Hey! Hope you're having a good day. I think today qualifies as a good day for me. So many opportunities have shown themselves to me lately and I'm really excited about them. I just got home from karate; this is only my fifth lesson, but it hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be. Man, has anyone else seen that "25 Random Facts" deal on Facebook? It's pretty pandemic if you ask me. But being the stalkerish person that I am, I'm a big fan of it. We actually got a snow day yesterday; I wasn't too thrilled about it, but, I have to say, the break was rather nice. This week is really proving to me that there are never enough hours in a day; but I enjoy being busy, except when I'm tired. Then again, I don't really enjoy anything when I'm tired. haha. So, I couldn't tell you what happened over Christmas break, but I've never been so motivated in my life to do well in school. I just have this somewhat-abnormal desire to learn and, hey, the grades don't hurt. I have some ideas kicking around that might turn into blog posts eventually. Well, I know this post is barely a paragraph long, and it's definitely sporadic, but I have a science project to do.
Much love,
Marissa
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Saturday, January 24, 2009
This Week
Oh. my. word.
This week has been crazy.
Sorry if this post gets lengthy, but it's been a week. I've had withdrawals.
So let's start with Sunday.
Our pastor preached the most amazing sermon he's ever preached and definitely one of the best I've ever heard. He opened the sermon with this quote: "We're not saying you have to be white, Republican, or from the South to be saved. I'm not saying you have to be like me to get to Heaven; you have to be like Jesus." I'm not gonna lie, this was a new idea to me. Sure, I'd never say that I thought you had to be a Southern, White, Republican to get saved, but I guess that's kind of how I've been raised. He talked about how we often think we can earn salvation by voting for Republicans or protesting abortion; or how we try to make people become more like us before we tell them about Jesus because we think we're good enough for Jesus but they're not. Most of us have heard that God's love is equal, unconditional, and never-changing which implies that God loves Christians and non Christians equally, but a lot of times I - and probably other Christians- tend to think that God loves me more because I'm a Christian. He spoke about self-righteousness, which I think is a huge problem, both for myself and a lot of others. It's pride, it's a sin of which we need to repent. Any holiness we have should be completely because of Jesus. God taught me a lot about witnessing that day as well. Even though protests against abortion aren't wrong, I don't think they're extremely effective. I think the thing that will bring about the most change is one person sitting down with another person, telling them about Jesus. It doesn't have to be some nervous, sweaty deal. You don't have to pull out the Romans Road or buy Way of the Master tapes. You don't have to lie. Just tell them what Jesus has done for you and what He has done for them. Show them some verses, listen to them. Love them.
So, on Sunday night, several of my friends from church spent the night at Juliana's house. It was oodles of fun. We watched tons of Youtube videos and I think I'm finally semi-caught up to normal teenage standards. haha. I had to get up at 7:30 the next day for an orthodontist appointment: not fun! Then, when I got home I was informed that all our computers are broken, hence the blog hiatus.
Tuesday. Ah, Inauguration Day!! We got to skip a period and a half to watch it at school. I was awestruck the entire time (except for when Aretha Franklin sang. eek.) I'm so excited we have a new president. I think Obama's a pretty cool guy. He definitely has his faults and will undoubtedly make many mistakes, but, like any president-or person, for that matter- he has a lot to give to us.
On the way to school on Wednesday, my mom's car just randomly stopped so we had to get it towed and we only had one car for three people and three different schedules for about three days: not cool.
Oh, speaking of Wednesday, we had this guy come to chapel that day. He preached a neat sermon about focusing on Jesus, instead of guys, grades, friends, school, life, etc. That is definitely not a strong point for me. The phrase "Focus on Jesus" has to constantly be pulsing through my head and heart.
Thursday was fairly uneventful.
Yesterday, we went to this local restaurant with my grandparents to celebrate my dad's first paycheck. It was in one of the worst parts in one of the most crime-ridden cities in America, so it was pretty terrifying; however, the food was amazing and it was a fun little place to dine.
That brings us to today! I had to wake up at about 7:30(wow, three prepositions in a row) and get ready for the County Spelling Bee. I was so nervous. I was shaking pretty much the whole time. Round 1. Round 2. Round 3. Round 4. Round 5. I think that was the round. The word was goumani. "G-u-m-a-n-i."
I had to sit down.
Excuse me for not knowing how to spell the names of foreign fish. I came in 5th place overall, which was disappointing, but that's okay.
I'm about to go buy a new metronome and pick up my nieces!
So, this week was not the best, but it was full of change and learning :)
Much Love,
Marissa
This week has been crazy.
Sorry if this post gets lengthy, but it's been a week. I've had withdrawals.
So let's start with Sunday.
Our pastor preached the most amazing sermon he's ever preached and definitely one of the best I've ever heard. He opened the sermon with this quote: "We're not saying you have to be white, Republican, or from the South to be saved. I'm not saying you have to be like me to get to Heaven; you have to be like Jesus." I'm not gonna lie, this was a new idea to me. Sure, I'd never say that I thought you had to be a Southern, White, Republican to get saved, but I guess that's kind of how I've been raised. He talked about how we often think we can earn salvation by voting for Republicans or protesting abortion; or how we try to make people become more like us before we tell them about Jesus because we think we're good enough for Jesus but they're not. Most of us have heard that God's love is equal, unconditional, and never-changing which implies that God loves Christians and non Christians equally, but a lot of times I - and probably other Christians- tend to think that God loves me more because I'm a Christian. He spoke about self-righteousness, which I think is a huge problem, both for myself and a lot of others. It's pride, it's a sin of which we need to repent. Any holiness we have should be completely because of Jesus. God taught me a lot about witnessing that day as well. Even though protests against abortion aren't wrong, I don't think they're extremely effective. I think the thing that will bring about the most change is one person sitting down with another person, telling them about Jesus. It doesn't have to be some nervous, sweaty deal. You don't have to pull out the Romans Road or buy Way of the Master tapes. You don't have to lie. Just tell them what Jesus has done for you and what He has done for them. Show them some verses, listen to them. Love them.
So, on Sunday night, several of my friends from church spent the night at Juliana's house. It was oodles of fun. We watched tons of Youtube videos and I think I'm finally semi-caught up to normal teenage standards. haha. I had to get up at 7:30 the next day for an orthodontist appointment: not fun! Then, when I got home I was informed that all our computers are broken, hence the blog hiatus.
Tuesday. Ah, Inauguration Day!! We got to skip a period and a half to watch it at school. I was awestruck the entire time (except for when Aretha Franklin sang. eek.) I'm so excited we have a new president. I think Obama's a pretty cool guy. He definitely has his faults and will undoubtedly make many mistakes, but, like any president-or person, for that matter- he has a lot to give to us.
On the way to school on Wednesday, my mom's car just randomly stopped so we had to get it towed and we only had one car for three people and three different schedules for about three days: not cool.
Oh, speaking of Wednesday, we had this guy come to chapel that day. He preached a neat sermon about focusing on Jesus, instead of guys, grades, friends, school, life, etc. That is definitely not a strong point for me. The phrase "Focus on Jesus" has to constantly be pulsing through my head and heart.
Thursday was fairly uneventful.
Yesterday, we went to this local restaurant with my grandparents to celebrate my dad's first paycheck. It was in one of the worst parts in one of the most crime-ridden cities in America, so it was pretty terrifying; however, the food was amazing and it was a fun little place to dine.
That brings us to today! I had to wake up at about 7:30(wow, three prepositions in a row) and get ready for the County Spelling Bee. I was so nervous. I was shaking pretty much the whole time. Round 1. Round 2. Round 3. Round 4. Round 5. I think that was the round. The word was goumani. "G-u-m-a-n-i."
I had to sit down.
Excuse me for not knowing how to spell the names of foreign fish. I came in 5th place overall, which was disappointing, but that's okay.
I'm about to go buy a new metronome and pick up my nieces!
So, this week was not the best, but it was full of change and learning :)
Much Love,
Marissa
Saturday, January 17, 2009
these thoughts run through my head
Hey people!!
Don't you just love weekends? They're so agenda-less. And we get three whole days of agenda-less-ness this weekend! Thank you, Martin Luther King.
My dad, niece, and I went to an art museum this afternoon. I was a little nervous, because I figured it would be full of really artsy, nerdy, cool people; so I tried to wear something a little bit more cool and artsy than normal(namely skinny jeans, flats, my somewhat-bomber jacket, and volumizing spray which is basically useless on my board-straight hair.) Anyways, my efforts were useless because there was hardly anyone there. It was kind of interesting because most of the paintings we saw were hundreds of years old, but it was also lame, because I'm a big fan of modern art and most of those exhibits were closed. Plus, we got there 40 minutes before it was closed and, seeing as we'd never been there before, we spent a small amount of time just trying to navigate. Oh, and this person dropped a piece of paper on the floor, and it was extremely loud and I thought it was a gunshot..scary! Nevertheless, they still had some interesting stuff and it was pretty fun.
For dinner, I tried out one of the recipes on vegcooking.com: Baked and Breaded Italian Eggplant. It was so good! It tasted like spaghetti. I've been trying out some really cool new foods this week, like homemade cream of mushroom soup, Pierogies, and tofu, which is slowly becoming edible to me. Cooking is actually pretty fun, as is eating.
Have you ever thought about tire marks on the road? It seems like every pair of lines has a story. For example, I saw these skid marks that started in the far right lane and, through a series of spastic turns, eventually ended up in the left emergency lane. This makes me wonder: what kind of car were they driving? why were they so desparate to get to that emergency lane? were there cars in the middle lanes? what time of day was it? how did they make it safely across all five lanes? how did the skid marks get there; were they pressing the brake the whole time? why didn't they feel safe gliding into the right emergency lane? was it just a flat tire? was their car on fire? were they panicking?
And skid marks aren't the only ones with stories to tell..think about people you see, whether you know them or not. Where are they going? From where did they come? What's their personality? Are they happy? Are they dating or married? Is that a purity ring, an engagement ring, or a wedding ring? Do they like to text? Why did they come to this store? What does their house look like? What is their family like? Do they have a lot of friends, or not many? Do they have Facebook or Myspace? What's their life story? Where do they work? Where do they go to school? What are they thinking? Are they a vegetarian? Do they want to be here? What are their religious beliefs? Are they having a good day? Are the same thoughts running through their head, only about me? Am I one of those people they have an opinion about, even though we've never met?
I know that makes me sound like a total stalker, but I can't help it. It's just the way my mind works.
Much Love,
Marissa
Don't you just love weekends? They're so agenda-less. And we get three whole days of agenda-less-ness this weekend! Thank you, Martin Luther King.
My dad, niece, and I went to an art museum this afternoon. I was a little nervous, because I figured it would be full of really artsy, nerdy, cool people; so I tried to wear something a little bit more cool and artsy than normal(namely skinny jeans, flats, my somewhat-bomber jacket, and volumizing spray which is basically useless on my board-straight hair.) Anyways, my efforts were useless because there was hardly anyone there. It was kind of interesting because most of the paintings we saw were hundreds of years old, but it was also lame, because I'm a big fan of modern art and most of those exhibits were closed. Plus, we got there 40 minutes before it was closed and, seeing as we'd never been there before, we spent a small amount of time just trying to navigate. Oh, and this person dropped a piece of paper on the floor, and it was extremely loud and I thought it was a gunshot..scary! Nevertheless, they still had some interesting stuff and it was pretty fun.
For dinner, I tried out one of the recipes on vegcooking.com: Baked and Breaded Italian Eggplant. It was so good! It tasted like spaghetti. I've been trying out some really cool new foods this week, like homemade cream of mushroom soup, Pierogies, and tofu, which is slowly becoming edible to me. Cooking is actually pretty fun, as is eating.
Have you ever thought about tire marks on the road? It seems like every pair of lines has a story. For example, I saw these skid marks that started in the far right lane and, through a series of spastic turns, eventually ended up in the left emergency lane. This makes me wonder: what kind of car were they driving? why were they so desparate to get to that emergency lane? were there cars in the middle lanes? what time of day was it? how did they make it safely across all five lanes? how did the skid marks get there; were they pressing the brake the whole time? why didn't they feel safe gliding into the right emergency lane? was it just a flat tire? was their car on fire? were they panicking?
And skid marks aren't the only ones with stories to tell..think about people you see, whether you know them or not. Where are they going? From where did they come? What's their personality? Are they happy? Are they dating or married? Is that a purity ring, an engagement ring, or a wedding ring? Do they like to text? Why did they come to this store? What does their house look like? What is their family like? Do they have a lot of friends, or not many? Do they have Facebook or Myspace? What's their life story? Where do they work? Where do they go to school? What are they thinking? Are they a vegetarian? Do they want to be here? What are their religious beliefs? Are they having a good day? Are the same thoughts running through their head, only about me? Am I one of those people they have an opinion about, even though we've never met?
I know that makes me sound like a total stalker, but I can't help it. It's just the way my mind works.
Much Love,
Marissa
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
be still and breathe...
Hi, folks!
Man, I've had homework out the wazoo this week and tons of other random things to do like cleaning and laundry and such. Thank goodness for the whole "Christian school, less homework on Wednesdays" deal. I know they think it's just so we can go to church, but I think that subconsciously, they just want me to have a chance to update my blog because they miss it. Admit it, Administration, you've missed my blog. So you told all my teachers to cut back on homework tonight so you could get your fix of feeble attempts at humor, intellect, and writing in general.
Well, regardless of the reason, I'm glad for a chance to blog AND go to church. It's the best of both worlds. Ha ha, my youth pastor said that tonight and this kid started singing the Hannah Montana song. It was pretty funny, but I think I was the only one that heard him, so I just laughed to myself, slightly awkwardly.
So, apparently it is my week for drama, because there was church drama tonight. Church drama. Honestly, does that even happen? Thankfully, though, my church friends are super cool and pretty much just blew it off, so church was still fun. Woo, good times! haha.
It's supposed to get down into the teens tonight and tomorrow, so everyone's all stressed and worried about staying warm. People are trying to stay home as much as possible; it's pretty crazy. (Can you tell I live in the South?) But I'm not worried. Is it even possible to be worried when I have a space heater, a Slanket, and a pretty new ski coat in my possession? I think not.
Nevertheless, roughly 79.0008% of Facebook statuses (stati?) include the words "burr," "cold," and "is."
I finished The Shack on Sunday. Wow. Once I reached Chapter 6, I could hardly put it down; I underlined a good portion of it too. I've only read a few reviews on it from a Christian viewpoint that actually like it. It's definitely different, and I'm not going to use the "it's fiction, get over it" excuse, but it is important to remember that it's not the Bible. It's just a book, written by a mortal man. It feels too straightforward to be fiction at times, but he brings some crazy new ideas to the table and I think a lot can be learned from it. This book does an amazing job of taking God out of the box we put Him in and helping us to see Him more clearly. It shows an incredibly loving side of God; a God who isn't limited and would do whatever He had to do to save us from ourselves, whether that's death on a cross or showing up at a run-down shack in the dead of Winter.
I recommend it highly.
Much love,
Marissa
Man, I've had homework out the wazoo this week and tons of other random things to do like cleaning and laundry and such. Thank goodness for the whole "Christian school, less homework on Wednesdays" deal. I know they think it's just so we can go to church, but I think that subconsciously, they just want me to have a chance to update my blog because they miss it. Admit it, Administration, you've missed my blog. So you told all my teachers to cut back on homework tonight so you could get your fix of feeble attempts at humor, intellect, and writing in general.
Well, regardless of the reason, I'm glad for a chance to blog AND go to church. It's the best of both worlds. Ha ha, my youth pastor said that tonight and this kid started singing the Hannah Montana song. It was pretty funny, but I think I was the only one that heard him, so I just laughed to myself, slightly awkwardly.
So, apparently it is my week for drama, because there was church drama tonight. Church drama. Honestly, does that even happen? Thankfully, though, my church friends are super cool and pretty much just blew it off, so church was still fun. Woo, good times! haha.
It's supposed to get down into the teens tonight and tomorrow, so everyone's all stressed and worried about staying warm. People are trying to stay home as much as possible; it's pretty crazy. (Can you tell I live in the South?) But I'm not worried. Is it even possible to be worried when I have a space heater, a Slanket, and a pretty new ski coat in my possession? I think not.
Nevertheless, roughly 79.0008% of Facebook statuses (stati?) include the words "burr," "cold," and "is."
I finished The Shack on Sunday. Wow. Once I reached Chapter 6, I could hardly put it down; I underlined a good portion of it too. I've only read a few reviews on it from a Christian viewpoint that actually like it. It's definitely different, and I'm not going to use the "it's fiction, get over it" excuse, but it is important to remember that it's not the Bible. It's just a book, written by a mortal man. It feels too straightforward to be fiction at times, but he brings some crazy new ideas to the table and I think a lot can be learned from it. This book does an amazing job of taking God out of the box we put Him in and helping us to see Him more clearly. It shows an incredibly loving side of God; a God who isn't limited and would do whatever He had to do to save us from ourselves, whether that's death on a cross or showing up at a run-down shack in the dead of Winter.
I recommend it highly.
Much love,
Marissa
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Stop Needling Me
I'm human. Things get on my nerves. Random stuff, stupid stuff, seriously aggravating stuff. I've decided to compile a list of some of the things that frustrate me, annoy me, or things that I just don't fully appreciate.
- Running late. Admittedly, it is usually my fault, but it is still annoying.
- People who think their value and worth as a person lies solely in what they do, how 'cool' they are, or how they look, not who they are or how they act. But I'm definitely guilty of this, though I think we all are in our own way and on different levels.
- Kids who believe God has given them a gift for writing just because they can throw some emo words into a poem. I know I've written about this before, but it irks me a lot.
- Feeling limited in my creativity. This is a pretty big one when I sit down to write. I sit there knowing I have a hundred million things to say and absolutely no way to say any of them. I rarely even know exactly what it is I need to say, just that I have to say something before I coh-lapse. So then whatever I write comes out forced and unnatural. Needless to say, I've never tried my hand at fiction. At least not in quite a few years.
- Hypocrisy. Most people only think of someone as being a hypocrite if what they say and what they do follow different paths, at least that's what I tend to think. But I'm beginning to see that sometimes, two sentences or two actions can contradict each other. I think the former can be seen most clearly on the Internet or through texting. For example, let's say someone has really hurt me, so I send that person a text telling him/her how much I hate them and how they should kill themselves and I call them a bunch of terrible names, and then I get on Facebook and edit my status to something like "Marissa loves God so much and is thankful He is always there to comfort her." Isn't that sweet? Now, not only does the person I texted and whoever he/she inevitably told about my tirade think I'm a jerk, but now they get on Facebook and see that I supposedly love God.
- Simple mindedness. Especially at church. Give me something I have to ponder. Give me questions that lead to further questions, not just seminarical answers. (Yeah, I just made a new word. I think.) I'm pretty guilty of this, just taking things at face value and glazing over things I don't understand.
- Incorrect grammar and misspelled words.
- Yard work. Bees, sore knees, and planting trees or flowers makes people lose their own willpower. Proven fact.
- Not liking people. I wished I liked everyone, but there are just some people of whom I'm not particularly fond.
- Knowing Drake and Josh is on, but not being in the mood to watch it.
- Writer's block. Basically #4, but in cooler words.
- Arguments, debates, etc. I'm a terrible debater. I have opinions, but it's not common that I believe in something enough to argue with you about it. I have my convictions and my personal beliefs which sometimes are used as an excuse to do something wrong, but sometimes I just don't want to force you into thinking like I do. I enjoy getting along with people and, although I definitely have my argumentative moments, there aren't that many things I believe in enough to risk relationships. Okay, that and the fact that I'm a pansy.
- Thinking about things that annoy me. This list is weighing me down. I'd so much rather make a list of things I like than things I don't. That list is probably coming soon.
-Marissa
Friday, January 9, 2009
And sometimes, Billy, Chex Mix tastes like salsa
Man, today has been crazy weird.
It all started when my alarm went off this morning, which, I suppose, is generally how days start.
I could not get up. I was so tired; but I finally got up and got ready for another day of school. I was a little later than normal, but that's okay.
I have Science first period and everyone was feeling more gossipy than usual, which lead to a day filled with gossip, rumors, and immature drama. Seriously, people, it wouldn't kill you to grow up. I'm not a dramatic person outside of poetry and a few other forms of writing, so I generally stay out of whatever all the kids who never learned how to act are doing. But today it sort of involved people I'm friends with and it's really frustrating. Not so much the actual drama, but the fact that people could possibly be so mean and immature. It's pretty strange. And now I sound like every other kid in America who speaks endlessly of the immaturity of others and fails to see their own. Sorry about that.
Anyways. So I'm sitting in Science, finishing up some History homework, and our principal comes in and hands me this letter. From our Senator. Um, yes. He signed it and everything!
When I got home, I got on Blogspot and saw that I had a new comment from Matt at The Church of No People on my last post. How cool is that?
I've been reading Shakespeare and The Shack this evening. Shakespeare is amazing; some of his writings make my head feel numb, but most of it is just pure genius. Seriously. I know that sounds nerdy, but that's okay. If I had 1/1,000th of his talent, I could live in a lofty apartment in New York with a white couch, a wall of windows, and a plethora of abstract paintings. Ahh. That doesn't sound too nerdy, now does it? No, that sounds like the abode of a supermodel, which some people say I am ;) But I'm more of a nerd, so that doesn't sound incredibly thrilling to me, but I want to relate to everyone on this blog, I guess.
Ha, I was watching this show about American Idol and Simon was talking about his love for dogs. I wrote the following quote on my hand because it made me laugh: "If it was Puppy Idol, I'd be the nicest judge on Earth." Oh, Simon. My favorite judge!
Well, on the bus of blogging, this is my stop, so I'm gonna get off. :)
Love,
Marissa
By the way, I'm sure you're at least a teensy bit curious about the title of this post, so I shall tell you what it means. Basically, my dad brought me some Chex Mix tonight and it tasted like salsa.
And everything sounds cooler in the form of a quote.
It all started when my alarm went off this morning, which, I suppose, is generally how days start.
I could not get up. I was so tired; but I finally got up and got ready for another day of school. I was a little later than normal, but that's okay.
I have Science first period and everyone was feeling more gossipy than usual, which lead to a day filled with gossip, rumors, and immature drama. Seriously, people, it wouldn't kill you to grow up. I'm not a dramatic person outside of poetry and a few other forms of writing, so I generally stay out of whatever all the kids who never learned how to act are doing. But today it sort of involved people I'm friends with and it's really frustrating. Not so much the actual drama, but the fact that people could possibly be so mean and immature. It's pretty strange. And now I sound like every other kid in America who speaks endlessly of the immaturity of others and fails to see their own. Sorry about that.
Anyways. So I'm sitting in Science, finishing up some History homework, and our principal comes in and hands me this letter. From our Senator. Um, yes. He signed it and everything!
When I got home, I got on Blogspot and saw that I had a new comment from Matt at The Church of No People on my last post. How cool is that?
I've been reading Shakespeare and The Shack this evening. Shakespeare is amazing; some of his writings make my head feel numb, but most of it is just pure genius. Seriously. I know that sounds nerdy, but that's okay. If I had 1/1,000th of his talent, I could live in a lofty apartment in New York with a white couch, a wall of windows, and a plethora of abstract paintings. Ahh. That doesn't sound too nerdy, now does it? No, that sounds like the abode of a supermodel, which some people say I am ;) But I'm more of a nerd, so that doesn't sound incredibly thrilling to me, but I want to relate to everyone on this blog, I guess.
Ha, I was watching this show about American Idol and Simon was talking about his love for dogs. I wrote the following quote on my hand because it made me laugh: "If it was Puppy Idol, I'd be the nicest judge on Earth." Oh, Simon. My favorite judge!
Well, on the bus of blogging, this is my stop, so I'm gonna get off. :)
Love,
Marissa
By the way, I'm sure you're at least a teensy bit curious about the title of this post, so I shall tell you what it means. Basically, my dad brought me some Chex Mix tonight and it tasted like salsa.
And everything sounds cooler in the form of a quote.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
My Thoughts Concerning Vegetarianism
I've been reading through a lot of vegetarian sites this evening, and it has inspired me to share my thoughts on this subject. I'm still in the process of gathering them and I don't have much experience with the lifestyle and I'm definitely an amateur writer, so this won't be the best, but I like reading the thoughts of others and hopefully you do too.
Why did I become a vegetarian?
I thought it would be fun to try. This is only my 5th day without meat, but so far it has been really great. I don't want to make too big a deal out of it because it is, after all, only food. But giving up something that has been thoughtlessly consumed since the very early years of life will inevitably be accompanied by opinions, reasoning, and thoughts.
Why am I a vegetarian?
First of all, it takes a fairly high level of self-control. At least, higher than I'm used to having. It's hard to explain, because although I enjoy veggies and soy products, I still feel as if it takes some self-control and discipline to not simply eat anything at any time. I haven't done an extensive study on the word 'self-control', but I'm assuming it means "control of self." One of the few things in life we can control is what we eat, and I want to take advantage of that.
Second, I'm not gonna lie, I think it makes me cooler. I think vegetarians are cool, and I hope others feel the same way. I'm a teenager; I have to do at least one thing that I think makes me cool. Though I have definitely done more than one thing and I'm fairly certain my level of coolness hasn't gone up in anyone's eyes except my own. :)
Third, not only is it healthier, it requires more creativity. Instead of just throwing together a turkey sandwich or stopping by Chick-Fil-A, I've had to think of healthy, creative ways to avoid meat. For example, a peanut butter sandwich or a salad.
Fourth, the idea of eating animals is a little creepy. Honestly, it is. Eating something that was alive and well just a few months ago is a little odd. I definitely won't go as far as some websites, saying that killing a chicken is like killing a three year old child, but I don't exactly support animal abuse, nor is that a desire of mine.
How do my Christian beliefs affect my views on vegetarianism?
I believe God did give us animals to eat if we so choose. I don't believe eating animals is wrong. I do believe, however, that God is far more concerned with human life than animals'. As am I. If someone came up to me and said, "If you'll eat a burger, I won't shoot James," I would eat the burger in a heartbeat. If killing animals is necessary to feed starving people, I don't think that's necessarily wrong. There are bigger issues in the world than saving animals from being slaughtered, but I'm not an animal hater, so I'll do my part to keep them alive, because they're kind of cute. And life is generally one of those good things.
Basically, I like being a vegetarian and I'm pretty sure Jesus is cool with it.
Much love, many veggies,
Marissa :)
Why did I become a vegetarian?
I thought it would be fun to try. This is only my 5th day without meat, but so far it has been really great. I don't want to make too big a deal out of it because it is, after all, only food. But giving up something that has been thoughtlessly consumed since the very early years of life will inevitably be accompanied by opinions, reasoning, and thoughts.
Why am I a vegetarian?
First of all, it takes a fairly high level of self-control. At least, higher than I'm used to having. It's hard to explain, because although I enjoy veggies and soy products, I still feel as if it takes some self-control and discipline to not simply eat anything at any time. I haven't done an extensive study on the word 'self-control', but I'm assuming it means "control of self." One of the few things in life we can control is what we eat, and I want to take advantage of that.
Second, I'm not gonna lie, I think it makes me cooler. I think vegetarians are cool, and I hope others feel the same way. I'm a teenager; I have to do at least one thing that I think makes me cool. Though I have definitely done more than one thing and I'm fairly certain my level of coolness hasn't gone up in anyone's eyes except my own. :)
Third, not only is it healthier, it requires more creativity. Instead of just throwing together a turkey sandwich or stopping by Chick-Fil-A, I've had to think of healthy, creative ways to avoid meat. For example, a peanut butter sandwich or a salad.
Fourth, the idea of eating animals is a little creepy. Honestly, it is. Eating something that was alive and well just a few months ago is a little odd. I definitely won't go as far as some websites, saying that killing a chicken is like killing a three year old child, but I don't exactly support animal abuse, nor is that a desire of mine.
How do my Christian beliefs affect my views on vegetarianism?
I believe God did give us animals to eat if we so choose. I don't believe eating animals is wrong. I do believe, however, that God is far more concerned with human life than animals'. As am I. If someone came up to me and said, "If you'll eat a burger, I won't shoot James," I would eat the burger in a heartbeat. If killing animals is necessary to feed starving people, I don't think that's necessarily wrong. There are bigger issues in the world than saving animals from being slaughtered, but I'm not an animal hater, so I'll do my part to keep them alive, because they're kind of cute. And life is generally one of those good things.
Basically, I like being a vegetarian and I'm pretty sure Jesus is cool with it.
Much love, many veggies,
Marissa :)
Monday, January 5, 2009
Dawn to Dark
Hey folks!
I went back to school today. I was dreading it completely, but it was actually pretty awesome. I learned some stuff. Made some new friends. Embarrassed myself. The usual :) Everyone's super tired and we got a junkload of homework, though. Not fun.
I'm on Day 2 of vegetarianism and. it. rocks! It's a little difficult but, psh nothing I can't handle. I'm currently looking on some websites for high-protein foods and meatless recipes and such. Eating is so enjoyable now!
I went to Borders after church yesterday..it was awesome! I love that place. I really want to read Blue Like Jazz(Donald Miller), The Shack(William Young),Velvet Elvis(Rob Bell), and Jesus Want To Save Christians(Rob Bell). Those are the main ones on my to-read list. Now if only I had the money to buy them...
Speaking of books, so far in Breaking Dawn, I've found SEVEN errors. And that's doesn't even include the many sentences that end with prepositions or say things like "Me and Edward" instead of "Edward and I." Not including the error I posted a few weeks ago, here is a list of the horrendous slip ups:
from page 472 : "Why you don't you just tell me who wins?"
from page 575: "if a having a supernaturally thick skull could really be considered special."
from page 678: "As long Jacob was with Renesmee, she would be all right."
from page 693: "Raw as I was, I knew that if this were between her and me, I would obliterate her."
from page 699: "We none of us can entirely control our subconscious desires."
from page 703: "I was about to reach out to them when I realize that, strangely, I could still feel their sparks."
...Yeah, that's disappointing.
Haha, so earlier tonight, my sister, my mom, and I were going to go to Sam's for a few minutes to get The Shack (:D). Well, it's been raining like crazy all day so when my sister was trying to back out of the driveway, she kinda slid off into the grass. But it wasn't just innocent grass, it was like sinking mud. So my mom had to get out of the car and go find my dad, who proceeded to put this piece of wood under the tire to help it or something, I guess. It's pitch black outside, so my mom's out the in the freezing rain holding a flashlight while my dad tries to get the car out of the deep mud.
Well, she finally pushed forward onto stable land and we went on about our day.
There's still a nice dent in the verdure.
xoxoxo
Marissa
I went back to school today. I was dreading it completely, but it was actually pretty awesome. I learned some stuff. Made some new friends. Embarrassed myself. The usual :) Everyone's super tired and we got a junkload of homework, though. Not fun.
I'm on Day 2 of vegetarianism and. it. rocks! It's a little difficult but, psh nothing I can't handle. I'm currently looking on some websites for high-protein foods and meatless recipes and such. Eating is so enjoyable now!
I went to Borders after church yesterday..it was awesome! I love that place. I really want to read Blue Like Jazz(Donald Miller), The Shack(William Young),Velvet Elvis(Rob Bell), and Jesus Want To Save Christians(Rob Bell). Those are the main ones on my to-read list. Now if only I had the money to buy them...
Speaking of books, so far in Breaking Dawn, I've found SEVEN errors. And that's doesn't even include the many sentences that end with prepositions or say things like "Me and Edward" instead of "Edward and I." Not including the error I posted a few weeks ago, here is a list of the horrendous slip ups:
from page 472 : "Why you don't you just tell me who wins?"
from page 575: "if a having a supernaturally thick skull could really be considered special."
from page 678: "As long Jacob was with Renesmee, she would be all right."
from page 693: "Raw as I was, I knew that if this were between her and me, I would obliterate her."
from page 699: "We none of us can entirely control our subconscious desires."
from page 703: "I was about to reach out to them when I realize that, strangely, I could still feel their sparks."
...Yeah, that's disappointing.
Haha, so earlier tonight, my sister, my mom, and I were going to go to Sam's for a few minutes to get The Shack (:D). Well, it's been raining like crazy all day so when my sister was trying to back out of the driveway, she kinda slid off into the grass. But it wasn't just innocent grass, it was like sinking mud. So my mom had to get out of the car and go find my dad, who proceeded to put this piece of wood under the tire to help it or something, I guess. It's pitch black outside, so my mom's out the in the freezing rain holding a flashlight while my dad tries to get the car out of the deep mud.
Well, she finally pushed forward onto stable land and we went on about our day.
There's still a nice dent in the verdure.
xoxoxo
Marissa
Sunday, January 4, 2009
A Stuffed Dog Was Named After Me...It's A Good Day!
I went to a wedding today. Have I ever expressed my love for weddings? They're so sweet and awesome. They really bring out my girly side.
But I think my favorite part would have to be the reception. But aside from the dancing and seeing the newlyweds so happy and the bride in that really cool happy-outgoing-talk-to-anybody mood, is there really a reason to attend? Um, yes. It's called food. F-o-o-d. And this reception did not disappoint. I think I even discovered my new favorite food: won tons. They are amazing. And, because my mother's best friend is the bride's mother, we even got to take home a bunch of food, including a hefty chunk of each of the cakes and some won tons.
The wedding was at this beautiful church. Well, actually the inside was pretty gross, but the outside was like a picture-perfect wedding scene. They had these brick stairs with black rails and white doors at the top and I could just picture the bride running down those steps into a limo.
After the ceremony, we had some time before the reception, so we just drove around this random neighborhood.
And I thought the church was picture-perfect. This neighborhood was unreal. Every tree, stop sign, and house could have been on the cover of a magazine. I much prefer the city to the country, but this place was absolutely beautiful. As soon as I get a camera and some free time, I'm totally having a photo shoot there.
So anyways, after the reception hall finally cleared out, my family went over to the bride's family's house to hang out and eat and such. Fun, fun.
When we got back in the car I checked my phone. Cory had sent me a text saying that his sister got a stuffed dog and named it Marissa. I feel so honored :) Ha ha.
The wedding was about 45 minutes away, so we decided to listen to some Lynyrd Skynrd on the way.
"Freebird!!!!"
I'm totally gonna yell that at the next concert I attend. Not.
I'm so thirsty. Don't you hate when a sudden surge of thirst comes on right when you're trying to hit the hay? It's ever so annoying.
Well, it's past 2 and a)I need to go to sleep so I'll get up in time for church and b)school starts Monday(which is technically tomorrow) so I need to break this whole go to sleep at 2, wake up at noon deal.
Marissa (Muh-rih-suh) n. A really awesome thirsty kid who stays up too late and loves won tons
Friday, January 2, 2009
What do veggies, books, and Slankets have in common?
I wish I were a vegetarian.
I wish I had the discipline.
I wish I had the desire.
I wish I knew why this post is so dramatic thus far.
Ha ha,but really, I think it would be fun to be a vegetarian. People always have one of two thoughts when you tell them you're a vegetarian. They either judge you and think you're a dirty sinner for not enjoying all of God's creatures, or they think you're really cool. At least that's what I think they think. Maybe I'm wrong. But, I would like to try my hand at vegetarianism. I'll let you know how it goes.
I'm currently about 29/39ths of the way through Breaking Dawn. My goal this year is to read 35 books, so I just have 34 and 10/39ths left to go! But I'm the slowest reader ever, so once again, I'll let you know how it goes.
My computer has been really dumb lately...it just randomly shuts down when I'm right in the middle of something. This post, for example. I hope it fixes itself soon.
Did you have a good New Year's Eve? I did. Some of my relatives came over and we just laughed and talked and ate and watched movies and enjoyed each others' company :)
My lovely Granny gave me a Slanket. It's so cool. I mean, come on people, it's a blanket with sleeves(I just realized that's how it got its name), how could it not be cool? You can actually read without taking your arms out from underneath the blanket every time you want to turn the page. Plus, it also makes me look like a monk, which could be a plus anytime I wanted to gain some respect from monk-lovers.
My grandmother gave each of us a box with a Bible verse on the back and an ornament inside and we had to read the verse aloud. It was great fun. My dad's verse had the word "residue" in it and we kept mispronouncing words. That, added to the whole 1 A.M. delirious thing, provided for an entertaining 15 minutes. Haha.
We had a kissing fest at midnight. Watching people kiss is so awkward, it really is. But it's kind of intriguing and hard to look away from. Wow. Anyyyways.
I feel like I'm a really terrible blogger. Like I try too hard to make a good post and the opposite happens. Maybe I should just let the thoughts flow freely.
But, at least I use Spellcheck and paragraphs.
Well, it's late and I'm tired, so...
Cheers!
Marissa
I wish I had the discipline.
I wish I had the desire.
I wish I knew why this post is so dramatic thus far.
Ha ha,but really, I think it would be fun to be a vegetarian. People always have one of two thoughts when you tell them you're a vegetarian. They either judge you and think you're a dirty sinner for not enjoying all of God's creatures, or they think you're really cool. At least that's what I think they think. Maybe I'm wrong. But, I would like to try my hand at vegetarianism. I'll let you know how it goes.
I'm currently about 29/39ths of the way through Breaking Dawn. My goal this year is to read 35 books, so I just have 34 and 10/39ths left to go! But I'm the slowest reader ever, so once again, I'll let you know how it goes.
My computer has been really dumb lately...it just randomly shuts down when I'm right in the middle of something. This post, for example. I hope it fixes itself soon.
Did you have a good New Year's Eve? I did. Some of my relatives came over and we just laughed and talked and ate and watched movies and enjoyed each others' company :)
My lovely Granny gave me a Slanket. It's so cool. I mean, come on people, it's a blanket with sleeves(I just realized that's how it got its name), how could it not be cool? You can actually read without taking your arms out from underneath the blanket every time you want to turn the page. Plus, it also makes me look like a monk, which could be a plus anytime I wanted to gain some respect from monk-lovers.
My grandmother gave each of us a box with a Bible verse on the back and an ornament inside and we had to read the verse aloud. It was great fun. My dad's verse had the word "residue" in it and we kept mispronouncing words. That, added to the whole 1 A.M. delirious thing, provided for an entertaining 15 minutes. Haha.
We had a kissing fest at midnight. Watching people kiss is so awkward, it really is. But it's kind of intriguing and hard to look away from. Wow. Anyyyways.
I feel like I'm a really terrible blogger. Like I try too hard to make a good post and the opposite happens. Maybe I should just let the thoughts flow freely.
But, at least I use Spellcheck and paragraphs.
Well, it's late and I'm tired, so...
Cheers!
Marissa
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