Are you kidding me!?!???" To be honest it was so long ago I forget the conversation exactly, but I do know that me replying just added fuel to his fire.

He said a few choice words and I thought - geez, no way I can do homework with this going on - I KNOW!!! I will play on Facebook! And so I procede to click on people and check out what they are doing. I happen to click on the very person I was talking to (yes - I actually wanted to see if they had changed their status to reflect the current happenings, lol) and HOLY HECK, I WAS NOT A FRIEND!!!!!

I started giggling at that point, and was cackling by the time I had texted "Did you just unfriend me on Facebook?" into my phone as a reply to him.

Silence. (because no sooner than 2 seconds after you did it, I caught you, you big dummy!!!)

So I send another text. "Real mature for a 30 something adult there pal"

Silence.

So I cackle to myself and NATURALLY go to Facebook to update my status 'I WAS UNFRIENDED ON FACEBOOK AND ALL I GOT WAS THIS LOUSY T-SHIRT'

About an hour later, I receive a friend request with an email following asking my forgiveness, how stupid and immature he was, he was just so mad, etc, etc, etc

We are still not FB "friends". And I still cackle about it.


Dealing with unfriending and being unfriended:


1. If you are unfriended, it is NOT a diss, nor is it a reflection on you as a person. If you are basing your ego on being unfriended, you seriously have more issues than that.

2. If you are unfriended, I would suggest a "benefit of the doubt" refriending, whereby you send a friend request to the culprit. If they accept, you know it was a casual mistake. Technology DOES fail. If they don't, do not begin to 'friend request stalk' - that just shows how pathetic you really are and will potentially cause them to block you (and then you can't even view their activity from your common friends walls!!!)


3. If you decide to unfriend someone, THIS is a big decision. You literally can be sending someone into a mental breakdown of sorts. Make sure you are FINAL in your unfriending.


4. Perhaps you actually might be really just sick of seeing all their dumbass posts, and getting all the status updates about how pathetic they are, or how they just took a big dump in Poop Row....in which case, consider "Hiding" before Unfriending. They won't know you have hidden them. And that will be one less serial murderer for me to worry about on Craigslist.

5. You may use the Unfriending as I do, as a punishment to big jerks who do you wrong. This is OK, as long as you are not just acting out of stupid anger. When I recently moved, a friend on FB sent me a message indicating they would totally be there to help me move. (I knew this person outside of FB, by the way) They said "You can count on me". And then moving day NO CALL NO SHOW. They left me hanging without an explanation. So - to showcase MY irritability with their actions, I unfriended them. That was my way of saying "scram" without actually haveing to exert the effort of typing them a message...just a simple CLICK, and they were gone. It was a cleansing feeling :)


All in all, I must say, I LOVE Facebook. I used to say it is my crack. I am better about it now as in I don't HAVE to be on it all the time, and I am not. I find it a good resource to network and laugh with people about stuff, and laugh at people about their stuff. Don't take the unfriending personally, laugh it off, you aren't 5 years old you know...

Happy Unfriending!


[Editors Note:  The post really does "read better" with the original "color" - I actually had to use synonym.com to find another way to say some of those words!  LOL]

Facebook Experiment - Part 4 . . .

Well - I'm getting close to 48 hours of this Facebook Vacation, and I'm doing pretty well.  The first day I was kind of sad.  Today, I'm just kind of "eh" - I don't really NEED it.  Now - once I come back from vacation, maybe I can switch this "eh" feeling to food!  We'll see.  ;-)

I worked on a list of the good and bad things about Facebook . . . so here they are. 

Here are the things I've learned are BAD about Facebook:

• It can be a MAJOR time sucker.  You start looking at pictures and statuses and you just get so involved in the lives of your friends that you forget to live your own life.  NOT GOOD.
• The GAMES, GAMES, GAMES!  Some of the games are harmless - Bejeweled, Farkle, they are kind of like Solitaire or Minesweeper on your computer.  They can suck time, but not consume your soul.  But then there are things like evil FARMVILLE, MAFIA WARS, etc.  I admit I got sucked into Farmville initially.  And I had to tend to my farm everyday.  But I wasn't tending to my own "farm" while I was in this virtual world.  I got over that addiction pretty quickly.  (although, I currently have Zombie Farm on my iPhone - I don't have it connected to Facebook and I don't let it consume my life - I just like letting the Zombies attack a couple of times a day to let out my frustrations!)  Word of advice - don't start the games so you don't get sucked in.
• A LOT of people use their status updates to make passive agressive statements to their friends or in hopes that a friend of a friend will tell the person the status was actually about what was said.  We've all done it.  We've been frustrated and we've let a status fly that we shouldn't have.  THINK BEFORE YOU POST!
• Sometimes Facebook can cost you money . . . you hear a great song you've never heard, so you head to iTunes and buy it, you see a great product you've never heard of, a great book you've never read, etc. etc. etc.  You end up buying things you wouldn't have . . . and as this is the POINT of these types of services - it can be hard on the pocketbook if you don't know how to curb your spending.
• Facebook is legal stalking and an easy way to get gossip on your friends and acquaintances.  That's the long and short of it, really.
• If you aren't careful and check the Facebook privacy settings every few months - you could end up letting the world know a lot more information than you want them to.  My Facebook is set that friends only can view my information, and I intend to keep it that way.
• You can get bombarded by requests for this charity and that charity - so I recommend picking a few that are really important to you and don't feel guilty when press "ignore" on the other ones.
• Sometimes you have something brilliant and earth-shattering that you absolutely MUST share with the world - and someone else doesn't take it the way you wanted them to - and they block you, or hide you, or heaven forbid UNFRIEND you!!  (more on that later)

Now that I've listed quite a few bad things about Facebook - let's look at the good:

• One of my favorite things about Facebook is that it has allowed me to catch up with old friends I had been unable to find or hadn't heard from in years.  It is such a great way to renew old friendships and relive fun memories along with easily keeping up with each other's lives without having to do a dreaded Christmas newsletter.  (of course, one CON of this is that when you actually see each other - you have nothing left to talk about . . . LOL)
• Facebook provides really great networking opportunities, especially for small businesses!  It is easy to create a business page, share it, and get your message out there.
• You can use Facebook as a kind of ministry.  Some people use Facebook to post a daily Bible verse, post inspirational videos, etc.  I try and find quotes that speak to me and that I think will speak to others as well.  And I don't know how many times, someone has sent something to me on Facebook that has made my day.  It can be a great thing.
• It is a place to find out new music, new books, new ideas, new projects, etc.  (just don't let it take over your pocketbook!)
• It is easy to control who sees what on your Facebook page so you can make sure that the creepy stalker neighbor from next door can't see your Facebook page.
• It is a really quick way to update everyone you know about happy things (marriages!  babies!) or ask for prayer for the not so good things.
• If you have a charitable organization, Facebook is great for this as well.  You can spread the word about your organization and get people to support you.
• AND - if other people's statuses annoy YOU - you have the ability to hide them, block them - or if all else fails UNFRIEND them. 

I think that Facebook can be good or bad, it just depends on what you decide to use it for.  Of course, I do have a few pet peeves . . .

1. If you don't want people to give you advice or comment on your life - then don't tell people about it in your status!  Geesh. 
2. Just because someone's status may say ONLINE whether it be Facebook, AIM, Skype, etc. doesn't necessarily mean the person is actually sitting at the computer.  I personally have all 3 of those accounts on 3 different computers AND my phone.  One of them may be logged on somewhere - and I don't even realize it.  So don't get all bent out of shape when someone doesn't answer you!
3. Just because someone's status may say ONLINE doesn't necessarily mean they have 4 hours to chat with you.  A good way to start . . . Are you busy?  If they say yes, especially during WORK hours, don't be offended!
4. Word of advice for adults - be wary of friending people under 18 unless they are related to you or a very good friend of the family.  You just . . . never . . . know . . .
5. If you posted something because you KNOW it will cause drama - don't whine when it comes back to bite you in the butt.
6. Use as few "automatic posting" applications as possible.

Okay, okay - that's enough of that for now.

Do any of you have any great Facebook tips?  Thoughts?  Pet Peeves?

Next post?  How to deal with a Facebook Unfriending . . . by a guest poster who doesn't know she's doing this yet . . . hee hee hee.

Facebook Experiment - Part 3 . . .

Still going.  Kind of liking the feeling of being unplugged from the world. 

Working on my list of Pros and Cons for a later post.

Happy Thursday!

Facebook Experiment Part 2

I've made it over 24 hours!  I am having my hubby check HIS Facebook and tell me exactly what time I started my vacation . . . and it was (drumroll please) yesterday at 3:14 PM, EST.  So at the time of writing this blog, I've been vacationing for roughly 30 hours.

I have to admit - the first part of today was ROUGH.  Every website WANTED me to friend them on Facebook.  Everything I saw reminded me of someone and I wanted to SHARE it on Facebook.  I had to literally pull my hand away from the shiny blue and white F on the screen!!!  ;-)

The bane of my existence.

But honestly, by this evening, I was actually liking the fact that Facebook wasn't ruling my life.  No - I didn't get to see the pictures of the newest baby on Facebook, I didn't get to listen to a new song someone suggested, I didn't get to see which person had the wittiest status . . . but I had some quiet time. 

And in that quiet time - I realized, that I really need to "unplug" sometimes.  Get away from everything.  No TV, no computer, no Facebook . . . and maybe even no iPhone (CRINGE).  On the way home from work today - I plugged my phone in, rolled down the windows, turned up the radio and thoroughly enjoyed my ride home. 

So Day 1 of the Facebook experiment is a success.  But I do have to admit, that I picked up my phone in the middle of this post and out of habit, started to click the Facebook button!  (Luckily, I had logged out - so all I saw was the login screen!)

Day 2 . . . will it last?