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Gobo_girl
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Name: Alana
Country: United States
State: Ohio
Metro: Columbus
Birthday: 8/27/1982
Gender: Female
Interests: Concerts, playing guitar, reading, saving babies and that kind of stuff.
Expertise: doing stupid things that end up being funny later
Occupation: Customer service/support
Industry: Media
Message: message meEmail: email me
Website: visit my website
AIM:  as318502
Member Since:
1/14/2004
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| Ok, it's been a while since I updated so here's what's been going on. Janelle got married (YAY!) The wedding was amazing and I think everyone had an awesome time. Took some time off work to do nothing but recover from the wedding stress and travel and start getting back in the mood to study. This didn't work. Grandma got sick again so she's on antibiotics for the millionth time and doesn't know why becuase she forgets she's sick (fun). Mom scheduled her surgery for September 18th so that she'll finally be assembled properly (lol) and not have back pain anymore. Tim and our friend Ron cleaned out Grandma's basement. The trash people came today and took about 20 bags of trash and some assorted broken furniture away that they brought out. The roofers came to measure so that Grandma's house can have a roof we're not afraid will cave in so that could get done as early as next week, and the plumber is going to re-do all the plumbing in the house when he gets a chance. Basically my Grandma's house is crap and needs to be rebuilt lol. So my A+ test is due Friday and I haven't started studying yet so I'm gonna go do that. Wish me luck! I'll need it!
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| So Janelle's wedding is Saturday....Yay! Here are the things I still have to do....
1) press my dress
2) get my eyebrows waxed.....this is so I don't look like I have caterpillars on my face in the pictures
3) pack my stuff
4) do laundry so I have stuff to pack
5) go buy alcohol so the bride will calm down at 1 AM on Friday night
Hopefully this stuff won't take too long since it all has to get done tomorrow morning. I also am hoping to find pasta of a certain shape since Janelle said she was looking forward to getting some at her "dirty" bridal shower and didn't. I don't know where to find that though unless I go to a gross store that I don't really want to give money to. We'll see. I got my hair done today too and now it has purple streaks...they're subtle though so hopefully Janelle's mom won't get madder at me than she already is (though I'm not really sure why she's mad in the first place). Anyway, back to work for me.....have a good one yo!
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| So yesterday was Com-Fest aka Community Fest. here in Columbus. I went with my mom and some of her co-workers (a couple named Michael and Michael.....confusing as crap!). It was a good time, but it gave me a lot to think about as well. Com-Fest was initially just a community promoting thing, stages with local bands, vendors, fair food, that kind of thing, but in the last couple of years it's also become a huge Gay Rights event as well. On the Saturday of the festival they even have a gay rights parade. It's got a bit of everything in it from drag queens to activist groups and politicians to the National Leather Association (whose booth was complete with leather S&M masks.....need I say more?). This year there were also a lot of churches involved. I started thinking about it, and I think it's both a good thing and a bad thing for the church to be involved in. On one hand, if the church is going to be true to the Word of God we are called to love everyone as Christ loved us....nowhere does it say love everyone execpt homosexuals or anything like that. So it is good that churches are letting people from all walks of life that they are welcome. However, there is a fine line between welcoming people and endorsing their actions. For instance, one might welcome a thief into a church hoping that the Lord would transform him, but would you ever say that in the eyes of God stealing is ok? If you've ever read the Bible you wouldn't. So why is there a movement in churches to say to homosexuals not only do we welcome you into our community, but we say your lifestyle is ok. God doesn't say that, so why does the church?!
Now let me get a little more specific about this issue before everyone in the world starts thinking I'm homophobic or something. I do not know of a passage in the Bible where it states that it is wrong for two men or two women to care for each other. I do know of passages where it states it is wrong for them to lie together, but it says the same of a pair made of one man and one woman! Now I am not God and I do not pretend to know anything about his view of right and wrong as I can only go by what I read in the Bible, but based on what I know from this I don't think the sin in homosexuality is in caring for someone of the same sex, it is sleeping with them the same as it is for heterosexual couples. The difference being that God has allowed a place for sex in the lives of heterosexual couples within a marriage, while he does not allow or recognize marriage between same sex couples. Now, read into what I have just said what you will, I know everyone has an opinion on this, but listen to me when I say that I LOVE GAY PEOPLE! I appreciate them, I value them, and I will go as far for them as I will anyone else. But just like I would not endorse thievery I will not endorse sexual sin. Love who you will, and make your own life choices. I cannot make you think or act one way or another. Know that I will always care for you and do what I can for you regardless of your choices in a mate, lifestyle, whatever. Just don't expect me to say that I agree with every choice you make.
With that, let me be done ranting about homosexuals and the church. I'm moving on to another issue. The Planned Parenthood booth! After yesterday I am more convinced that Planned Parenthood are more concerned with their pocketbook than they are women, or even the issue they say they are dedicated to-sexual health! Here's what went down. I had seen PP stickers and signs all over the festival so I knew they were around and I was really excited when I finally found their booth. I was looking forward to talking to the people working there and getting some of their literature to look through. I was disappointed when I saw that there were only 2 adult-looking people there, I had hoped for more people to talk with and even more disappointed when I realized I would never be able to get to them! Their table was blocked by young girls (who did not look like adults if they were of age) holding petitions against Ohio House Bill 228 better known as the Ohio Abortion Ban Bill. After telling them that I did not want to sign a petition that would allow thousands of babies to me murdered in our great state I asked if they had any literature and was handed a yellow flyer, which was apparently all they brought with them. I wish I had a scanner so I could scan it in here and just post a copy, but you'll have to make do with a summary.
The flyer is basically a list of legislation "to oppose" "to watch" and "to support." Listed among the opposition are bills regarding prescription refusal/denial which would allow pharmacists to refuse to fill prescriptions for birth control and "emergency contraception" if they are morally opposed to it, the TRAP bill (Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers), and the Abortion Ban which would make abortion a criminal offense in the state of Ohio. Listed under legislation to support are HB 582 which would prohibit the exclusion of birth control from insurance plans that cover prescriptions, HB 587 which is "to ensure victims of rape, sexual battery, or unlawful sexual conduct with a minor information regarding, and access to, emergency contraception in hospital emergency departments." and my favorite, the Ohio Prevention First Act of 2006. OPFA seems to be a favorite with PP as well as they have its major points bulleted and in large print. Its major points are:
-to restore state family planning funding
-to require insurance plans to cover birth control
-to increase awareness and access to emergency contraception
-to promote effective teen-pregnancy prevention policies and initiatives
-to ensure that Ohio's state funded sexual education programs provide young people with information they need to be safe, make informed choices, and act responsibly.
Now, note the areas that are in bold print and remember them for a second while I tell you that one of the pieces of legislation on their watch list is HCR 8 which would recognize February as Youth Sexual Abstinence Month and February 14th as a Day of Purity! Why, if they re so commited to the things they stated in OPFA are they against abstinince! It is the only 100% fail safe way to prevent pregnancy and transmission of sexually transmitted disease, so that seems to me to promote all the values they claim to support. The answer? HCR 8 does not get them paid. Notice that the first point of their favorite piece of legislation is an increase in funding. All the subsequent points are going to make them more money as well. They'll be able to bill insurance companies for the birth control they pawn off as safe to our children, they'll get paid to do more workshops with groups like the Girl Scouts to "teach sexual health" while they hand out pornographic cartoons or to distribute free condoms before high school proms.
Is this what we really want for our children? Do we really want them to have these "values" taught to them without getting a say in the matter? According to PP these are things that our kids need to know in order to be healthy. Here's a better idea though. Teach your children to love God! Teach them to value His Will and His Plan for life! Then they will know that sex is not something to be had on a whim or just because it's fun. They will know that God has a place for it only in the marriage bed and will be able to depend on Him to provide a spouse for them on His time instead of finding for themselves a convienent partner with which they can bide their time. Only if our kids value their purity and save themselves for the one God provides will they be 100% safe from the risk of an unwanted pregnancy or a disease that could be catastropic to their ability to have children or even their lives. If you care for your children, don't leave them in the dark on these matters because it is important that they know what they are "up against" in the world, but teach them that the most important thing is to keep themseleves pure. Not in the worldly sense, but in a Godly sense. That way they will have the strength to stand up for themselves against their peers and will know the right way to walk.
Okay, enough ranting. I'm really done this time, I just had a lot on my mind in relation to yesterday. I promise I won't rant again for a while. Have a great day guys! ;)
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| So, maybe I've just missed something, but how long has that title option been up there? I've never noticed it before and am somewhat shocked at its existence. I'm sure it's probably been there for a long time and I just never paid attention to it, but nonetheless it's a bit of a surprise to me right now. Ok, now that I've written more about the title bar than I have about anything in the last month I'll move on. So here's what's been going on lately. Tim and I have been trying to sort out our relationship and that's taken up a good chunk of my time. He still wants to get married and I'm flip-flopping. I'm just not sure about it yet. He keeps finding issues in our relationship and the more he finds wrong the less sure I am that this is going to work out. I've had some conversations with my mom and others about it and have basically decided at this point that if things don't change for the better in the next 3-4 weeks they probably won't. That may sound a bit cynical or radical depending on your perspective, but I really don't want to be in one of those marriages where you have to work like crazy just to avoid divorce and you also have to understand that Tim and I have been trying to work this all out for the last 6 months. I think 7 months is long enough to decide if this is going to be a good thing or a bad one. My only comfort is that there's no way for me to make the wrong decision here. I have faith that God will pull me through and guide me to the right one. His will is better than my own anyway, so why would I want to go against it?
The next bit of drama has been my A+ certification exam. I took the first part of it on Monday and failed by more than I'd like to admit. It sucks too because that half of the test cost me $153! I was really upset with myself. I really should have studied more and taken the test sooner so that I wasn't so down to the wire. My certification is technically due this Friday, but I talked to my supervisor and they're going to give me a bit of an extension on it so that I don't have to cram 2 more 2 hour test sessions into the next 2 days. I really appreciate that, even though I know (as I'm sure they do) that they don't have a choice at this point because they've already made an exception for one of the other guys in the department. His certification is now almost a month overdue and he still has his job so unless they're looking to fire me and they get really nitpicky they can't. I don't think they're looking to fire me though, so I should be safe for a couple of weeks until things calm down a bit and I can get everything done.
I've also been thinking about my personal direction and what the Lord would have me do. I'm sure you all know that I am a passionate Pro-Life activist. I have not done much in regard to this part of my life for quite a while. I've made some attempts to get the Zanesville Chapter of Rock for Life re-activated, but I haven't had any success. My fear is that though my lack of action others have lost their passion for "the cause" as cheesy as that sounds. I would hate to think that's true and I pray that it isn't and even if it is I'm not sure there's much I can do about it at this point, but regardless I've been thinking about this a lot. I'm really not sure what to do right now. I'm kind of stuck between worlds working in Columbus and having a good chunk of my friends there and yet still living in Zanesville with another chunk of friends there. I'd like to think that you could have one organization for all of Central Ohio and have hundreds of people united and working together to save babies, but that I fear is an undertaking that I am not ready for. I think the best I can hope for at this point is to find an organization to join and to do as much as I can for them with the time that I have. With my current commitments to work, home, and family I just don't have the time to run a pro-life organization (or any organization really) and that saddens me.
Well, I guess I've "waxed poetical" long enough and I'm sure you all know more than you care to now, but I at least feel better for having vented a bit. I hope you all are well and will talk to you all again soon! As my new favorite pastor always says "May the peace and joy of Christ the Savior be with you always and may your face always shine with his glorious light!"
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| Busy week. Dress fitting, appointment with the ol'oncologist, studying for my A+ exam, and work. No time to talk. Love you all (at least most of you  ) Talk to you later when I have a chance to write for a minute! | | |
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