Holidays!

I keep forgetting that I have a blog that I should try to update more then twice a year! lol

I really love this time of the year, but I can't believe we are already in December. I was considering in decorating my house, but I think I'm going to hold off this year. My kitten is being too crazy, and everything will be broken soon after I put it up anyways, so I won't bother! ha-ha

I have also finally started on medication, and we got extremely lucky that our insurance covered almost everything. They send me a 3 month supply of Copaxone, and we pay less then $30. My nurse came today and showed me how to use my auto-injector, and I was suppose to wait so she could show me how to do my manual injections too, but my symptoms have been driving me crazy lately so I decided not to wait. My first injection was not pretty, since you are suppose to make sure and inject only your fatty tissue, but I went too far and hit a muscle. That's what I get for not being patient! :)

Overall, things have been going great for me. I'm getting really excited to see my family around Christmas time. And, I even love watching all these cute movies, like the Grinch.
Maybe we will get lucky this year and some snow flakes will fall around Christmas Eve! Wouldn't that be perfect?

Another monday! ^_^

I ran across this commercial yesterday, and I wanted to share with y'all. ;)






I actually laughed so hard I almost cried! ^

As for an update, I really haven't been doing much... besides playing video games, of course! ;)

I'm actually pretty excited about the new WoW expansion coming out on Nov 13th. Wo0t W0ot ^_^
Blizzard has actually planned out some pretty awesome world events to lead us into the new continent Northrend.
We had the original Halloween event, which includes trick or treating every hour, and fighting the Headless Horseman in the Scarlet Monasteries for some nice drops!
Without warning, a mysterious plague broke out in Azeroth, and npc healers from the Argent Dawn showed up at every city to help. This plague first took 10 minutes to completely 'infect' you, and if you did not seek a healer it would turn you into a ... zombie O_o

There was no cure, so once you turned into a zombie you could only return to your normal state by dying. Once you had turned you could attack anyone regardless of faction, and your own city regarded you as an enemy.
( Guards would attack you, and even your own faction could attack and kill you, or you could turn them. )
Zombies were pretty slow, which made it very easy to get away without being infected, but blizzard had a trick up their sleeve!
By the second day, this disease had begun to mutate, and you only had 5 minutes to find a healer. The healers were slowly disappearing, which was making it harder to find a cure in time. As the day wore on, full fledged attacks happened in the middle of cities, and you could no longer go afk - Away from keyboard without dying or turning before you returned.
The disease was spread faster as armies of zombies roamed everywhere, and each hit you took from a zombie turned you faster. ( I believe each hit took 30+ seconds off your timer to find a cure, and if you were hit by a large number they could and would turn you almost instantly )
There was also a large number of crates that suspiciously ended up in every city with cockroaches that continued to spread the disease.

By day three, it was complete and total chaos. Cities were war zones, and the healers were all but gone, which left only 3 classes that could cleanse your disease. Priests, shaman, and paladins, but the resist rate was really high so there were times you couldn't be cured before you turned. I actually spent a good amount of time in Orgrimmar trying to help cure and kill zombies.
There was a pretty small group of us, probably a good 6 or 7, but at times we fought groups of twenty or more zombies.
The cure timer had dropped down to 1 minute, and there weren't any Argent dawn healers around. I was on my priest, so I spent a good deal of time trying to cure those around me. We actually had a 'strong house' set up for those who wanted to help, and we cured, fought, healed, and resurrected players. It was actually a lot of fun :)

The funniest thing about this event is that Foxnews actually wrote an article about it. ;)

Life's unexpected journey

I've spent quite a bit of time lately doing some research about MS, and I have honestly come to terms with it. There are a ton of sites that I've found which help explain treatment, procedures, and side effects. Once you get over the initial shock, and read other people's posts and stories, it seems a lot less scary. Not to mention, it really explains quite a few things I've experienced over the last couple years. Some of the symptoms I was having made me question my sanity, and now I am more at ease. lol ( I imagine my husband is too! He was always confused by symptoms I was having that were nothing short of strange. ;) )

I really want to thank everyone who has been really wonderful to me, I am extremely thankful. It has made all of this so much easier to handle, and I don't think I could of done it without you guys. ^_^

I am even trying to quit smoking! *gasp* Ok, well I slipped up once today, but I'm really trying. :)

I still have big plans for my life, and I won't be giving those up anytime soon. I'm hoping that once I am diagnosed, I can start working again so we can get a house. I want to go to college to complete an EMT course, and hopefully in the distant future..kids :)
( Even though my husband keeps trying to convince me that we don't need kids, we have two *very* bratty kitties at home who make up for it! )

As of right now, my life is pretty good. My one and only complain is this HORRIBLE itching I've developed on the right side of my scalp. Heat and stress irritate it ten-fold, and scratching doesn't help it at all. I'm sure people probably think I have fleas, If I'm in public, and I keep scratching my head! lol Oh well ;)

I've been spending quite a bit more time with my family, especially calling more often, and I was reminded yesterday of a favorite sport of theirs! Spooky hunting O_o
( I really shouldn't blurt things out like that without explaining first. *sigh* )

Ok, so here is a little bit of history about ' Spooky hunting'. When I was younger, probably around 16 or so, me and my friends all developed this interest in ghost hunting. It was a lot of fun back then.
We would research 'haunted' placed on the internet, and over the weekend plan a trip, call into work, ect. Mostly it was for fun and giggles, especially since all we did was just scare each other.
We started going to places like Rush, a little historical 'park' about 30 minutes from here. ( I think It's a historical park, but I could totally be wrong so don't quote me on anything. )
Anyways, I ended up spilling it to my parents one day, and after they chewed my butt for an hour for leaving town without permission, they showed interest. Shocking huh?!

Well, I agreed to take them to the place so they could see it for themselves, and 'Spooky hunting' was born. We saw nothing, obviously, but they had fun so next time we went they brought my aunt and uncle, who are now members of 'Spooky hunting' too!
I eventually lost interest in spooky hunting, but they didn't. It has now become a family sport which sometimes takes them to places quite a few hours away from home. lol

I do have to admit, I enjoyed scaring them more then looking for ghosts. Normally, me and my hubby would find out around what time they were leaving and where. We would get my uncle in on this, and lay waiting for them..in the dark! I have always wished I had a video camera, you would pee your pants laughing, trust me. :) Of course, I had to stop doing it when one of the times I got bitten by a spider while crawling around a bunch of dead leaves.

The one things I've noticed with ghost hunting, since I'm obviously a veteran ;), is that any old abandoned house or road is always haunted. Suspicious huh?
And my mom is going to kill me for putting this up on my blog, sorry mommy, but I can't help it. I still find it so funny that it has lived this long.
( I can almost picture them doing it twenty years down the road, and they will have equipment to 'catch' those darn blasted ghosts! lol )

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. ~ Helen Keller~

I've been wanting to blog for the last few days, but I have been trying to keep myself busy! :)

Well, I finally got that MRI done on wed, and sadly I had no good news from it. My doctor is about 99.9% sure I have MS, but he is also worried that I could have cancer. He isn't sure about that one, thank goodness, so I will be having a spinal tap on Tuesday so he can send it off to the University to have a second opinion. The scariest thing about the whole 'talk' was him talking about doing a biopsy on my brain. That is just not going to happen without some serious, and I mean SERIOUS proof.

I will admit that I don't remember every option he talked about since I was given a sedative before my MRI because I'm very claustrophobic so I wasn't all there. I remember most of it, I believe! ha-ha
I'm just getting really sick and tired of having to wait; I'm the most impatient person around, and waiting is not something I do well.

On a less depressing note, Phoenix and Comet are adjusting very well to each other.:) There are days I could swear we got a dog trapped in a cat's body. Phoenix has this horrible food addiction, for a lack of a better term. It is nearly impossible to eat around him. He cries very loudly anytime we step into the kitchen to get food, and he will do his best to try and sneak a bite when we aren't looking.
( we are getting better at guarding our food, and keeping him away, but it was very tricky at first. lol )
He is also very obsessed with any piece of paper he can run off with, and it usually ends up in tiny pieces ALL over the house, which sometimes includes bills. *Sigh*

Overall, he is a very sweet kitten, when he isn't shredding our arms to pieces, and he loves to snuggle when he gets tired! I will be sure, and post up some more pictures of him soon. I'm just feeling a bit too lazy at the moment so I'll wait until my next post! :)

*Drum Roll* Introducing Pheonix

I am pleased to finally say that we got our new kitten! It is amazing how much energy he has; I would love to have about half of it. :)

We picked him up the day before yesterday at about 3 pm, and I have since then spent all my time running behind him trying to make sure he isn't chewing wires, dumping the trash can, playing in the litter box, or making comet really mad! She isn't thrilled with him, but I have no doubt Comet will come around. :)

I took a couple pictures to share; He actually holds still, and allows me to take a million pictures so I had plenty to choose from.

Philosophers are adults who insist on asking childish questions- Unknown

This week things have gone quite a bit better for me, something I'm very happy about! :)

I had a great birthday on Wed; I was happy to see my family as we all hung out. Surprisingly, we were all sober for the entire thing! Ha-ha
( I think that might have been mainly because I had to be up early, and it was in the middle of the week. :) )

I also went to the doctor on Thursday, and I did receive more good news then bad, which is always nice.
I guess my loss of vision has been caused by a scar I have inside of my eye from a very old injury.
I was unlucky enough to get hit in the eye with a flying M&M.
If you think that sounds odd, you should hear about my manager who got cut in the finger with a piece of cheese! lol Working at McDonald's did give me quite a few unbelievable stories, and they are all absolutely mind boggling and true. ^_^

Anyways, the doctor told me that it should clear up on its own. It will take a while, but I should be able to regain most of my vision. I won't be able to see as clear with this eye, but I'm just happy it will heal without surgery or medication.

Now for the bad news. His only worry is that because I had pain with my sudden eye change, it could also be something else. He wants me to have an MRI done in late September. The reason for this is because eye pain and blurred vision are also symptoms of a disease called Multiple Sclerosis or MS.
MS is a chronic disease of the central nervous system, and it is an autoimmune disease, which basically means that your own immune system attacks itself. It usually attacks cells from your brain and spinal cord.
There is no cure for MS, but there are treatments that can help you keep it under control and help slow down the damage caused by it.
The good thing about this is that even if I'm showing signs for MS, it could be up 10 years or more before I get it, If I do, or the disease could be very mild.

However, I refuse to get too worked up about this since nothing is definite yet, but I will be sure and keep a close eye on it and do what needs to be done. :)

The only thing more accurate than incoming enemy fire is incoming friendly fire.-Murphy's law

I am probably the most impatient person alive. I called the animal shelter today, and asked about my kitty. He is only 1 lb so I will be waiting at least one more week! We can still go and see him there, but I can't wait to bring him home.

We have also been thinking about names, and I came up with one I really like. Here is the short list of names I had been doing a bit of thinking on. :)

• Orion ( It would match somewhat with my other kitty, Comet.)
• Moose ( I have always been obsessed with moose, but I think that name if more fitting for a dog.)
• Tonks ( A name I got from one of my favorite series, Harry Potter.)
• Phoenix ( A phoenix is a bird of myth; they usually live for 1000 years. When the bird dies, a new one is born from it's ashes. It is usually known for its immortality and beauty.)

We finally decided on Phoenix; I really love that name.:) And I love the exotic aspect of the name.

I also went to the doctor today for a check-up on my eye, and the news scared me a bit. It seems that my vision change is due to some swelling inside of my eye. The doctor is not sure what is causing the swelling, and he is hopeful that it will go away on its own.
I will have to wait about another week and hope for a change, but if there is none or it gets worst, I will have to go back. He told me the next step will have to be a CAT scan or MRI.
His biggest worry with the swelling is that enough pressure could cause retinal detachment, a very scary term for me.

I seem to have the absolute worst luck when it comes to medical conditions, but I'm praying it will clear up soon! :)

Time is...crawling!

My cat has been unusually obnoxious lately, and we can't seem to spend enough time with her or give her enough love to keep her happy. Me and my husband finally decided to get her a playmate, and we found the most adorable kitten on the planet! ( I'm sure everyone says that about their cat..but, I know mine is far cuter. ^_^ )
He is a medium hair gray and white kitten with the most gorgeous eyes I've ever seen. We adopted him today at our local shelter, but cannot take him home for another week or two. They have a strict policy on letting kittens go to their new home after they weigh 2 pounds, which ours does not..yet
I have been trying to find a name for him, something fitting, but I have come out empty handed. His current name is Yadi, and I cannot stand it!
No worries, I shall continue on the search for the perfect name!

On other news, I've had a bit of problems with my right eye lately. It begun hurting three or four days ago, and my vision actually changed the day before yesterday. I made an appointment with the eye doctor, and it turns out I had really bad allergies. The rain we've been having lately actually helped me since the pollen count was a bit lower then usual for this time of year.
He is not entirely sure that my vision change is because of that so I have to monitor it carefully. ( Right now my vision is so bad that I can hardly stand to read anything, or even watch television, and if I close my left eye..I cannot see much more then shadows out of my right. )
I was prescribed some eye drops, in the smallest bottle in the world, which should help clear that up. Our biggest surprise was the cost! The prescription would've been $112 dollars, luckily we had insurance and only paid $45. Ouch!

Other then that, I've been playing some warcraft..shocking huh?!
I'm still playing my beloved shaman, which is so my fun. I haven't gotten any more gear lately since I've begun doing some daily quests for the 5,000g I need. Me and Randy have both decided to work on getting the fast flying mount for Outlands, a beautiful dragon.
My only complain with a healing shaman, or any healer for that fact, is that killing anything takes forever.
The daily quests which are available at 70 pay extremely good for those of us who want to work on flying mounts, or more specific an epic flying mount.
We can purchase our first mount once we reach 70, druids are the only class who get one at 68 since they can turn into a bird when they want. The cost is 500g for the training and 100g for the actual mount, but if you want to buy the upgraded version, a.k.a the epic mount, you must pay 5,000g for the training and 200g for the mount. ( In case anyone is curious, G stands for gold. WoW currency is a bit like ours. They have copper, silver, and gold. )

I've also been keeping a close eye on Wrath of the Lich King beta. I haven't been lucky enough to be picked to join in, but I still have hope! :)
We will be getting a new playable class on the next expansion, which should be out between late October, and early December. The are also implementing some new changes, quests, raids, battlegrounds, and the level cap is raised to 80.
I have not decided yet which character of mine to get to 80 first, I'm leaning more towards my shadow priest but who knows.
I also want to try out the new Deathknight, obviously, since the game mechanics are looking better and better each day.
I imagine that once the expansion comes out, I will have 4 if not 5 70s to choose from. My mage has finally hit level 63, and my druid is close to hitting level 40 so it shouldn't be too long!
I have too much spare time..I know! ^_^

It's almost monday!

I haven't wrote much lately, on anything. I still have a survey I'm going to post here soon that I stole from Brit's blog. Hopefully I'll get around to finishing it up tomorrow.

I am also feeling a lot better, I had a tetanus shot on Monday, and I can't believe how much it hurt! The shot itself wasn't too bad, but I felt it a couple hours later. By Tuesday, I could hardly move my arm at all.
Of course I can't really blame anyone but myself. On Saturday night I went to my husband's job during one of his breaks, and I saw a stray kitty hanging around. The poor thing was eating asphalt in the parking lot, and I convinced my hubby to let me take him home so I could bring the cat to our local shelter on Monday. He agreed, surprisingly, but things didn't go quite as I had planned.
I got scratched, and he got away. ( I still don't regret trying to help the cat, the poor thing was so skinny I could feel every bone in his body! His previous owners should be ashamed. )
Anyways, I was unlucky, and my shots were expired so I had to have one on Monday. Not one of my most cheerful experiences, but I survived! ^_^

I've also been playing WoW with my hubby lately. I decided to try a healing spec for one of my high level characters, and I'm really enjoying myself. We both have shaman, but mine is now his pocket healer.( I basically follow him around in battlegrounds, and do my best to keep him alive..until I'm out of mana. )
Two out of three of my characters have the ability to be healers, but I never had much interest in doing so..until now.
Doing damage is always fun, but I find it more glorious to heal someone who is about to die while you watch them destroy the other player. It also keeps you on your toes, and I love a challenge. ( I've messed up a few times, and watched friendly players die, but that is becoming rare. Not to mention that I'm not well geared yet. )
I have managed to get three pieces of gear so far, which is not bad at all, and I can already tell the difference in my healing. I can also take a lot more punishment when I get attacked, unfortunately it takes me ages to kill anything. ^_^

Too fat for execution?

I found this story on CNN.com

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- A death row inmate scheduled for execution says he's too fat to be put to death, claiming executioners would have trouble finding his veins and that his weight could diminish the effectiveness of one of the lethal injection drugs.

Lawyers for Richard Cooey argue in a federal lawsuit that Cooey -- 5-feet-7 and 267 pounds -- had poor veins when he faced execution five years ago and the problem has been worsened by weight gain.
The lawsuit, filed Friday in federal court, also says prison officials have had difficulty drawing blood from Cooey for medical procedures.
Cooey, 41, is sentenced to die for raping and murdering two young women in 1986. His execution is scheduled for October 14.
His attorneys say a drug he is taking for migraine headaches could affect the execution process. The drug Topamax, a type of seizure medication, may have created a resistance to thiopental, the drug used to put inmates to sleep before two other lethal drugs are administered, Dr. Mark Heath, a physician hired by the Ohio Public Defender's Office, said in documents filed with the court.
Heath says Cooey's weight, combined with the potential drug resistance, increases the risk he would not be properly anesthetized.
"All of the experts agree if the first drug doesn't work, the execution is going to be excruciating," Cooey's public defender, Kelly Culshaw Schneider, said Monday.
Prison system spokeswoman Andrea Carson and Jim Gravelle, a spokesman for the Ohio Attorney General's Office, both said Monday they hadn't seen the lawsuit and couldn't comment.
Last year, Carson cited the obesity of condemned inmate Christopher Newton as one of the reasons prison officials had difficulty accessing his veins before his execution. Newton was 6 feet tall and weighed 265 pounds.
Two years ago, convicted killer Jeffrey Lundgren was put to death after a federal appeals court rejected his claim that he was at greater risk of experiencing pain and suffering because he was overweight and diabetic.

This story is just sickening!

I don't like any human suffering, but I find it a bit ironic that he asking for something his victims never got. I know this is just a ploy to try and delay the inevitable, and I'm really hoping it does not work.

If he is truly worried about his weight being a problem then he has until October to work on that; If his medication is the problem then he should stay off of it. He can either live with the headaches for a bit longer, or risk the chance of suffering during his execution. His choice

Edit: Clarification.

I'm in a much better spirits today then I was last night! ha-ha

I really dislike rant posts, but I read several stories that truly irked me last night, and I couldn't help but vent. I imagine my husband was grateful I did my venting online, and not out loud where he would of had to sit, and listen to me for several hours. He tells me I get really animated when speaking about all of it. O_o
I've also been known to call one of my really good friends so we can argue, loudly, for hours about politics. We both usually feel a lot better once we are finished, and it never gets mean or ugly.. I think! ;)
( He is, of course, an evil Republican!! ^_^ )

Outside of politics, I don't have a whole lot going on. I have run a bit dry on my video ideas not entirely sure what I want to do next, if I even do. I enjoy making my silly videos, but I don't want all of mine to be nothing more then me 'singing' to some song as I sway from side to side..*snores* How boring is that? I can't dance at all, seriously, and I'm not the smiley and fast talking type either so that cuts down my 'v-logs' out..pretty much.
It's not something I'm really worried about, I've just been trying to decide of a new idea or retire from it for a while.. or forever, who knows.

I have so many things going through my mind at the moment, I have become very restless. I'm sick of living in an apartment, very sick of it. I've been doing some serious thinking on what I play on pursuing as a career. I don't ever want to work food or sales again, I have no patience left to deal with incompetent bosses and employees. I know everywhere you go, you have to deal with those people, but I swear..It can't be as bad as the food industry. Or at least, I hope not!
I will be working soon, thank goodness, and I'm considering in either working for the company my husband works for, or one of the two hardware places around here. I would rather work 3rd shift, I am not a morning person, so I will have to wait and see what happens.

I also worry about my family, my sisters in general. Living on their own with friends and parties, that lifestyle can either make you or break you.
I've been there and done that, and I can't help but worry. I love them dearly, but sometimes they like to learn things the hard way.
I'm also worried about my baby sister's engagement, which by the way has been postponed until Nov 1st since the guest list is growing fast, and we need more time to prepare. She and her fiancee have big plans for life, and I'm cheering for them, but I worry that those dreams will die if they are hasty about this.
I know that's my protective side talking, but I can't help it.

On my free time, which is most of my time ;), I've been reading a bit, and still playing warcraft. I have also discovered a new forum in the world of warcraft website for Role-Playing, and I've been working on a few 'introductions' to join in. I use to be a huge RP fan, the paper and pencil kind, and I am glad to be able to do it again.
I promise, it's not as weird as it sounds! ^_^
When you role-play a character, you give it a story. We usually follow the lore of warcraft, giving our characters a back story or introduction explaining how and why you've came to be what you are or believe. You have the thread owner, a forum poster, who creates the general story that is taking place, and guides how he/she wants the story to progress. It's very loosely guided.
We then have any other posters who add a general introduction to their character, it is usually anyone interested in joining that particular story.
Once everyone interested has posted, we begin in closing in the 'gap' and letting our characters meet. They interact based on their faction, and whether or not the 'events' taking place force us to form a shaky allegiance with opposing members.
Most members, actual forum members not our characters, are usually respectful towards each other regardless of faction, but we usually must be harsh IC, In Character. I find the fights to be the most fun, when done right, but overall it is all entertaining.

Ranting

I have tried really hard to follow along this year with the 08 candidates, but I'm finding it extremely difficult lately. The Obama/Clinton arguments got old REAL fast, they both spent too much time nitpicking at each other's words and not enough time worrying about themselves.
Now we have the McCain/Obama face-off, and I have to admit, I'm not impressed. We all know that candidates are really good at flip-flopping on their stances, which they've done..frequently!

I guess you could safely say I'm a democrat, although lately I can't stand either side. I believe we truly need someone to make a difference, but I don't believe McCain nor Obama will offer us that option.

One of the biggest problems we have, I believe, is that the media has too much influence. People don't vote for those who they believe WILL make a difference because the media does not give them a chance, feeling as if they would be wasting a vote. O_o

I know, I know. This is more of a rant post then anything informative, but lately I've grown so disgusted with all of it. I still occasionally do some research, but it has been cut down severely.
The whole global warming issue irks me, specifically the alarmist, and I do my best to avoid those stories.

I have always believed that staying informed is one of the best things you could do, but I do wonder, frequently, if ignorance is truly bliss! O_^

Surprising news

My baby sister, who just turned 18, had some very shocking news for the family a couple days ago. She is engaged to be married!
I, like the rest of us, were completely taken by surprise. I felt bad at the lack of enthusiasm for her news. When I announced my engagement to my family, my mother was so happy she cried.

They set their date for September 27, 2008. A bit earlier then we were hoping, but we are all going to help make this one of the happiest days for her! :)
I went with her on Friday to try on some wedding dresses, and she found two she really loves. They look absolutely gorgeous on her, and Monday we are all going to see about getting the bridesmaid's dresses made, which are going to be a dark red.

I will be sure and update more frequently! :)

Trying something new

So I've decided lately to try something a little bit different. I love video games, having spent countless hours playing, and I love a good story so I've decided to join those two aspects together. What I have in mind for this is taking a game that I do play quite a bit ( world of warcraft) and giving it life, so to speak.

Warcraft is an mmorpg, that basically means its a massive roleplaying game online. You start out with a level one character of your choosing, and as you complete quests and kill monsters, you gain experience which will further you in level. There are two factions to choose from, Horde and Alliance, and each have their own lore and classes to pick.
Once you've chosen your race, you will have an opportunity to pick your class. There is currently 9 classes available with another coming soon!:)

Basically, I'm going to 'share' my leveling experience every few levels. Its basically going to be adventure stories as if they were written by my character with some screenshots! ( pictures )
My story won't be much about lore as it will be about the 'daily' adventures.
I imagine this probably sounds extremely boring. haha


I'm not entirely sure how well this will all work out, I just had this idea, and I've decided to try it out. I'm not going to clog up this blog so I will be making another one, not that this one is much fun to read! :)

Holiday weekend!

I hope everyone had a great 4th!

I've been trying to stay busy lately getting things done, and it seems to be working. :)

I finally got around to giving my kitty a much needed bath, which she was not happy about, but she looks so much better! I couldn't help but take a few pictures of her obvious discomfort; she just looked so adorable.

I have also been doing some reading lately, and I found an author I absolutely love. Kay Hooper.

She has 13 books, I believe, and while I'm not generally interested in the suspense-romance genre, I can't help but be drawn into her stories.

She does an exceptional job of keeping you guessing until the last page without getting too cheesy with the romance.

Her stories are also very different from the cliche killer and police stories you find, adding a bit of a supernatural twist.

I purchased 3 of her books last night, and I'm having to pace myself so I don't finish them all tonight!

My new video

I finally finished my latest video, and I will say, this was one of the hardest I've ever done. I wanted to find a way to keep the video classy and clean, which is hard to do for a Britney Spear's song, so I had to do some brainstorming!

The video itself took me over 6 hours to complete, filming and editing, so I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, considering I spent no money on it. Enjoy! :)

My understanding of the Mormon religion

Yesterday we had two young men from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints drop in for a short visit to speak with us about their beliefs, hoping to convert us. I had spoken with them on numerous occasions since first running into them at my mother's house.
There was nothing those men could say that could get me to change my mind about what I believe, but I was interested in learning a bit more about the Mormons. Here is a small breakdown of their religion, and I apologize if I make any errors. (I’m truly sorry if I offend anyone during this post; I am just writing what I believe.)

In the early 1800's, a man known as Joseph Smith claimed to have gone into the wilderness to pray to The Lord about which church to join. He claimed that Jesus Christ and God came to him in a vision and told him to start his own church and was later visited by an Angel named Moroni.
Moroni leads him to some gold tablets written in an old Egyptian language; the tablets were said to contain history of people who migrated from Jerusalem to America between 600BC-AD419.
The Tablets were later published into what is now known as The Book of Mormon.
He was given strict instructions not to show anyone the tablets, and when he had finished translating, Moroni took them back to heaven. (Convenient huh?)

There has been evidence that Joseph claimed that God sanctioned plural marriage calling it ‘Celestial’ marriage. The ‘Celestial’ Marriage was revealed years later when he showed interest in several other females within the group.
He proposed to several women, and a few of them already had husbands, but he made it clear that ‘Celestial’ marriages took precedent over earthly marriages, being on a higher plane!
This created problems with the members of the church who were married to these women, not to mention his own wife.
The husbands who were upset about this new development challenged him and bought a printing press which they used to attack Joseph.
He was shortly arrested, charged with violating the First Amendment, after he sent a group of his followers to destroy the printing press.
He was killed in jail after 'Gentiles,' as the non-believers had been dubbed, charged the jail and shot and killed him.

The Bible is used to a small extent, but the most important book is, of course, The Book of Mormon. The Pearl of Great Price is also a well known book written by Joseph Smith. The book has 5 sections, and one of them, called The Book of Abraham, was supposedly a result of some papyri he bought and translated, which had to do with Abraham's journey into Egypt. Some things were taken out of that book and moved into Doctrine & Covenants. The Doctrine & Covenants was a two part book which contained basic doctrine, which has been removed, and detailed accounts of the revelations received by numerous members.
There is also a book known as the Journal of Discourses which is a 26-chapter collection of sermons by very early leaders. The Journal is a very controversial book for several topics: the blood atonements, Negro doctrine, Plural marriages, and the Adam-God theory.
The LDS has claimed that The Journal is not an official publication!

There are a few verses I would like to point out, which I have found from several of these books.

Jesus is the brother of Satan (this is revealed in the Pearl of Great Price, Book of Moses 4:1-4 and affirmed by Brigham Young in the Journal of Discourses, 13:282)

I have searched the Bible and have yet to come across any verses that tells us that Jesus and Satan are brothers, so I must ask myself: could I have missed a verse in the Bible that talks about Jesus and Satan being brothers, or is this something new that God forgot to put it into the Bible, or better yet, did someone add it years later without having any proof? I don't know about anyone else, but I must go with the latter of the three, since it makes more sense to me.

When our father Adam came into the Garden of Eden, he came into it with a celestial body, and brought Eve, one his wives, with him. He helped to make and organized this world. He is Michael, the Archangel, the Ancient of Days! About whom holy men have written and spoken—He is our FATHER and our GOD, and the only God with whom we have to do” (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, 1:50)

I have to wonder where they came up with this information, since the Bible makes a clear distinction between God and Adam. There is also no evidence of Adam being the Arcangel or having many wives.
" And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and a man became a living soul. Genesis 2-7
And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. Genesis 2-8

And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: She shall be called woman, because she was taken out of Man. Genesis 2 21-23

These are several of the many verses which make a distinction between God and Adam.

Jesus also married Mary and Martha and the other Mary at Cana of Galilee, “Whereby he could see his seed, before he was crucified” (Apostle Orson Hyde, Journal of Discourses, 4:259; 2:82)

I would be interested in being shown where this verse is located.

We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion ( The New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory ( The Pearl of Great Price; The articles of faith 10)

I am curious as to why only ten out of the twelve tribes are being restored, and why the new Jerusalem, Zion, is going to be built in North America.

In Mormon theology, there are three heavens; the Telestial, the Terrestrial, and the Celestial:

“Most adults” will go to the Telestial kingdom and that it is composed of the “the endless hosts of people sensual, and devilish; who have chosen the vain philosophies of the world rather than accept the testimony of Jesus; who have been liars and thieves, sorcerers and adulterers, blasphemers and murders” (Mormon Doctrine, 1966, 778)
The Second kingdom (the Terrestrial) will be inhabited by Christians who did not accept the Mormon message, Mormons who did not live up to their church’s requirements, and men of good will of other religions who rejected the revelations of the Latter-day Saints (Mormon Doctrine, 1966, 784)
The highest or Celestial heaven is itself divided into three levels. Only this highest level is godhood or the possession of a kingdom for one’s self and one’s family to be gained. This particular estate has as its prerequisite the candidate’s having been sealed by celestial marriage in a Mormon temple while upon the earth. Even in the celestial kingdom, godhood is a by slow progression, and in the end each who becomes a god will, with his family rule and populate a separate planet of his own.

I'm aware that the Journal of discourses is no longer considered an official document, but it was written by their founder and was once considered true.
I also can't help but notice how contradicting The Book of Mormon, The Pearl of Great Price, and Doctrine and Covenants are to The Bible, which they claim to be the inspired word of God as well.

The Mormon's believe their president to be a living prophet and that God has granted them the priesthood, which has allowed them to once again gather 12 apostles.
I was also surprised they were unsure of why there were twelve apostles in the Bible.
They were also under the impression that Paul and Peter preach the same gospel, which we showed them to be wrong, but it made no difference to them. They don't believe to be Jewish, but they put themselves under the law and require signs and wonders.

I know it might be hard to believe but we weren't slightly rude or pushy, but we refused to sit and be quiet while they tried to tell us something which they couldn't show us in the Bible.
I would like to think if God wanted us to know something; He would have included it in the Bible which is his inspired word. Right?!

Update

Today I had dinner with an old friend of mine whom I hadn't seen since early January. It was very enjoyable.
Our discussions varied from the weather and the economy to the Bible and new reading material.
I actually began speaking with him about the Bible several years ago when we both worked together and I believe he is saved; He has also expressed interest in coming to our monthly Bible studies!

I am also about to start working on a new video! I know that sounds strange, so I'll explain.
I have a lot of spare time currently so I make silly videos of myself lip-syncing or doing skits.
I had my very sweet sister-in-law dare me to do a video to the Britney Spear's song "Toxic." :)
I can't turn down any dares, so I must comply! ( I think next time I'll dare her to do one with me. lol)

Ironically perfect

Today, I went back to the park and took my camera in hopes of capturing something worth sharing!
My main interest was in the clouds, they looked so beautiful, but my camera refused to cooperate so I settled instead for some pretty flowers! Enjoy

I thought today's blog would be about a more private aspect of my life, my marriage. My husband and I had a pretty ironic start.

I was introduced to him when I was very young, 13, but not in the manner you might think. He was actually a family friend and my step-sister's boyfriend. (Yes, I know it sounds. Odd)
They had a very short lived relationship before she moved back north and I didn't see him again for quite a few years.

I aged, obviously, and continued my life as I began my very first job at McDonald's while attending high school. (I worked there for a bit over 4 years). I began dating a co-worker and shortly after I, regrettably, hit my rebellious state. I was 17 and had suddenly become all-knowing, or so I thought.
I decided, abruptly, I wanted to move out of my parent's house and get a house with my ex boyfriend. Things sounded so simple back then.

We got a small house that we could hardly afford not to mention the other obvious bills that came along with the house and it became a recipe for disaster.

I continued to work at McDonald's, trying to make ends meet, when I ran into Randy, who would consequently become my husband several years later.
We became friends almost instantly and before long, we began to hang out together. I was big into playing pool back then with my friend Nicole and he started playing with us and much to our chagrin, he was so much better. Ha-ha

I can't honestly remember when my feelings for him changed but I do remember life wasn't quite the same. The only big problem with this is that I was unavailable.
I struggled with the torn feelings I had because on one hand, I had little doubt we could be great together. On the other hand however, I knew that I would crush my ex and after all the time we had been together, I felt as if I owed him. It was one of the hardest decisions I had to make.

I dragged my feet on making a decision, worried I would make the wrong one but that all changed when Randy decided he wanted to move several hours away. The thought of not seeing him or being able to talk with him on a regular basis propelled me into action.

Things at home were also not great, me and my ex fought all the time and he had begun drinking and partying excessively, having just turned 21, making him violent and unusually cruel.
The break-up was messy, and I was truly sorry we couldn't end on better terms, but my life changed completely.

My family was shocked at first and a bit resistant but they quickly came around and saw just how truly remarkable, Randy was and how much I loved him. My biggest worry, sadly, was how his family would react to me. I knew that things with my step-sister had not been great and I was terrified they would dislike me for that fact alone. I also knew that our age difference was a thing that concerned some, 7 1/2 years. I still remember the first time, I met his family. :)

He was going to visit them and really wanted me to come along and I agreed, hesitantly. I had never met his dad before but I still remembered his mother and for some reason, I was so afraid of her. (It’s a bit funny to think about that, years later)
They were both so sweet to me and I was relieved, to say the least. I also met my sister in law and both of his brothers; they too were really nice to me!

Our relationship was something out of a book, we agreed on almost everything. We never argued and most of all, we were inseparable. Our personalities were so much alike it was un-canning and after a year and some, we decided to get married!

Things have changed very little these last two years. We have still never fought, the only thing we sometimes don't agree on are political views :). Not to mention just how much closer we've grown together.

Overall, he is everything I could have ever hoped for and more. He is not only my best friend but also a wonderful, caring and loving husband who is always there for me. He doesn't judge me on things I've done in the past and I can honestly say that he knows everything about me. He has comforted me when my demons from the past have been more then I could handle or when I have been a bit moody and testy never complaining or using it as leverage later. (Yes, Yes, This is starting to sound like a cheesy novel, so I'll wrap it up. lol)
My life couldn't be better and the one and only thing that could make it more complete is to have a baby, which I hope happens soon.

New to the blogging world

I must admit, I never imagined myself doing any kind of blogging but lately writing has become my outlet. Its very relaxing.

Thursday, me and my hubby decided to go to the park for a very overdue walk and it reminded me why I use to love doing it. The weather couldn't of been more perfect either, it was cloudy and breezy. ( I will always take cloudy or stormy weather over sunny! ha ha )
I wish I had taken a couple pictures, it was beautiful.


I also spent a large chunk of my time doing some cleaning which I had been putting off for quite sometime. My kitty, on the other hand, was not ecstatic and refused to let me get things done, without a struggle. Every time I cleared off a shelf or cabinet to organize, she would leap right in and cry when I tugged at her and would re-pay me by running off with anything she could carry.

That brings me to the last thing I wanted to write about. My kitty =)

Comet is a solid gray tabby, which I've been told is very rare. I adopted her from our local shelter, 4 years ago, and I've never been happier. Her engaging personality makes it difficult to deny her anything and she is fully aware of that. The adoring look she gives you with those enormous, yellow eyes melts my heart and cause me to pamper her too much.
She has developed this peculiar habit of crying when she wants attention and it happens so frequently now, its unusual for her to be silent for more then a few minutes. She also refuses to be alone in a room and chooses instead to follow either me or my husband everywhere, I mean that literally.
Comet, has a very sweet temperment but does tend to have fits every now and then, I feel as If I'm speaking about a child here, especially when you refuse to stand up and go to her when she is crying. Her tantrums are generally short and she's not vicious but will nip at you to get her point across.