Shock. Fear. Denial.

These are all emotions I experienced after I found out a tornado had ripped through my hometown while I was at work.

….

Hope. Community. Love.

These were emotions that we in Bridgeton began to feel as the shock began to wear off. Even as I was trying relentlessly to get home from work, I saw neighbors helping each other out – moving trees out of the way, checking on each other, helping each other out.  In fact, in order for me to get home, (after two hours of driving around through snarled traffic and power lines blocking roads and police closing neighborhoods off) some neighbors had to move a giant tree out of the road so I could get my car through.

….

It was absolutely terrifying. I had no idea what I was coming home to, but nothing could’ve prepared me for what I saw when I entered my neighborhood.  Pieces of houses… everywhere. Trees, destruction… as far as the eye could see. The power was out, so it was extremely dark, except for a few headlights of those poor souls in the same situation as me trying to get home, and the flashlights of neighbors.  I can remember driving by places where there used to be homes, and seeing utter destruction.  All I wanted was to get home to my family (who thank God were okay. And I knew both my family and my home was untouched by the grace of God, but that still didn’t stop the sights around me from cutting straight to my core).

When I finally reached my house, I gave my parents the longest hug they have probably ever received from me, and I began to just take in my surroundings. My neighbors were all out, roaming about, seeing if anyone needed help.  That’s something great about my neighborhood, my community. If someone needs help, they’re there. If there’s a siren, or a firetruck going by, everyone comes out to see if they can do anything.

I knew there was a lot of damage, and I had driven by alot of it, but I was still surprised when the sun came up the next day and we could really survey all of the carnage. It was surreal. Absolutely unbelievable.

But by the grace of God, no one was killed. The tornado blew threw the heart of Lambert International Airport. It went through neighborhoods. Demolished businesses. Not one person was killed. Amazing.

And as the days went by, we all pitched in to help each other out. Service International, a local volunteer group, set up their home base in the parking lot of a church. They had over 5,000 volunteers helping clean up damage, including my friends and family. Seeing everyone come together to help each other out was awesome. It brought a sense of camaraderie, and also of hope. It gave me newfound faith in the people of my hometown. We were damaged, but we would survive. We would conquer.

And this has been my inspiration for this post.  I know there has been so much rebuilding going on and I just wanted to showcase some of it: from my perspective. The photos from the day after the tornado were taken by my cell phone, and the after photos were taken using my digital SLR. The juxtaposition of the destruction and the rebuilding after is phenomenal, and incredibly inspiring. This was a town that had an F-4 tornado tear through the heart of it, but we didn’t give up. We survived. We rose from the ashes.

Take a look through the gallery of photos below. The first picture displayed is of the destruction after the tornado, the second is how we are rebuilding or have already completed rebuilding one year later.

I believe these pictures, these snapshots of hope, will leave you just as speechless as they left me.

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.  No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. [not even tornadoes!]

- Romans 8:38-39

This is a collage of words that have been used to describe me both by myself and others.  Created using Wordle.net.

This is what WordPress.com and millions of other websites would look like if SOPA were passed.  Contact your representatives today to block this bill from being passed and censoring our creativity and free speech.

That’s a crazy statement up there isn’t it?  Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, creator of the iPod, iPhone, iPad, and iEverythingElse.  Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, millionaire, a college student who started a worldwide social media phenomenon from his dorm room.  And I’m sitting here telling you that while these two men are an inspiration for many people, my biggest inspiration is my dog.  Go ahead, laugh.  But I will explain.

First of all, not trying to be demeaning to humans or anything, but who else can you learn more from – a dog or a CEO of a company?  My opinion is a dog.  Think about it, these four-legged wonders are capable of showing unconditional love with no strings attached.  No matter how many times you leave them home alone or feed them a little later than they would like, they’re still loyal.  They still love you.  How many people can you say that about, honestly?  I’m not knocking humans, by any means, but I do not think our human nature allows us to be capable of loving unconditionally.  Dogs aren’t jealous.  They aren’t revengeful.  They aren’t evil.  They just are.  Now are there dogs that aren’t as loving, or dogs that are mean? Sure, absolutely. But they sure as heck weren’t born that way. They were trained to be that way, or have been abused or had awful circumstances that teaches them that that’s how they should act.  A puppy is not mean.  A puppy is not cruel.  A puppy just is.  Who couldn’t learn from something like that?

Now this post isn’t just about love, though I do find that to be an incredibly inspiring aspect of dogs.  No, this post is about courage, it’s about confidence, it’s about doing what needs to be done.

My dog, Koda, is awesome. He’s an 8-year old yellow lab who has never met a stranger in his life.  But more than that, I can learn so much from him.

For example, when Koda is hungry, he eats.  When Koda has to go to the bathroom, he lets me know.  And if I’m not home, he holds it until I get home and then tells me he has to go out.  He doesn’t complain.  Doesn’t harbor bitterness. He just does what needs to be done.

Koda has no fear of what people think of him.  If he wants to run around all crazed like, he will do it.  If he wants to bark at the top of his lungs for hours on end, he’s gonna do it. And there’s not really much you can do to stop him.  And if he wants to sleep in the middle of the day, in the middle of the hallway, he’s going to do it.  And while that may seem a bit annoying to you, it’s encouraging to me.  Think about it – if we all had that mentality, what couldn’t we do?  If we wanted to apply for a job we weren’t exactly “qualified” for, even though we were capable of doing it, wouldn’t it be great to just do it and not care what other people think?  If we wanted to share our beliefs, wouldn’t it be great to just do it without thinking?

Sure, you may be saying, he’s just a dog. Yeah, and if my dog is capable of being braver and bolder than most humans – isn’t that a little ridiculous?  So my challenge to you is this: Be a little more like a dog today.  If you have something you want to do, go for it. Don’t be afraid. Don’t worry about others. Go for it!

Live like there’s no tomorrow, love like you’ve never been hurt. Live like a dog.

You won’t regret it.

My dog, Koda.

***Disclaimer: When I say I am most inspired by my dog, I am referring to people and, I guess, animals, of this world who inspire me.  If I were to name who inspires me the most, bar none, that would be Jesus Christ. But he is not of this world.  So please know I am not saying I’m more inspired and motivated by my dog than God. That is not the case. I am simply referring to things of this world.***

Persistence: Firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition

Lately, I have really been learning the value of persistence.  I am not a fan of confrontation, by any means.  But if someone tells me no, and I don’t believe it’s right, you better believe I will be fighting it.  Let me clarify, however, the means with which I do that.  I am a good writer.  Writing is how I express myself best.  And the great thing about writing is that it allows me to be able to confront people, companies, universities – and fight for what I believe is right - without face to face confrontation.  It’s absolutely great.  Had a horrible experience at a restaurant?  I’ll write the company later and tell them what I think could be better.  Can’t get credit for an internship because I missed the application deadline (even though I was just notified I got the internship)?  Baloney.  I wrote my university, was told no, but kept persisting until finally they said yes.

You see, that’s my philosophy on most anything in life.  Want a job at that dream company?  Keep bugging them, coming around, persisting, so that eventually they might as well hire you because you’re around most of the time anyway!

Get connected.  Network.  Find the important people, the people who can actually make changes, and talk to them.

I got my internship at Anchor through being persistant.  And I’m now getting credit for it because of that same persistance.

Does it always work?  Unfortunately, no.  I decided to change universities and was charged 50% of my tuition.  Did I fight that?  Absolutely.  Did I keep fighting it? You bet.  But eventually, I had to give in otherwise they would screw up my credit score by my not paying that money.  I could write a whole book on what I find wrong about that university and their policies, but that’s not the point here.  Whether I “won” that battle or not, I guarantee you, they remember by name.

And that’s how you do it.  I got my internship because I persisted, and because they remembered my name, and my website.

So my advice to you is this: Don’t give up.  Keep trying.  Keep  getting your name out there.  Get people to remember your name.

And even though you may not win every “battle”, you can still be a catalyst for change.

And I promise you, it will pay off one day.

The First Amendment. 

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

One sentence.  It seems so short, and yet, it contains the freedoms that are at the very core of what it means to be an American.

220 years ago today, this was passed into law, and has provided Americans with freedoms that citizens of many other countries are not able to enjoy to this day.

It’s these freedoms that separate us from the majority of the rest of the world.  We are so blessed, and I think it’s safe to say that most of the time we barely even notice it.  Let me take this opportunity to implore you not to take these core freedoms for granted.  These freedoms are not something that were simply given to us.  These freedoms were fought for.  These freedoms were earned.  We, as individuals, may not have explicitly fought for these freedoms ourselves, but it is because of the efforts of those in the military that have sacrificed their time, their health, and sometimes even their lives, that we are able to enjoy these freedoms today.  It may be a cliche, but freedom isn’t free.

My father was in the Air Force for over 20 years, from before I was born to just a few short years ago, so I have quite a healthy respect for those in the military and what they have to sacrifice.  But being in the military is not simply a sacrifice.  It is an honor.  It is, like these core freedoms mentioned above, something that is earned, not given.  I am proud to be a part of our nation’s extended military family.  And I am proud that my father has helped protect these very freedoms that we are celebrating today.

To me, you absolutely cannot separate the First Amendment from what it means to be an American.  It’s impossible.  If you take away my right to choose my own religion, to speak freely, to write freely, to protest, you take away what is at the core of being an American.

Thanks to the First Amendment, I am free to worship my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Thanks to the First Amendment, I am free to write all of this without fear of punishment.  I can worship God freely, and not have to live in fear that the government will come into my home and arrest me.  That is not the case in some other countries.  Can you even imagine that? I mean, really?  I was born here in the United States, and have been raised here, and for me it has always been this way.  I cannot comprehend what it must be like to live in fear of the government.

We are free here to worship in peace.  We are free to write about it.  We are free to talk about it.  And while sometimes, I admit, I do feel a little attacked as it becomes more and more politically incorrect to be a Christian.  It has become increasingly difficult to profess my faith without some sort of backlash from society, because being a Christian isn’t the norm.  I get that, and that’s fine.  So long as the government doesn’t step in and tell me it’s wrong to be a Christian, that’s perfectly fine.  I have a right to worship my God, and you have a right to worship, or not worship, whatever you choose.

And that’s what’s great about being American.  It’s respect.  I do respect your right to worship whomever and whatever you please.  I do.  What bugs me is when people try to tell me that I am offending them by worshipping God, or by simply being a Christian.  That is where I draw the line.  That is ridiculous.  Many people seem to forget these days that our country was founded on  Christian principles.  And the fact that it is becoming more politically correct to say “Happy holidays,” or nothing at all, as opposed to Merry Christmas offends me!  I celebrate Christmas.  I say, “Merry Christmas!”  And I do not see anything wrong with that, and I simply cannot comprehend how my saying that could offend anyone.  I’m not forcing my beliefs on you, I’m simply celebrating a holiday that I celebrate and believe in.

I’ve spent all this time just talking about one freedom mentioned in the First Amendment! Freedom of religion is clearly the most important to me, though freedom of speech is right up there as well.  I am so thankful that I am able to write whatever I want.  And I am extremely grateful that our media is allowed to publish the truth, instead of just a government-censored version of the truth that other countries get.  This is especially applicable for me, because I want to go into a career in the media.  Ideally, I would love to be a writer for a blog or an editorial column, and thanks to the rights guaranteed to me by the First Amendment, that is something completely possible.  I could freely write my opinion without fear of censorship.  That is not to say that I can just publish untrue things about people, because I could then be accountable for libel.  These freedoms don’t come without restrictions, but if you follow the law you have absolutely nothing to worry about.

For example, freedom of speech does not mean that you are allowed to shout, “FIRE!!!” in a crowded theater.  It’s the oldest example there is, but I use it because it’s true.  You have these freedoms, but you must be careful to use them in such a way that they do not cause harm to other people.

This is getting long already and I haven’t even touched on the other two freedoms mentioned – the right to peaceably assemble, and the right to petition the government.  These are also very fundamental to what it means to be an American.  We are able to protest something we think is wrong (such as is the case with those protesting right now all over the country in the “Occupy” movement).  We are able to gather signatures and petition the government to make changes.  America is a democracy. And at the risk of sounding childish, it’s freaking awesome because of it.

We are a government “of the people, by the people, and for the people,” and I couldn’t be prouder to be an American.  I thank God for those in the military that have fought to defend my rights.  And I thank God for the people brave enough to protest what they believe is wrong.  Because, without them, we’d still be drinking from segregated water fountains and women wouldn’t be allowed to vote.

We’ve come a long way.  And I can only hope we can go even further.

Fight for your rights.  Fight for your freedoms.

God bless the U.S.A.

In all fairness, I already knew, but I didn’t have time to react.

See, I’m always the one that’s real cautious when we’re out everywhere. Always telling my friend to keep her eyes open, that you can’t trust everybody just because they look nice. She usually blows it off and tells me I’m too cautious. But in all reality, you really never know. You can’t. The person you’re talking to can be the nicest person in the world, but that doesn’t mean they have the nicest intentions. You just have to keep your eyes open, and be aware.

Let me preface this by saying this: Nothing bad actually happened last night. The thing is, though, is that it very easily could have.

My friend and I were picking up some Penn Station to go.  While we were waiting for our order to be ready, we sat down at a booth.  A large black man walked by (I’m not saying this to be racist, I’m just telling you so you get the full gist of the story) and commented that he liked my purse.  I said thanks.  It’s a Minnesota Vikings purse, so it’s really not strange at all to have a man tell me he likes my purse. My friend also felt the need to tell him she liked his jacket.  It was an interesting design.  The guy gets his food and leaves. No harm, no foul.

Our food is finally ready and we take it and walk outside.  We get in the car and are backing up, and my friend notices the same man looking at us, so she waves (yeah…).   Then, before I even have time to react, the guy is walking towards our car.  My friend stops the car and rolls down her window, much to my horror.  The large man leans inside the car…. and hands us his business card and starts telling us about this club he owns.  Weird, awkward, and I just want to be out of the situation.  So we humor him and he finally stops talking and she rolls up her window and we leave.  I didn’t think too much about it because I honestly didn’t want to.

Later when we were retelling this story to my parents, they freaked out. Understandably so.  Two white girls alone in a car on a dark parking lot approached by a large black man, the girls roll the window down and the man leans in.  THANK GOD this situation had a happy ending, and nothing happened.  But it very easily could have had horrible consequences.

After my parents shared reality with us, which is a good thing, even though it can be scary to realize the world isn’t such a nice place all the time.  I am extremely glad we learned this lesson, and that we learned it from a situation that did not have a bad ending.

I just want to say this to anyone reading: Be careful. You can’t always trust everyone.

I’m not saying fear the world, by any means.  But you need to be aware. And you need to be realistic.  The world’s not always a happy place.  But you take some steps to protect yourself.

I would recommend:

• Having a can of pepper spray attached to your key chain, that you carry with you at all times
• Using the buddy system.  Never go somewhere alone, especially at night.
• If a stranger approaches you, use caution.
• Take a self-defense class
• Know the area you are in.  Never go somewhere alone that you are unfamiliar with.

If you’re not opposed to it, take a gun safety class and get a conceal carry permit.  You gotta take into consideration that if you’re a woman, a gun can put you at an even advantage with a man.  He may be stronger, but you have a very powerful weapon.

Above all, just be smart.  

I’ve written articles for the student newspaper, created blogs, and technical documents, but so far it has all been on  an educational level.  I want to take it one step further and actually start putting myself out there.  I want to try to get a job where I can learn the skills I need, and make use of the ones I already have.  I’m great with technology, I love to write, and I can be ridiculously productive.  Surely there is a way to combine all of these things.  Is there a company willing to take me under their wing without much formal experience, to mold me into the skilled writer I know I can be?
Honestly, I’d love to do anything involving technology and/or writing.

So what’s stopping me?  Nothing.

The only thing between me and that type of job – is me.  If I can convince a company to hire me, they won’t be disappointed.

So that’s my goal.  I’m out to find a company that will see my potential and help me achieve my goals, and also achieve their goals.  It’s out there.  I just have to find it.

iPhone users have reported that Siri refuses to give them directions to abortion clinics.  However, if you are a little more specific, such as asking for a named organization like Planned Parenthood, then she will happily give you directions.  But, simply ask for the nearest abortion clinic, and Siri has no idea what you are talking about.

It seems a little curious, given that Apple has had an enormous amount of foresight as to what users would try to ask Siri about.  For example, you can ask Siri, “What is the meaning of life?” and she will ask why you are asking an inanimate object this question.  Say, “I love you, Siri”, and Siri responds, “you are the wind beneath my wings.”  Honestly, it’s kind of genius, so I was rather surprised when I learned of this “oversight”.  Yes, that’s what Apple is calling it.

“These are not intentional omissions meant to offend anyone. It simply means that as we bring Siri from beta to a final product, we find places where we can do better, and we will in the coming weeks,” an Apple representative said.

Pretty darn convenient that Siri is still in “beta” phase, meaning she’s still in testing.  Thus, any glitches can simply be blamed on the fact that she is not yet “a final product”.

A tip to Apple? Never release anything but a final product to the masses.  But that’s just my opinion.

I’d be ok if Apple was supporting Pro-Life.

Time will tell.

So last night my family went to Pizza Hut.  My dad was craving their pizza, and my mom and I agreed that it sounded pretty good.  My parents thought we should pick it up and eat at home, maybe watch a movie.  I thought it’d be nice if we went there and ate together.  I thought it would be a relaxing experience.

I. Was. Wrong.

Upon walking through the front doors, we were greeted with a nice backup of people waiting to either pick up their to-go orders or be seated.  Since the entryway is so small, it was nearly impossible to tell who was waiting for what.  After about five minutes, a server comes by and asks if anyone is waiting to be seated.  My family stepped forward after no one else did.  The server was very friendly.  She apologized for the “madhouse” and said it had been like this all day.  No idea to what she was truly referring, we placed our drink orders.  She took the order and disappeared.

Ten minutes later we got our drinks.

That right there should have been my first insight that something was amiss.  No, I take that back.  My first insight should have been the line at the door. Or perhaps the fact that before she took our drinks she mentioned something about two cooks walking out this morning.  Yeah, apparently my brain just wasn’t turned on.

Regardless, we were already sitting down with our drinks so we proceeded to place our order.  The first words out of my dad’s mouth were, “we’d like to do the ten dollar deal…” and before he got any further, the server interrupted to tell him that deal is for carryout only.  “No,” my dad insisted, “we just saw the ad before we left our house.  It’s why we decided to eat here.”   After going back and forth a bit, the server finally admitted that other people had been saying the same thing lately and she could get a manager for us.  Honestly, we really didn’t care that much, but she insisted on getting a manager.

Another 10 minutes go by.  We are ridiculously hungry at this point and try telling the waitress that we don’t care about the few dollars off and just want to order, but she apparently misunderstands and says the manager will be by soon.

Another five minutes go by.  The manager finally shows up.  Not the friendliest lady in the bunch, by any means.  She basically tells us that the deal is only for carryout now, but she will honor it for us this time. But next time to order carryout if we want it.

Whatever. Honestly, we’re just hungry. Didn’t care that much in the first place.  So we FINALLY get to order. We simply ordered a large pizza and cheese garlic bread.

I’m not kidding you, 30 minutes go by, and we have seen countless pizzas delivered, along with breadsticks. We haven’t even gotten our cheese garlic bread yet.  My father asks the waitress why it is taking so long and she makes some excuse about them having a lot of deliveries.  Understandable, but you can’t just ignore your eat-in customers.  Though, I truly feel we were the only ones getting ignored, as everyone around us already was eating.  After pointing out that even those who had been here after us had breadsticks, the server apologized and appeared with some five minutes later.  Great, except we ordered cheese garlic bread.  She comes back with the correct bread minutes later, and I wondered why it took so long in the first place. I saw them making it as soon as she told them. Did she forget before? And where was our pizza?

I know for a fact that it takes 7 minutes to run a pizza through their ovens, as my dad used to work there. So our wait made no sense whatsoever.

After about a 45 minute wait after ordering, we finally got our pizza. And it was wrong.  But at this point, we are famished and don’t even bother to tell the server. We just ate as fast as we could to get out of there.

Oh, I forgot to mention that the entire time it was ridiculously loud inside. RIDICULOUSLY. And after we got our pizza, the couple that came in after we got our pizza got theirs within five minutes. Are you kidding me?!?! I was so mad. So, so mad.

What’s funny is our server had the gall to ask if the pizza was worth waiting for.  It honestly wasn’t. It wasn’t even that good.  And it certainly wasn’t worth the lack of sanity it cost for us to get it.

Suffice it to say that my family will never again go to Pizza Hut.

Honestly, why we stayed, I have no idea.  I guess we just couldn’t believe it was all happening.  At one point, my mom referred to it as a “nightmare.”  I have to say, I agree with her.

Moral of the story: Don’t go to the Bridgeton Pizza Hut. Ever…