30 Day Challenge - Day 4

Day 4: Your views on religion.

Wow... This challenge is rather controversial, ain't it? Views on all sorts of different things. Hmm, oh well. Without further ado, let's get this started.

My view on religion is sort of hard. I'm not an Atheist, but I'm not interested in religion as a whole. I believe in God, or a higher power if you like, but I hate attending services and Sunday School and partaking in communion and what-not. I find it tedious and boring, all of it. I wouldn't switch religions for the life of me, and I never force my religion down anyone's throat (be it in person by insisting I tell someone about my God or filling Facebook with religious photos saying "If you love God, share and like" or some nonsense like that). I have done it before, but have stopped since I got in college (and off MySpace).

I consider myself a Methodist, as I have been (more or less) since my family moved to Cove. (I may have been baptized Catholic, since Dad and his family are Catholic, but I can't say for sure.) I used to enjoy going to Sunday School and Youth Group, though service on Sunday was never my thing. Heck, I used to even play my flute in the Praise Band that started while I was in High School, though that excitement was short lived: it got boring real fast. Not enough of a challenge for me (since I made up my own music, where there was not sheet music for me, which changed every time we played), and regular services were dull. We had a preacher for 13 years and his sermons were always the same every year, without change. Ugh.

Let's get back on topic, shall we? My view on religion. I have no real love for it, at least not now. I may hop back on the "bandwagon" when we have kids, but right now I find it boring. Though, just because I'm not fond of it, doesn't mean I think it should be shoved down the throats of others (no matter what your religion is) nor do I think it should be taken away from those who want to practice it. Hell, if children in school want to pray or create a group and use the school as a meeting place, then let them. Only worry about it if they're trying to shove it down people's throats and force it upon others. Or if it's harmful to the others in a way that is physical.

Ugh, I can't even... Look, I'll keep it simple. You have your religion (or lack-there-of) and I have mine. If you want a friendly talk about it, sure I'll jump in. If you're going to be rude about it and try and shove it down my throat or tell me that my religion is "wrong," then just go away. I don't want to hear it. We all have our own religion and I don't need yours shoved in places it doesn't need to be.

30 Day Challenge - Day 3

Day 3: Your views on drugs and alcohol.

Hmm, that's quite a question there. I'm going to split these up, since I don't think they should just be bundled together as one topic.

DRUGS: Unless they're prescription, don't do them. Over the counter stuff for colds, allergies, common stuff, etc., fine. I suppose that's okay. If they're illegal or you know that you're probably not supposed to be doing them, DON'T. Marijuana? Ugh, there are so many things wrong with this product. A handful of States have legalized it, so if you want to do it, do it there. Sure, Congress could legalize it through out the entire United States, tax the hell out of it, and we'd get rid of some of that debt. I don't do drugs; hell, I don't even smoke. The smoke from cigarettes makes me sick to my stomach, and mother is allergic to it so there is a good possibility that I could be as well. (Thank god my husband doesn't smoke. He quit years before we got together and only smokes cigars when he's stressed and far away from me.) If you want to get high, there are safer ways to do it. Probably cheaper too, but I can't confirm that.

ALCOHOL: This one's a bit muddier. I like to drink, on occasion, but never enough to get myself drunk, shitfaced, or to the point of blacking out. I have also never drank so much alcohol that I have even been considered "drunk". Mostly because I don't drink much. But if you're known to drink and get stupid drunk or are an alcoholic, then that seems simple. You don't get any. It's fine in moderation, but as soon as it gets out of hand, it's stupid and the drinker needs to be cut off. And drinking and driving, no. Too many people get killed or hurt because someone drank too much.
I also think that mixing your drinks with caffeine isn't a good ideal, nor doing drugs while drinking (prescription or otherwise). Alcohol is crap for your body, don't make it worse by trying to add drugs on top of that. You may not feel the effects of what's going on, but you will when you're sober.

Ugh... I look at this reply/thought topic and frown at it. I don't like it in the least but, my brain won't let me find the words that I really should use, the words I probably should say.
This isn't an invitation for you to start yelling at me or debating with me about my ideal of politics because well, I'm not entirely too sure where I stand on the current issues lately due to travel and school and various other things. If you have a comment, and can say it without sounding rude, feel free to chat with me about it.

30-Day Challenge - Day 2

Challenge for Day 2: Where would you like to be in 10 years?

Honestly, I haven't even thought about it. I rarely think about what I'm going to be doing in 1 year, let alone 10. Things like that cause my anxiety to spike and the depression hits when I don't realize my goals and blah, blah, blah. So, I try and take things one day at a time so that I can keep myself whole and healthy. But, I do have goals, so this really isn't a stretch.

But, since I'm taking this challenge, I'll give it a try. In 10 years, I'd like to have most (if not all) of my student debt paid off, working at a school where I'll be teaching English (maybe AP if I'm lucky), living in a house we own with my husband, maybe a kid or two (though, maybe just one), playing with my fur-children, and crocheting like a mad woman.

If you haven't watched Randy Pausch's The Last Lecture or haven't read his book (they're about the same, though both good to have), then I urge you to do so. I have read the book many times and watch the video over and over again. I have an entire list of things of things I want to do. I used to have them written down (and still might, just need to find them), and I will eventually get around to them. I want to travel to Europe, live a two story house with a huge yard (which is sorta true as of right now, though it's not ours), own a horse and ride every day, and so much more. I don't think I'll get around to doing those things in 10 years, but that's cool. I don't care when they happen, I just want them to come true one day.

Tomorrow's challenge might be a little hard to complete because I'm headed off to the Ft. Worth Zoo with my nieces and nephew, my Aunt-and-Uncle-in-law and their son, my sister-in-law, and my darling husband. It should be fun, even if we're leaving at 6 in the morning. Woo!

30-Day Challenge - Day 1

So, I been browsing Pinterest and Google for something to use this blog for, and I've run across this several times. So, I figured, ah what the hell, why not?

So, today is Day 1 of my 30 Day Challenge.
My current relationship is married. I've been married for a year and two (almost two) months to my darling husband, Austin Raymond Thorpe, also known as Jimmy. I adore this man, even if he does upset me from time to time (he's a guy and a husband, so it's bound to happen. No worries, though, I still love him).
Gah... I'll keep working on this as the challenge goes by, work my word magic as I continue and think of more to write about.

30 Day prompt, going to finish it all!

I'm  going to try and keep up with this as much as I can. Even if I don't keep up with it for 30 days in a row, I'll keep going with it, just so I can say I did it. It keeps me and my mind busy, and I love writing. That and it will give this blog a purpose of sorts until I can figure out what exactly I'm doing with this thing. Maybe that's it, I'll just get prompts and write every day that I can and make a schedule for a couple times a week. It'll help me pull out the writer in myself. Awesome. :D
Though, sadly, I'll miss several days on the 14th-17th, due to a trip to Houston for vacation, and then a few weeks from the 22nd to... Well, I don't know when we're getting back and my Blogger app isn't the greatest, but I'll definitely try.

Down, but not out

A while back, I posted that I was taking an exam in Del Rio: The English Language Arts and Reading 7-12 TEXES exam. Remember this little rant? Yeah, that mess of a trip.

Well, I got my results back today, in little less than a month. Awesome, right? Well, I'm glad the results got here within a month, but the actual results themselves? Yeah, those are less than satisfying. I needed 240 points for a passing exam score and I, sadly, only made 231.

"Oh, but Julie, that's not so bad. 9 points away, that's good." Yeah, yeah... It's good alright, but that's not what I was expecting at all. My heart fell to through my chest and I spent the better part of an hour crying. I was crying over a stupid test. Ugh, seriously, this depression and anxiety shit can be a real bother. So much so that right now, I can't even talk about the exam without tearing up. Hell, I can't even think about it too much with wanting to break down and cry like my six year old niece does when she's having a tantrum. But I'm better than that, so I try and shove it all away, you know, to be strong and I tell myself that I can take it again in September.

So, another trip to Del Rio (we have a full sized spare for the Mazda, so no worries there), but we're going to make sure there's a jack in the vehicle. Whatever, I'll manage, right?

Well, I might not if I hadn't made a board on Pinterest called "Needing A Little Pick-Me-Up". It's a fantastic board for me to glance at if I'm feeling down about something (such as this exam), or if my anxiety and depression are attempting to get the better of me. It's full of little pictures and sayings that inspire uplifting and happy thoughts.

For example, the one thing I have going through my mind right now is from my beloved board: "Failure is a bruise, not a tattoo." - Jon Sinclair. It's been mighty helpful so far, and it'll probably be my motto for the next day or so while I take time to accept my scores and seek help applying for my online classes. I'll probably sub this coming school year, while I attempt to study and gather my wits, so that I can study and make a bit of money on the side, since my crochething business isn't moving very fast. (Feel free to check that out, by the way.) I may make a few things in Paint Rock colors and see if anyone wants to buy them. (Maroon and white, Indians)

Thanks for dropping by and reading. :D