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Death

Personal , Random • Jan 22, 2013

DEATH. We all know that at some point its coming. At a certain point in life as well we know that it’s going to begin to surround us It’s always a shock and it’s never the type of surprise any of us look forward to. The circumstances are always unexpected and its always unfortunate.

This morning at 2:30 AM my grandfather MERLE SMITH passed away. It was everything listed above. As an older man I knew his time was coming. I knew that every minute I had with him could some day be my last. I took that for granted and unfortunately I didn’t spend as many moments with him as I should have. A REGRET IS A MISTAKE THAT YOU HAVEN’T LEARNED FROM. I learned therefore I have no regrets. I look back and smile only on the happy memories I still have.

Grandpa was admitted to the hospital on Sunday for pneumonia. At the time everything was normal. Being elderly the admittance was simply just a precaution. Monday evening things went sour when an aneurism in his brain burst. A few short hours later he passed to his home in heaven. He will have great company with fellow family members that have gone before him. 

Today is the first time ever that i’ve called off work for a death in the family (don’t judge me). I feel that its more benefiting to be at work keeping my mind off of the pain instead of sitting at home and sulking about it. This situation is different. This man meant everything to me. My dad passed when I was young and this man stepped in quickly to fill the voice. This he continued to do up until the day that he passed. I will never forget the beautiful memories that I am left with.

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Welcome 2013

Holidays , Personal , Random • Jan 1, 2013

2013

Well, another new year is upon us. Another chance for each of us to plan out our new years resolutions and attempt to correct all of our mistakes from 2012. I spend each New Year’s Eve trying to figure out a list of my new years resolutions. This year I decided that I was not going to do this BUT it just wouldn’t be a new year without my resolutions!

RESOLUTION #1 – ORGANIZATION. I have committed myself to utilizing a 2013 Moleskin planner that I purchased from Barnes & Noble. Tracking my work schedule, tracking my bills, tracking fanlistings/blogs, and overall just tracking everything in my life will (hopefully) insure my organization.

Organization has always been tough for me. No real reason why. I’m a bit of a procrastinator. I put things off, I end up losing things, and overall get my dates mixed up. The only time I get a fanlisting on the overdue troubles list is simply because I didn’t document somewhere when it was due. I have found that when I use a planner that things get done and they get done on time!

RESOLUTION #2 – GAIN CONTROL OF FINANCES. I plan to do this by setting a budget and really sticking to this budget. I overspend continuously and spend money that is not necessary.

I can’t even begin to tell you how many half used bottles of foundation I currently have in my bathroom, its crazy! I do believe that I work hard for my money and can enjoy the simple luxuries of spending money on myself. I still plan to do this but in a more cautious manner. So much of my money is wasted on food and eating out when we could easily utilize coupons and grocery store specials to make great meals.

RESOLUTION #3 – GAIN HTML/PHOTOSHOP/WORDPRESS KNOWLEDGE. Learn how to create some of my own wordpress themes. I have friends that make beautifully stunning layouts and there really is no reason why I can’t do the same. This would go hand-in-hand with finances as well.

Nothing is wrong with paying for a beautiful layout. You shall notice the beautiful new layout I am currently using from CRAZY CORDY DESIGNS. But I really need to limit myself and only purchase when necessary. When I buy these layouts it’s important that I use them for a more extended period of time as well.

I truly can think of many more resolutions but I’ve been guilty in the past of having TOO MANY and then not sticking to any of them. If I set 3 and they all go hand-in-hand 2013 really will be a success.

2012 was truly a year of mixed emotions. I lost the most important women in my life towards the beginning. I gained a promotion that i’ve been waiting (and busting my butt) 3 years for. I revamped God Give Me Truth, Obsession, and A Public Affair. My relationship hit a low point and then yet another peak. I crawled out of debt. I bought my DREAM CAR. I saw a handful of amazing concerts and shows as well as an amazing live WWE RAW SUPERSHOW.

I look back on the year and have some of the greatest memories and some of the worst memories. I’m moving forward into 2013 with high hopes, great resolutions, and much to look forward to. New years blogs are some of my favorites to read so please let me know about your resolutions!

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Is Gun Control The Answer?

Personal , Random • Dec 16, 2012

burning red candle

I know that this is a VERY controversial topic, but its one that must absolutely be talked about. Yesterday my partner and I went on a short road trip to Amish Country for lunch. Instead of enjoying our usual holiday music for the ride down I decided that I wanted to listed to the CNN state on my sirius radio.

I have been very bothered and deeply disturbed by the events that unfolded friday afternoon in Newtown, Connecticut. Through our two hour car ride CNN repeatedly recapped the information that we already knew and continued to provide breaking news updates throughout the afternoon. The two items that CNN repeated over and over again were that we needed (1) tougher gun control laws and (2) tougher mental health laws.

This poses my biggest question. IS GUN CONTROL THE ANSWER? Now, I don’t own a gun and i’ve never put a ton of thought into our current gun control laws. The thing that seems to resonate within my mind is that the shooter in this situation never owned a gun. It was his mother that owned the guns. Now, I agree that that military grade semi-automatic weapons have no place in a consumers home. But the truth of the matter is that the shooter in this situation never owned a gun (he attempted to purchased one days before the shooting and was denied) but instead our shoot stole his weapon from his mother.

Yes, I agree that if laws on gun control had been more strict our shooters mother may never have had this semi-automatic killing machine in their home. But their were 5 other weapons within the home that the shooter had access to. CNN brought another good point, if you want to kill someone what is going to stop you? Gun control laws aren’t going to stop you from obtaining a gun. It’s similar to drugs in my eyes. Drugs are illegal substances but look at how many people are admitted to rehab each year because of a drug addiction. I can’t tell you how many people I knew in high school that smoked marajuana. The laws on drugs never stopped them from doing them.

I’m not in anyway trying to justify the horrible crime that was committed on Friday. I feel the same pain and mourning that the rest of our country is feeling. I just believe that it’s time to take a stand together and put in place solutions to attempt to prevent this from happening within the future. I believe that CNN had it wrong. We need to look past laws and policies and think outside the box for a proper solution.

I understand that this topic is controversial. I’m not looking to argue with others on the issues. Please be respectful with your own personal questions, comments, and concerns

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Gender Roles

Personal , Random • Dec 6, 2012

I had a LONG day in training today in Cleveland. It takes me about 40 minutes to get from where I live to downtown Cleveland for training. Anyway… i’ve really been into listening to my Sirius XM radio when i’m driving a longer trip. Something about talk radio keeps me awake, focused etc.

There was a big conversation about children and their toys. I guess the conversation started a few weeks back and made its away all the way to CNN. You can read a bit more HERE. Its talking about how Hasbro markets certain toys such as the EASY BAKE OVEN only to little girls and not boys. The story began when a little girl (8th grade) was talking about her little brother wanting to grow up and become a chef and now currently wanting an easy bake oven for christmas.

The controversy continued into all different kinds of toys. They moved on to talking about how different colors were associated to different sexes as well. Girls being associated with pink, boys associated with blue, etc. I found the whole conversation to be very intriguing but then at the same time also EXTREMELY annoying. I’m all about organizations marketing products towards certain people. There is nothing wrong with Hasbro making their easy bake oven pink or purple. Its always been marketed toward girls and i’m sure that marketing shows that the majority of buyers are girls. BUT if you want to buy your little boy a pink easy bank oven then DO IT. Who really cares??!! Any other thoughts? Sorry for the rant as well, it was a long ride home.

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