Christmas

Christmas is a time for fun and a time for forgiveness and happiness. Christmas is when we have many great foods and deserts. A lot of us gorge on all these delicious foods. Especially me! I love all the good foods, even though I shouldn't eat as much as I do. Some people have problems with Christmas, because of the religious views of it. I don't think it is a bad thing to show that we care about all of it, and that we show what we believe. Maybe it may just change someones habits and make them want to be a better person. There are many things I learned at youth group that I have never heard of about Christmas. I had no idea that the original candy cane had meaning behind it. The candy cane is shaped like a J for Jesus, and it also looks like a sheperd's staff. It also has the white stripe which symbolizes the purity. The thick red stripe is for Jesus's blood, and the three little ones are for the trinity, and also the thrashing and beating he took for our lives. Another thing I also learned was that the Christmas tree points toward heaven. I thought these were really cool things that I learned at youth group, because I've never heard of it before. (I don't mean to offend anyone if they believe differently. This is just what I believe, and what I have been told. If you have a different belief that is fine, I don't judge and I don't care what you believe if it's different than my belief. That's your belief, not mine.) Religions can really get in the way of friendships or relationships, which is really sad, because everyone thinks they are right. I just like to think that we are all right, and that we will be accepted with what we believe in. Christmas isn't about fighting, it should be about renewing our sins, and spreading the Christmas cheer. Merry Christmas!

(Again, I don't mean to offend anyone. It's just what I believe in.)

Housekeeping

Housekeeping is a good thing to keep up with, because you don't want your house looking like a tornado went through it, or like a pig-sty. I know when things get stressful sometimes we don't always keep up with the cleaning. I know there is a lot going on for many people, and they have a lot to worry about. Life isn't always perfect. No one is perfect, and I hate how some people think their so perfect, or when they complain how bad life is for them. There are so many other people that have life way worse off them, I mean look at the people in Africa, that are taking all they got, and working hard, even though they may not be there the next day due to a disease or other problems. For them, housekeeping is hard, because they don't have the best of homes. It makes me sad seeing what they go through. It makes me want to do something for others that have it way worse off than me.
Housekeepers at hotels have to take care of the hotel room, and keep them clean for the next person that uses them. Some hotels don't keep the rooms as clean as they should be, and it disgusts me, because people are paying big money for disgusting rooms. I don't really like staying in hotels, because of all the disgusting things that may not be clean. I think they should have it at least decent for their customers that are paying big bucks for their room.

Manners

Manners are very important for someone to have. I think manners are very important because when people aren't using their manners it comes off as they don't care about things and that they think they're on top of the world. I can't stand people who think they are really all that. It gets annoying and to be honest, they're not all that. Just because they think they are doesn't mean they actually are, and sometimes they may just be a mean, cold-hearted person. By saying please, thank you, you're welcome, and excuse me shows others how you respect them and care about things. Manners are something everyone should have, and I believe that manners should be started in the home with the parents teaching the kids. If there are parents or others around and they use manners the kid usually picks the manners up a little faster. If the parents and others around don't use manners, more than likely the kids won't have very good manners. Manners are very, very important!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a time where you and your family get together and have a great time together. They usually have a good time together and eat lots of food, like turkey, stuffing, potatoes, pies, and many other delicious food. During Thanksgiving I usually go down to my Grandma and Grandpa's on my mom's side of the family and have a big get together. We usually have all of these really great tasting meals. It is a day where many people are waiting to feast on the great food that is made. It is a day where the family can get together, and have a great time. I know I always have a great time with my family. Thanksgiving is always a fun time, and many people also go Black Friday shopping, which can be fun and dangerous at the same time. Some people can get very crazy at this time, because of all the great deals on items and Christmas presents. I've gone Black Friday a couple times, and I know it gets very crazy. It is kinda scary, and I honestly don't like going, because some people are ridiculously crazy!

Living Together

Couples living together for the first time can be both an enjoyable and terrifying experience. Most couples like the fact of moving in together and living together, but for some they have problems and may start fighting. They could fight over the simplest thing like how long the girl is in the bathroom, how the toilet paper is placed, what time they want to get up, colors of the walls, and many more little problems. Some couples also enjoy being together, because they get to do everything with the other person, and they also get to cook together, and starting a family. Some couples will like to get out and hang out with friends, while others just like to stay and have time to their selves. It just depends on how they feel about things and what they want to do. Couples can have fun living together and start a new family.

Breaking Up

Breaking up is a hard thing for many people. For some, their hearts get shattered. It happens. For some people it is hard for them to get over the fact that all the good things that were in their life are now gone, but for others it is a start of a new life, and to start over again. So, why is it that so many people put so much into a relationship when they get into one. They never know if it will last until that diamond ring is on their finger, and yet sometimes after they have the ring, their relationship doesn't last. People put to much faith into a relationship, thinking that it will last forever, and they put their whole life into it. Why, though? Why waste your time putting in so much effort in when it may not even last, and you'll have to start over again. It seems if many people want to get their heart broken, because they put everything into their whole relationships. I don't understand how people put in everything when their only going to get a broken heart in return. It seems pointless. I think people need to stop thinking it will last forever until they know it will last. They need to stop putting their selves in the spot of getting hurt, and realize how important relationships really are.

Halloween

Halloween is always considered one of those nights to have fun. It is when the little ones go around and say trick or treat, and get candy. It is when they get to dress up in bazaar costumes. I always remember going out on Halloween, it was always a very fun night, but once you get a certain age you don't care anymore and you think it is lame for a couple of years. Then when you get a little older you like to have fun and do stuff like that again, because you miss your childhood. When you get older and you look for costumes they all are revealing and were made out of a man's perspective. They are all made for that perfectly shaped woman, not for a bigger girl. I think it's sad that that's all that men think about. A long time ago people would celebrate Halloween by doing rituals and make sacrifices for their loved ones that were dead. This was unsafe, because they brought in evil spirits that could lead to possession. I think to say that this is scary. Who would want to be possessed? I find it really scary that back then people would put razor blades in apples to try and hurt the little kids trick or treating. Parents really had to be cautious and make sure there wasn't anything dangerous in their kid's candy.

Nice Girls

For guys, a nice girl isn't what he is usually looking for. Yeah he wants someone that is nice to him, but usually all he wants is sex. A nice girl is someone that is nice, smart, treats people with respect, and knows her morals and values in what she wants from in life. She won't want what a bad guy wants. She'll want that perfect nice guy, which are quite often hard to find, because a lot of guys are jerks and want one thing from a girl. It's the thing that is constantly on his mind. No its not cars or food, which they talk about all the time, but it's sex. Sex is always constantly on their minds. Nice girls usually don't want that. They want to wait until they find that perfect, nice man that they will someday marry. For nice girls their life seems as if it has to be a fairy tale. It has to be perfect. Not everything will be perfect, because not everyone is perfect. We all make mistakes in our lives. The "Girl Paradox" doesn't seem real to me, because a nice girl can be smart, pretty, annoying, not pretty, can be an idiot, and can date jerks. I think this is just what people think. It's how the movies show how different girls look and act. I don't think this is true, because there are so many nice girls that have a lot of these different characteristics, and there are also smart and good looking girls that have a lot of these characteristics too. I don't believe people should categorize girls, because they don't know the girl from the inside. "Beauty isn't what's on the outside, it's what's on the inside that counts."

Bad Guys

Bad guys are mean. All they want from girls is one thing, which is sex. I hate that this all that guys want from a girl. Just to get in her pants, tell the guys, and be all macho about it. I hate when guys are like this. Too bad not every guy could be like Landon Carter in A Walk to Remember. He is a sweet guy who knows how to treat a girl. Yeah, all boys think about is sex, but sometimes its the girls that are the ones that get these bad boys way out of control. Just by what a girl wears can make some of those "good guys" go bad. It is really sad with what guys want from girls. I wish everything could be perfect, like a fairy tale, but for some reason I know that will never happen. If every guy was a sweet guy and treated girls right I believe it would be a wonderful world, but the world isn't that way. You can wish for something, and maybe it will come true, but with this wish it is more than likely it won't come true. I really wish we could change the way we act, especially some of the teenagers and adults that think it is okay. I don't think this behavior is okay, it's sick, gross, and wrong on too many levels. Some girls think they can change their guy, but they can't, and they will soon realize this. Guys can't be changed, they have to be the change they make themselves. They have to change themselves on their own, it is the only way they could possibly change. Whenever you think oh he won't want that from me, don't be so positive about it. Always assume that they may just want to get in your pants! Never doubt it, because in a man's mind all they think about is, "Sex. Sex. Sex. Sex. I think I'm hungry. Sex. Sex. Sex. Sex. I forgot my book. Sex. Sex. Sex. Sex. Cool car! Sex. Sex. Sex. Sex."

Education

Education is very important for childern and teens to be involved in. It helps them get ready for college and pick their career that they plan to go on to do. If kids don't get education they won't have a future. They need education so that they can have a great future. Many kids that don't go to school often don't have a good job. They are the ones that are stuck taking money in Walmart. They will never have a good job, because they don't have the diploma and they don't have the proper education that is needed. I think many that don't get education realize how hard life is without a proper job, but some people may want that job in Walmart, because they like doing stuff like that. I feel bad for the people that haven't had education or they drop out, because they don't know what they're missing out on. Education is really important and I believe everyone needs to have education, because not only will they get a good job, but they won't regret it. They will have a better life knowing they did the best that they could. I think everyone has the chance to get a good job, just look at Mr. Cohen who worked really hard, because he knew he could do it and he knew he was going to be a teacher. I admire him and all others that get past their disease and work hard to not let the disease when and make you lose what you want out of life. I think it is amazing what people can do when they know they want it. You can do anything you set your mind out to do. You just have to believe in yourself and know that you can do it, because you can, you just have to believe it. Life may be hard, but you can do anything you set your mind to.

Violence

Violence is a major issue between many people, and it needs to stop. When I think violence occurs i usually think of abuse between a relationship. Many couples deal with the stress of violence. It is very saddening and it makes me want to hurt the person who hurt their girlfriend or boyfriend. Many times violence occurs when under the influence of alcohol and drugs. It is very sad what alcohol and drugs can do someone to make them do such horrid things. Sometimes violence doesnt occur with alcohol and drugs, it's just how the person is. Sometimes they like the feeling of hurting someone. I don't understand how anyone could like hurting someone, because it's just so abnormal. I can't stand when I hurt someone, it kills me inside. I can't live with the feeling that I hurt someone. I wish there wasn't violence, because our world would be such a better place to live in. If people only knew what it does to the person they hurt, maybe they would change, but no, they don't because they like the feeling of it. Many other words such as abuse, sexual abuse, killing, kidnapping, guns, bullying, beating, rape, and many other words mentioned in the picture above are the kinds of violence that occur. There are so many things that people do, and it hurts. It hurts me knowing that there are others out there that this is happening to them, and their hurting. It kills me that I can't do anything to help. If only our world was peaceful, and there was no violence. I think we would be better off without violence. Violence doesn't help, it's not the solution; it's the problem!

Conflict Resolution

Solving problems can sometimes be hard, but it is good to solve them. It takes a lot off your mind and it allows you to think clearly. Some parents argue a lot and I think it is really hard on the kids, especially the littler ones. I hate it when your trying to solve a problem with someone and they ignore you and try to forget that you even had a problem to begin with. I have recently had this happen to me. It makes me really upset that they won't even respond to me, so that we can fix our problem. Sometimes solving problems makes me sad, because I've put all I could out there and then the other person puts no effort what-so-ever in. It crushes my heart and leaves me going to bed with tears. It's so hard on me and I think it stresses me out even worse. Sometimes it leaves me with blank words, kind of like a blank stare, you can't hear or see anything. What do you say to someone that won't try to solve the problem? It seems that I've said almost everything I could think of. When they do this it makes me want to give up more and more. I mean should I wait for, however long it takes them to figure out they need to talk about our problem, or do I just give up and move on. Moving on seems like the simplest choice to choose, but solving problems can always seem to be a pain in your behind.

Divorce

Divorce is a major thing in the United States today. A lot of couples today are getting divorced because either they got in a hurry to get married and weren't ready for the commitment or they were young and in love and then fell out of love. I know what it is like to have your family go through the crisis of a divorce. It is every single emotion put together; happy, sad, angry, and many others. My parents got divorced when I was in the 5th Grade. It was devastating. I would cry myself to sleep many of those nights. I was young and didn't realize what all was going on. I would lay in my bed, just hoping that they would some day get back together, but when Andrew, my mom's boyfriend, and Stacy, my dad's wife/my step mom, I knew for sure there was no going back to the older days. It was very hard to get used to this new life that was now taking place. I had problems liking my new step mom, because it was so different and I didn't like the fact of having a step mom. She wasn't my mom, she didn't give birth to me, so why? I soon became totally fine with it and we get along so great. I also had trouble with Andrew because he wasn't my dad, but I soon got over that. Andrew and Stacy are like my second parents, they are always here for me and they are always there for me when the other parent may not be. It took me awhile to get used to this, but I love them and they are just a part of my family as my mom and dad are. I think divorce has its happy moments and its sad moments. Divorce can be a happy time for those that have been abused and for the upcoming, great days of joy with your new member in the family. Divorce can be sad for the kids that miss mom or dad like crazy. I never really liked talking about divorce because it was so hard to deal with, but when Amanda had the same problems later on, I think it helped us both out. It helped us out because we knew that we had at least one person that we could talk to it about besides our parents.

Marriage

For many couples, marriage is a major deal for them. It's when they say their vows and promise to be there for each other no matter what. It's when they say those big words, "I do." Weddings are always fun to go to and watch, because they are so cute. It is really a joyful day for them. Every girl dreams of this day, with the perfect husband and that gorgeous dress that was made especially for them. I know I have always dreamed of the day I get married because it will be a very special day. I don't plan on it anytime soon, but just the thought makes it seem like a fairytale. I think it is really sad for the women that just get married because they got knocked up, but then again it was their fault. These women won't ever find their prince charming and they will get stuck with this guy. Its sad that some just marry the other just because he is the father of her child. It is a good thing that they are staying together as parents, but sometimes it could lead to a divorce. I think all these teenage girls that are getting pregnant are thinking they can handle the world, but it's sad when they actually realize it's so much harder than they thought. Some couples really are that "meant to be" couple and will eventually get married and have a great life. Isn't this what all of us hope for, this great life. Everyone dreams of having everything perfect, but not all the time will everything be perfect. That's just how life is. You have your ups and downs. I like the song "God Gave Me You" by Dave Barnes because in the lyrics it says "God gave me you for the ups and downs. God gave me you for the days of doubt. For when I think I've lost my way. There are no words here left to say, it's true. God gave me you." This song has a lot of meaning to it. I think of married couples when this song plays, because God gave you someone to help you make it through your ups and downs. He gave you someone to help you for your days of doubt. God gave you that special person to spend your life with and to love. God gave you them.

Electronic Communication

Electric communication has drastically changed lately. There are many different technologies now that our generation is using now, such as Facebook, Twitter, Skype, and cell phones. All of these are used by a lot of our generation. It seems as if they are that person's whole life and that they can't live without some of these technologies. They are constantly on them 24/7 and its like there whole world in their hands. It is sad with how we are becoming more reliant with electronic communications instead of having a face to face communication. I believe a lot of this electronic communication has gotten out of hand. People are using this as their main resource, and either on Facebook all day, texting constantly on their phone and not thinking anything of how far away from life that it is taking them. By doing this it is making them feel like they are in their own little world. Communication has changed so much from back in the older days. It will continue to change and I'm afraid that it will change drastically that they won't know how to communicate in the future because it will get so out of hand. Texting has gotten really out of hand because kids in school are on their phones a lot and they get to caught up in their texting world that they don't care. They get so attached to this little tiny thing and it's causing major problems in kids. Kids now a days are asking for cell phones because their friends have one, and most of these kids are in elementary. It is crazy and kids think that their phones are their whole life and they get caught up with their phones and they forget what being a kid is all about.

Personal Communication

Personal Communication is very important, because its good to be able to talk and say the right things. Talking face to face is a also very important to because people now a days are more likely to chat on Facebook or on social networking. Social networking is becoming the new way of communication in this generation. I don't believe that social networking is a good thing because you may not be spelling right or using the correct form of English. Social networking is changing the lives of many people and is changing the way we communicate. We need to rely on talking face to face more than social networking because when we do job interviews social networking is not going to help us through a job interview. It may be fun to people to chat on Facebook or Skype but that isn't going to help us through what life throws at us. I think we need to change this because if it gets bad now, think of how it could get in 5 to 10 years. It will completely change how face to face talking is going to effect the next generation. They won't be able to talk face to face well because they will be relying on social networking. This will be hard for them because they won't know how to do that right because of relying on social networking. Also down the road it will just keep getting worse and worse.

Relationships: Friends

Friends are really important to me. They are always there for me and I love how I can tell them everything and know they won't talk badly about me. I'm glad I have friends that don't go behind my back and talk badly about me. Some people don't have friends and I don't see how they can live without friends. Some people also only have friends that they party with that aren't actually their friends. That is really sad because when they need a friend those party friends won't be there for them. I have a lot of really awesome friends. Amanda is one of my best friends. She is always there for me and I'm always there for her and we help each other out when needed. Even though she is my cousin, she is my best friend. We are practically sisters, which I see her as the sister I never had. I would gladly call her my sister any day. We don't fight and get ad like sisters, but we playfully fight and we're never mad at each other. I could never get mad at her, EVER! I love being close to Amanda as a friend because sometimes cousins don't get along as good as we do. I quite honestly would go insane without her. I love that girl! Now that she's going to college, I miss her so much and I probably won't get to see her as much, but even though that may keep us apart, we will still be best friends at heart. Amanda and I are completely inseparable! No joke! I have many other friends that I love and would do anything for them. I love my friends!

Family

Family is a very important thing to me. My family means a lot to me because they are always here for me when I need them the most. We all stick together and help each other out when necessary. It is very important to keep good communications between your family members and you. This helps you to talk and keep each other updated about what has gone on during their day. It also helps your family become closer and not tear your family apart. Even though you may fight with your family, you always talk and work things out. Sitting together at dinner helps with communication and allows you to talk and see how the members in your family's day was. Also, playing games or cards gets your family together and keeps them close. This is a good way to have fun with your family and to do and learn new things. Going on vacations with your family is also fun because not only do you get to have a lot of fun, you get to spend that time having fun with your family. I love going on vacations because of getting to spend time with my family and because I get to see places I've never seen before. Not having my dad in the house anymore is often hard for me because I don't get to see him that often. Even though I don't see him that often I still have a good relationship with him. My dad is always here for me and will help me if I ever need anything. I'm really glad that I have a good relationship with my family. I also am very thankful for them and I would be lost without them. I feel my family is strong and we all get along for the most part. I love my family! They do a lot for me and help me through the hardest times in my life. What else could you ask for than a family that is there for you, you get along, and you all love each other?