Shamu!

When I was little, I wanted to be a Shamu trainer when I grew up. I still do. I think it would be incredibly cool! But obviously I am not following that career path. Doing so would require A LOT of school, even more money, and I would have to move somewhere ocean-y. But I still dream. :)

I was shocked when I heard that one of the trainers at the Orlando Sea World had been killed, by one of the whales no less. I never really thought about that possibility, but they are wild animals with a lot of power. Of course they could kill someone. So sad...

Here's an article about it: 

Killer Whale Kills

I got to go to Sea World in San Diego, CA four years ago when my family went on vacation. It was amazing! I remember being in awe, actually able to see something so cool in real life! (I also remember getting so, so sun burnt.) 

This picture was my favorite- I would love to surf on Shamu!

In the Garden...

Sometimes I am weary of fighting to have my point of view understood and appreciated. There are a few people who often share the same feelings and outlooks on life as me, but they do not always. I don't like being in situations where someone doesn't understand (and doesn't try) to see things from my point of view. And I know that I don't always appreciate the opinions of others. This gets tiresome.

Even a best friend is going to have different interests and opinions than you. I know this is what makes life interesting and what makes the world go round. But sometimes I just like to be understood. I like to have my opinions and thoughts listened to...really listened to...and I like having the reassurance that the things in life I consider beautiful are indeed beautiful.

Jesus is the BEST best friend I could ever have. He is someone who completely understands the way I view something, even when I don't have the words to describe it. Jesus is crazy about me and my interests...He loves what makes me ME. He knows exactly what makes me smile and what I find beautiful in life. Like it says in Psalm 37:4...He wants to give me the desires of my heart! He knows me inside out, He knows what makes me tick. He created me with these particular likes and dislikes and treasures them! Even if it seems like no one else appreciates what I appreciate, there is always ALWAYS Someone who does! To me, the very best part about Jesus is that He is always there! He is someone I can tell my inside jokes to who will know all of them by heart. And He knows my sense of humor because He created it! How awesome is that?!


In the Garden

I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses.
And the voice I hear, falling on my ear,
The Son of God discloses.

And He walks with me, and He talks with me, 
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there, 
None other has ever known.

He speaks and the sound of His voice
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing.
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing.

And He walks with me, and He talks with me, 

And He tells me I am His own;

And the joy we share as we tarry there, 

None other has ever known.

I'd stay in the garden with Him

Though the night around me be falling,

But He bids me go; through the voice of woe,

His voice to me is calling.

And He walks with me, and He talks with me, 

And He tells me I am His own;

And the joy we share as we tarry there, 

None other has ever known.

JOY:

Jesus first
Others next
You last!

Real life fails!

One of the websites I check daily is failblog.org. And it always makes my day to find a real "fail" in everyday life! Here are some that I captured in photos:

I've never been to Red Robin...or Reb Robin.

This was at a Chinese restaurant in Iowa.

Hobby Lobby, you should know better!

There were like 10 of these stuffed animals and they were ALL grammatically incorrect!

This last one I found on the back of a menu in the Vatican City...I guess English pronouns are a difficult concept to Italians?

I will definitely be on the lookout for more of these blunders. =]

Head in the clouds

I'm the kind of person who tends to dream.

Sometimes it happens during the day...while in class, while eating lunch, while making my bed, and every other time in between. Sometimes it happens at night and I wake up thinking about the strange events that took place in my mind whilst I was slumbering. Whether my dreaming is in my conscious or sub-conscious, it is always there.

Dreaming is a good thing. People always say "Dream big and you will achieve big things." I believe this is true, wholeheartedly. But sometimes having my head in the clouds can be not so good. I tend to become so absorbed in a book or in an event (such as the Olympics) that it's hard to get back to reality. Friends will talk to me but my mind will be elsewhere, and oftentimes I leave them with just an "mmhmm." Then when I can focus again I kick myself for not paying close attention to what they have said or done. This is something I need to work on!

I absolutely love getting lost in a book, where you can forget about your present life (even if everything is going dandy) and see the world from another's perspective. Suddenly you have access to two separate worlds! And I think a big part of why I love figure skating so much is the fact that I can dream about it so fully. I've dreamed about what it would be like to go to the Olympics and win a gold medal since I was eight years old. As each Olympic year came from then on, I wondered if skating would finally lose its magic- it hasn't. I know for sure it never will for me, even when I'm 88! Even though I'll never compete in the Olympics, I can dream and imagine and get lost in the wonder and beauty of skating, as cliche as it is. I've had a connection with skating my whole life and it will continue to be something beautiful and sacred to me always.

Imponderables

I absolutely love these! I hope they can give you a smile : )

If you tied buttered toast to the back of a cat and dropped it from a height, what would happen?

When two airplanes almost collide, why do they call it a near miss rather than a near hit?

Why do they put Braille dots on the keypad of the drive-up ATM?

Why does your nose run and your feet smell?

If pro is the opposite of con, is progress the opposite of congress?

Can sour cream go bad?

Is there another word for synonym?

Why do kamikaze pilots wear helmets?

Why isn't there a mouse-flavored cat food?

Do Roman paramedics refer to IV's as "4's"?

Do crematoriums give discounts for burn victims?

What would the speed of lightning be if it didn't zigzag?

If you go to a general store, will they let you buy anything specific?

If nothing sticks to Teflon, how do they get Teflon to stick to the pan?

I don't know what it is about Johnny Weir.

Maybe it's the fact that I think he's just about the most beautiful man on earth...but maybe it's more than that. He is the one skater that has the ability to amaze me time after time and give me goosebumps even if I'm watching a program for the 100th time. Johnny Weir is outspoken, one-of-a-kind, a fighter, unpredictable, and just downright beautiful. I was fortunate enough to meet him and get his autograph (on his birthday, no less), but I regret that at the time I didn't realize how much I was someday going to love him.

Tonight he competed in his last Olympics and most likely the last competition of his career. His Olympic free skate is not up on YouTube yet, but there is a video of his performance at Nationals. Watch it. You will not be disappointed.

Beautiful Johnny

This post is to Johnny...for all he has done in the past 13 years as a skater and for bringing beauty to the sport that is so often just technical. You have so many fans who say they love you...but I love you the most!