Valentine's Day....one of earth's silliest and frivolous holidays

I bet by reading the title you believe I am single. Am I right? Well guess what, I will not be celebrating Single's Awareness Day, I like getting flowers from my husband as much as the next girl and I still think it's kind of a dumb holiday.

Why? It's simple. If you are married you should live your life tied to the person you love every day. You should show them you love them with little gestures of romance often, not just on anniversaries and a fake holiday designed to make you pay for chocolates, flowers and lingerie.

If you are single, well it's just a day like all the rest of them, minus the fact that attached people like rubbing your face in all the love and saying "oh look how sweet my lover is for sending me flowers at work." Too bad for you....

I am a big social media nut, but today will I post about how wonderful my spouse is? Will I post pictures of the flowers he gave me? Or a post saying thanks for dinner honey? No. For the exact reasons I've stated above.

Do I love my husband? Of course. Am I grateful for the things he does for me and I do for him on Valentine's Day? Of course. But, I am not going to support a holiday that teaches men that flowers are only necessary once or maybe twice a year? Am I going to support a holiday where kids make valentine's only for their friends and the other kids in their class because they are told they have to? No.

Everything I do comes from the heart. I have learned that if I do anything otherwise, I kind of start to go crazy. Trust me, it's been happening a lot lately.

So take it from me, love the way you want to love and not the way the media, calendar or Hallmark card tells you that you should.

The Olympics, the REALLY LONG version of the Super Bowl

Let me start by saying I am not a huge fan of the Olympics. Yes, I know I am getting griped about as you read. I have also never been a huge fan of the Super Bowl, except for the fact that it means friends and food.

Part of the reason for the lack of fandom is because neither one was a big event at my house. We never watched the Super Bowl and we only watched a few of the events as the super bowl, all of which were figure skating.

I get that great athletes compete at these events, athletes who have spent a lifetime trying to get where they are now. However, that doesn't mean I like to spend every week night watching bob sledding or skating, even though I am probably the only one.

I much rather watch dramatic or comedy tv shows and escape to a fantasy land. Maybe part of that is because I cover sports as part of my job these days. Sports has become work, rather than just voluntary fun.

I do enjoy covering games as a journalist and especially trying to get that one picture that sums up the emotions of the sport, all in one shot. But, I think it's like people who paint for a living or people who watch movies for a living. It's just no longer that thing you do to relax and has become a mandatory part of life.

I rather not watch a week-long version of the Super Bowl, and if that means I am out of touch when people are talking about last night's winner, well, so be it.

But if you invite me over for some food and give me a chance to visit with a friend, well count me in, sports or not.

Religion, marriage and rapping?

I am all about originality. But, people, a rap about marriage? Come on! It's just too much for me.

Marriage Rap Video can be viewed here

I believe in a lot of things about marriage based on my own experience from 5 years and 3 months of being married.

1) It's not always easy
2) The belief that marriage is forever is very important to making a union last.
3) Every marriage can be a beautiful and sacred thing, whether you are religious or not. However, religion can be something that binds you.

The reason that many believe that religion is the most important thing in marriage is because it can be a huge argument issue, if it's important to one spouse but not the other. But, I do know that you don't always have to have the same thoughts on religion.

My mother and father have been married for 26 years, both of which went through a divorce prior to meeting each other. My mother's marriage was based on religion, but it didn't work (for multiple reasons, which I think are not my story to tell).

When my parents got married he was Methodist, she a Latter-Day Saint (aka Mormon). It still worked. Why? Because they loved each other and they both knew that the other partner would do anything they could to make it work. They respected each other, even though at times they haven't always agreed on certain issues.

Now, this rap I speak of, is totally ridiculous. I have seen people say "It's the marriage video each young couple should watch before saying 'I Do,'" and things like "It's powerful," and "It's beautiful."

I have always been one to believe that religion needs to be sacred. If you believe God is real and that he is a Holy being who should be treated with respect and love, well, then rap isn't the way to do it.

No offense to all you rap lovers out there, but to me, it has always represented either something inappropriate or something comical. Neither one of those emotions fit with religion if you are religious.

In addition, the video is basically saying that no marriage can survive without God. I wouldn't have met my husband without my religion and I wouldn't be where I am today. That doesn't mean that I should invalidate someone's marriage because that's not how they found their "happily ever after."

So please, don't waste you time sharing this "crap rap." It's nothing but disrespectful towards the religious and non-religious alike. Unless maybe rap is the only thing that speaks to you, and then, you need to "branch out," as my dad always said.

*Editors Note- My dad did join the Mormon Church 2 years ago. 

If my life was a Super Bowl....

Tonight's Super Bowl was well, let me put it this way: I almost fell asleep.

I really don't have any football allegiances, at least not in the pros. All I wanted was to watch a close game and feel smart, now that I cover high school football on occasion. Instead, I just stuffed myself and chased my child around my friends' apartment. The sad part is, I didn't feel like I was missing thing. 

I started wondering, what would my life be like in Super Bowl terms? 

I don't know if I would win or lose, which i guess none of us really do until the game of life is over. 

However I would like to say I've made a few touchdowns:

-Graduating HS

-Experiencing that "first love"

-Graduating college

- Getting Married

- Having a kid

-Getting a Job in my career field

I also know I have experienced a few turnarounds and fumbles:

-experiencing that "first love" (ha ha, good and bad)

-having debt at one point or another

- hurting someone I care about because of bad judgement

-jumping into something too quickly

I am sure I have left out both fumbled and touchdowns. No matter what life has been like for any individual, try to sit down and think about your touchdowns. I betcha they outweigh the fumbles almost every time. 

When is lazy too lazy?

When I was a kid I got tired of hearing my elders say "kids these days are too lazy," or something along those lines. I was offended that someone was calling me lazy before I even had figured out who I was and what I was going to do with my life.

Now that I am a bit older I have had a bit more experience in the lazy department. I understand the concept of working so hard during the day that you don't feel like doing the dishes, or why you might want to play the sick day card.

But when does being lazy just get to be too much?

I, am of course, no expert. Laziness is of course in the eye of the beholder, but I draw the line when your laziness starts to affect someone else in a negative way.

For example, I don't feel like cleaning my sons bedroom or forcing him to do so as he is a two-year old. When Lincoln Logs litter the floor, sometimes you just feel like pushing them out of the way with your foot, or sweeping them under the bed. But, what happens when he grows up? Does he know what it means to really clean if you don't show him?

I know an individual who doesn't know how to cook, she doesn't really know how to clean. When she was shown how to mop the floor her response was, "no one ever showed me how to do that before."

The sad part is, it's probably true.

In my job, and in life, I have seen too many people who are only a product of what they are raised into. It seems almost impossible for them to break the cycle that they learned from irresponsible parenting, or lack there of.

No, I am not saying that I am a perfect parent (because I am definitely not), or that I have been motivated to clean those Lincon Logs out from under the bed quite yet. What I am saying is that laziness becomes unacceptable when it hurts someone else, no matter how small.

Now, excuse me while I go take my own advice.

High school duds, lifelong stars

Lately I have been thinking a lot about my buddies from the olden days. Maybe it's because I am reminiscing, or maybe because I feel like at 25, my life is slowly slipping away (yes, I can see anyone older than me rolling there eyes here).

In high school I don't really know what people thought of me, and I can't say that I even care now. In fact, the fact that I might have cared once, seems very silly and insignificant.

Facebook is one of those things that can connect us, whether that's good or bad. I have to admit that I have Facebook friends who I sometimes keep around for the reason of buffering my ego. Anyone who admits differently is lying, or just a REALLY good person.

However, I have also seen some really cool things about my high school friends. One friend, who had things pretty good in high school, married her high school sweetheart (who we all gave her crap about at the time she was dating him), and now she is about to have her first child.

I recall another to have had a hard time fitting in. He never felt like things would just be right with him in the world and now, graduated from college, he lives halfway across the country and is making his dream job a reality.

It makes me think about myself a bit. I may not care now what my high school chums think of me, but at the same time, I can't help but wonder, have I made the best of myself? Have a taken every leap that I should have to be in a good place?

I would have to say I haven't done too bad for myself. A great husband, a cute son, a roof over my head and a college degree, which later led to a great job.

ROLLA HIGH CLASS OF 2007, Woo hoo! Go Bulldogs! (Sorry folks, it just felt right to say it loud and proud.)

Following traditions for tradition's sake

First post of 2014! First post for awhile actually. 

I have been thinking a lot lately of people who follow traditions just because it's what they believe they have to do, for tradition's sake. 

Don't think I hate traditions, in fact, I have many I like. 

- I enjoy getting presents on Christmas morning

- I like apple pie and baseball as much as any true American

- I like to clap when someone performs well, as a sign of appreciation and admiration of their work

- I like to make New Year's resolutions

- And Many more...

But, when does it get to a point that we follow traditions that we don't really believe in, just because others before us have followed that path? 

Sure, we shouldn't let the traditions of our fathers die and all that, and sometimes our elders know more than we do. But not always. 

Sometimes I think that many things I have done in my life are because of traditions. Sometimes I think, it's safe to break the rules and test things out. 

For a very light example: I don't like Thanksgiving food much. 

-Turkey is okay and so is Green Bean Casserole

-I hate stuffing, homemade cranberry sauce and yams. 

- I think we need more salad or green vegetables at these things that are doused in creamy soup, fat, or excess butter

- The main things I like are: the appetizers, the rolls and the mashed potatoes (but only with good gravy, giblet doesn't count). 

So, why is it that everyone eats these items? Because it's what their parents fixed, grandparents made and so on...

It's not because we have a deep found belief that if we don't eat turkey on Thanksgiving, we will miss out on the company of our family and forget what we're grateful for. (At least, most people aren't that crazy). 

So, I just think its' important to think about your traditions and why you do them. And maybe, you can't let go of that turkey, even if it is a tradition for tradition's sake. Regardless, it's still important to think about it and decide if you really like turkey in the first place. 

*Note: If you really think this blog is all about Thanksgiving Food, you need to be more creative*