Bullying

There has been so much in the news lately about this topic. Mainly pertaining to sexual preference, but truth is....it happens to most about anything.

Bullied for having glasses
Bullied for having braces
Bullied for being a little heavy
Bullied because of your siblings
Bullied because of the clothes you wear
Bullied because of the clothes you don't wear

I was bullied in school....and I can still remember it like it was yesterday. I am so thankful for having the friends I did and accepting me for who I am. For those who never gave me a chance, you missed out. I'm not perfect, but I certainly tried to extend my bubble out to those who may not have gotten spoken to often. I didn't care if someone had dandruff on the collar of their tshirt, or acne on their face, or if they couldn't spell. I tried my best to be well rounded. Occasionally I would be nice to someone who didn't care and quickly found out some people just don't like company.

I got over the people who bullied me and decided it was their loss for not treating me with respect, but I can still flip through my elementary/middle school yearbook and point out a few people who weren't very nice.

Kids these days are even worse than when we were in school. It's hard to believe, but very true. My younger brother Trevor has told me some things he's been called in school and it makes me want to go beat the kid(s) up, but who does that make me?? Then I hear Trevor making fun of someone else and I'm reminded of what a vicious cycle it is. I think the root of bullying is that the bully is insecure and they're trying to impress a group of friends. With Facebook I've seen names come across asking for invites and I'm scratching my head wondering why. You never said anything nice to me when we were growing up, what could you possibly have to say to me now?

We live in a world where everyone is trying to 'one up' the next and in the process we beat others down. We need to realize being our true self is what matters most. If you have to call someone ugly or fat or gay to keep your circle of friends, then I'd say you need new friends.

One day when it's your child/children being bullied....maybe then you'll realize how mean you may have been growing up.

Think about it. Is there anyone you would apologize to if you had the opportunity. Can you remember the mean things you said to someone as well as they can remember being bullied?

Geez Louise

Well pat me on the back and give me a blue ribbon!

I managed to give our laptop a virus this evening. I was minding my own business updating the haunted house website...went looking for a decent logo of McDonald's and whaddya-know, it caught a virus.

So beware...

I ran a complete virus scan and the crap was still on there. Don't know what I'll do now...but I'll tell ya trying to diagnose and fix the problem using an iPhone is not my idea of a fun Monday...

Weekend movie-thon

This weekend we had a free preview of Showtime and we took full advantage of our DVR with DirecTV.  We recorded about 10 movies between Sat/Sun and when we weren't watching one of those, we hooked the TV up to the internet and watched instant movies via Amazon (they're free with Prime membership).  There are hundreds and hundreds of titles to choose from, new and old movies.  I'm amazed at technology....really.

 

 

A few of the movies we watched...

 

 

Faster

Starring: Dwayne Johnson & Billy Bob Thornton

**Guess you could classify this as a guy movie, but I enjoyed it.  It was a story of revenge, so it was easy to follow.  Not to mention I love movies that kind of keep you guessing until the last 20mins...they're good exercise for the brain.  Interestingly enough, I don't even think "The Rock" had 100 words in the entire film.

 

Remember Me

Starring: Robert Pattinson & Pierce Brosnan

**Yes, believe it or not...I a Twilight fan did NOT see this movie upon its release in theatre's or even on DVD.  I had heard decent things about it though, so I decided to watch it.  It was a good movie with great acting...had depressing undertones through the entire film and unfortunately ended with heartbreak.  If you like a good cry, this is a movie to watch.

 

Vertical Limit

Starring: Chris O'Donnell, Scott Glenn, Bill Paxton and Robin Tunney

**This is a few years old and is basically Cliffhanger  on Mt. Everest.  The story isn't as dramatic, but still good.  I enjoyed it.

 

Tidal Wave

**This is a Korean movie and even though it was dubbed in English, it still had sub-titles.  Hardy is a huge fan of Godzilla movies, so I'm used to reading subtitles.  It followed several characters/families leading up to a Tidal Wave hitting Korea dead on.  Definitely sad ending, but probably a true depiction of what would happen, certainly makes you appreciate life more.

 

 

We bought these and finally watched them:

 

Contagion

Starring: Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Forest Whittaker

**Holy moly, if you don't use hand sanitizer now, this movie will certainly make you want to purchase stock in Germ-X.  I don't even know how to classify it....drama or horror.  It wasn't a big scary monster or zombies, but it was spooky in its own right to disease.

 

Super 8

Starring: Kyle Chandler, Noah Emmerich, Ron Eldard and Elle Fanning

**Filmed in the "80s", I felt like this was slightly a reboot on E.T., but in a good way.  The youngsters (most new comers) were excellent actors and made the story believable.  Elle Fanning (Dakota Fanning's younger sister) was absolutely fabulous. 

Words With Friends

My username is "ALJ 85" if anyone wants to start up a game :)

It is quite addicting and I'll be honest I suck, so if you enjoy winning go ahead and start a game with me!

Church....

Why do you attend church?
Why do you attend the church that you attend?


I've been thinking about this a lot lately, probably because it's been a while since Hardy and I have actually gone. There's no excuse for why we haven't been, we just haven't. In December 2010, we started attending a church in downtown Flowery Branch that was closer to our house - instead of driving 30mins to the one his parents go to. I decided we were our own family and we needed to find somewhere we liked to go.

At the previous church I was on one of the boards that makes decisions and witnessed a lot of things I didn't like. Ultimately finding that those with the most money in a small "country" church determine most major decisions the church is supposed to make. They drove away the pastor who married Hardy and I and it broke my heart. I know people come and go, but seeing the full on politics of the way this particular church was ran really pushed me away. So you can imagine, it wasn't hard for me to make the decision and try somewhere new. The church in Flowery Branch is full of some of the most kind hearted people I've ever met and I think I feel worse wondering if they thought they did something to drive us away rather than the fact that we just haven't been going.

So with all this time I've had to reflect on if we'll go back or should we try another church has got me thinking....

Whether you attend Methodist, Baptist, Catholic or non-denominational...WHY do you go there? Is it because you were raised in a specific church, is it because you like what they say better than somewhere else? The reason there are so many denominations is because every one interprets the bible differently, correct? Some preach hardcore on the right/wrong's of life, whereas others preach the word, but don't blast you for having tattoos and piercing or having a baby out of wedlock. I guess my point is...how do you know who's interpretation is the right one? If I read the bible myself and developed my own thoughts and feelings on it and only believed my interpretation, why would I go to church? Is church there simply for the fellowship? You might think I'm less of a Christian because I haven't gone to church in three months or because I don't pray 15x's a day, but am I? Who are you to tell me that's right/wrong/indifferent?

I'll end my post with this...what's worse

- A hypocrite who attends church, but does so much wrong away from their fellow Christians?
- A Christian, who reads the bible, prays, but they don't attend church regularly?