New York City (Part 2)

This past weekend I took a very short weekend trip to New York City which reminded me I never finished part 2 of my NYC trip that I took this past Easter Break (part one can be found here). These next pictures will chronicle days two and three of my trip which were mostly a blur because I came down with a horrible stomach ache right after lunch on day two. Three days later we found out it was strep throat. Bad timing, I know. 

Anyway, I'm leaving this mostly pictures for the sake of the fact that I don't want to relive these two days that much. Enjoy.

The next three pictures are from the 9/11 Memorial. 

I enjoyed this pretzel on the Met steps right before I started feeling sick. Luckily, I still am able to enjoy a good pretzel. 

Times Square was gloriously busy and strikingly beautiful. It's a new and wondrous feeling of insane. Very much worth the crowd for a ten minute feeling of New York City-ness. And yes, New York City-ness is a word. How else is one supposed to describe NYC?

Also, thanks for all your kind words on my new blog design. I'm still working on updating my about me/about this blog/contact me tabs, but it'll get there.

Have a fabulous day. 

New Blog Design

After some painstaking editing/HTML coding (not even sure if that's even the proper term)/Google searching/refreshing my blog, I FINALLY DID IT. I have created a beautiful new blog (at least I think so). 

I am quite positive my blog hasn't been updated in about a year and half. I mostly was just dreading re-doing my header because of how tedious it was to do it the last time. (Read: I had to re-size the picture. A lot.) Today though, I was feeling a rush of energy and a need to redo my entire life. Therefore, a new blog was born.

I have quite a new respect for those who are gifted in the blog designing department. I am not one of them. It's insane to me how this whole Internet thing works with its URLs and HTMLs and all the other acronyms that are running through my head at the moment. 

I do have one quick question though. Does anyone out there know how to make their blogger about me photo circular? Also how to make a short bio go underneath said photo? Please? Anyone? I'm begging you. PLEASE SEND HELP.

Not only did I redo the visual aspect of my blog but also I'm in the process of redoing my about me/about this blog/contact pages as well. None of them are completely done yet, but I'm going to publish them all once I finish updating all three of them. Honestly the whole blog needed an upheaval in terms of looks and information. I'm quite happy with the way things turned out though. Just don't ask me to do it again for about another year. 

Also if you hate the way the blog looks don't tell me until, like, next month. Let me relish in the glory for a little while before you shoot me down. Thanks. You all are the greatest.

Have a fabulous day. 

Love Wins (An Elaboration)

About two weeks ago I posted this. I realized some time later that the post was very ambiguous and that I should probably elaborate a little. To be honest, I've been meaning to go in a somewhat in depth post on this topic for some time now it's just that life is crazy and fulfilling and I've been a really bad blogger these past couple of months.

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In a simplified and quickened version, on June 26th, our Supreme Court ruled that it is legal in all 50 states of America to get married despite your sexual orientation. Men can marry women, women can marry women, men can marry men. Essentially, if you love a person YOU CAN MARRY THEM.

Before this decision, gay marriage was a topic left up to each individual state. At the time of the ruling, gay marriage was already legal in a good majority of the states (36 out of the 50), but thanks to a 5 to 4 decision in the Supreme Court the 14 states that had made gay marriage illegal had no choice but to follow suit.

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As expected, there were some that were less than thrilled with the ruling. It was a hard day to be a Conservative in America. Poor things having to deal with God forbid, equality. I even read an article (although I'm not sure how trustworthy it was) where three counties in Alabama quit issuing marriage licenses altogether. Gay or straight. Didn't matter. You weren't getting married either way. (Article.)

Even with the dissent of some who claimed that America needed God now more than ever, or how Christ would soon be returning because of the "un-biblical mess" our nation has gotten itself into, it was a great and glorious day for me and millions of others.

I'm also going to skim the surface as to how — as a Christian — I believe in gay marriage. And by I believe I don't mean I'm one of those "I love them but don't support their lifestyle," but more like, "I love them. End of story. No buts." 

Honestly, I've been bouncing around a theory I read a while ago about how gay relationships aren't the sin we think they are. In short, when we put the Bible in its contextual time period and not our time period, homosexuality was very different.

In Biblical days, homosexual relationships were not two men or two women nor were they consensual. In that time, homosexual relationships were almost always a man and a young boy whom he bought and did sexual acts with in an non-consensual manner. So when the Bible condemns homosexuality, it's not condemning the two adults in a consensual relationship that we know today, but condemning an adult and child non-consensual relationship. 

Although I haven't done a TON of research on this topic and theory, it's one I'd like to hear your opinions on. I'm a big believer that the Bible is a living and breathing piece of work that grows with our time period. The Christianity that was practiced 200 hundred years ago is not the Christianity we practice today. This is the result of experiences and cultural changes that have flowed and ebbed Christianity into the religion that it is now.

I hope that one day gay marriage can become the sacred sacrifice that heterosexual marriage is in the church today, although I fear that hope is far from ever occurring.

Nevertheless, have a fabulous day.

AWARDS/TAGS

So I've taken quite an unintended hiatus recently. Summer is fun and glorious and sitting inside writing a blog post hasn't been on the top of my to do list these past couple weeks. 

Although I did stop blogging for some time, the world around me of course didn't. I was nominated by Mariosa @ Pastel Mariosa for the TMI Tag and by F @ The Fence of Stars for the Versatile Blogger Award. Because I'm always one for being efficient, I've decided to smash these two awards into one blog post. 

(Also sorry if this font is different than my usual font. Generally I simply copy and paste the questions for each award/tag, and I can't seem to get the font to look like my normal one. I guess this is what I get for being lazy. Learn from me kids.)

Please try to stay with me here everyone.

Up first is the TMI Tag:

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1. What are you wearing?

    I am currently wearing shorts, t shirt, and ball cap because summer. Also laziness.

2. Ever been in love?

   Once with a really good fish taco.

3. Ever had a terrible breakup?

    No. Although I did once break up with a boy over the phone. I was fourteen. He was heartbroken. End of story.

4.  How tall are you?

    5 feet 4 ish inches. 

5. Any tattoos or piercing?

   My ears are double pierced. I'd think my mom would have a heart attack over a tattoo.
6. OTP?    
I have no Earthly idea what an OTP is nevertheless an answer for it.
7.  Favorite TV show?   
I am a big fan of Parks and Recreation and Grey's Anatomy. 
8. Bands?   
I'm not a big fan of bands but more so simply singers. My favorite singer would have to be Ed Sheeran. If I had to go with a band though I'd pick the Lumineers.
9. Things you miss?  
Old friends and old memories.
10. How old are you?     
17
11. zodiac sign     
Virgo
12. Quality you look for in a partner?     
Honesty and the same sense of humor as me.
13.  Favorite quote?     
I find nearly all quotes to be overused or over analyzed. Therefore I prefer to simply skip this question.
14.  Loud or soft music?      
Soft generally although sometimes my mood dwells more on the loud side.
15.  Turn on?      
Humor.
16.  Turn off?       
 Any guy who's a dick. (They know who they are.)
17.  Reason I joined blogger?    
 I wanted nothing more than my own little space to cultivate all myself.
18.  Fears?     
Being left out.  
19. Last show you watched?      
Gossip Girl. Go ahead. Judge me.
20. Place you want to visit?     
Anywhere with a friend.
21. Do you have a crush?    
Somewhat but I'll probably never act on it. I'm shy and timid and fearing when it comes to relationships.
22. Last time you kissed someone?     
Rather not say.
23. Last sport you played?     
 Soccer.
24. Favorite pick up line?      
"I think you're suffering from a lack of vitamin me."
25. Who should answer these next?
 Every blogger who just laughed at that pick up line. Don't lie. I saw you. And I will find you.

Next up is the Versatile Blogger Award.

1. Thank the blogger who nominated you.
2. Share 7 random facts about yourself and answer the challenge.
3. Nominate 5 or more bloggers who you think fit the definition of versatile. 
4. Make up a new challenge.
5. Create your own 'Versatile Blogger Award' picture. (Ain't nobody got time for that. I simply stole one from the internet.)

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7 Facts:

1. I know all 43 US presidents in order. Also, a lot of people don't realize that we've had 44 presidencies yet only 43 presidents. Grover Cleveland served two nonconsecutive presidential terms (making him both the 22nd and 24th president) therefore he has two separate presidencies. Confusing times we live in, I know.

(Also, my biggest pet peeve is when people say we've had 44 presidents. Excuse me, we've only had 43. Crack open a US History textbook sometime.)

2. My high school once had a school dance in a bar.

3. I find that Tumblr is extremely confusing and I refuse to use it.

4. I'm currently teaching myself how to play the Ukulele. So far so good. 

5. I've never been to Disney World/Land. A kid in my AP US History class has been to Disney World 13 times. I am only slightly envious of him.

6.  Every female on my mom's side of the family is a teacher. I will be the first woman from that side of family to go into something not related to teaching (so help me God).

7. I just recently found a thrift shop that sells books for 10 cents. TEN CENTS I TELL YOU. (That's .09 Euros for all you European folks. POINT ZERO NINE EUROS I TELL YOU.) Although a hell of a deal, these cheap books will be very bad for my library.

Next up is the challenge. The challenge is to name seven things you want to do (or places you want to visit) before you die. 

1. I've always wanted to get tickets to see a talk show/late night TV/SNL. Most (if not all) tickets are free, it's just a matter of traveling to the city they're filmed in (usually somewhere in California or NYC) and also actually getting the tickets. Popular ones like SNL usually do a lottery or you can camp outside the studio the night before (or sometimes even days before) hoping to snag a ticket that nobody claimed. Others you simply pick the date(s) you'd like to attend and hope you get a call saying you've been chosen to receive the tickets. My top picks would definitely be Ellen, SNL, or Late Night with Seth Meyers (in no particular order).

2. I've always wanted to visit Auschwitz. Albeit morbid, I've always been interested in the Holocaust since the fourth grade. 

3. Also, I'd love to be an extra in a film. I mean, why not?

4. I want to eat (and be able to afford) a real four course meal. Preferably in a nice and beautiful city.

5. I would love to finish writing a novel someday. I don't really care about getting published/having everyone read it/making millions. I just want TO FINISH ONE OF THEM.

6. I want to go on a backpacking trip in the near future. I hear that you can receive some sort of pass to kayak down our National Parks' rivers and I'd love to spend a summer kayaking and reading and eno-ing. But the real question is, how will I fit enough books into one backpack?

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7.  Finally, I'd love to film and edit a movie. I've always been fascinated in short films/documentaries, and I'd love to make one of my own. It's a weird thing I know, but humor me here.

Now I'm supposed to nominate people, but I hate nominating others because then they feel like they have to do it in a quick and timely fashion, and so let's just not. Although if you feel so inclined to do this award, go for it. The challenge I bestow upon you is to name seven things on your bucket list.

Also, thanks to both Mariosa and F for the nominations. I'm also unbelievably sorry it took me THIS LONG to get around to doing this. You both are too kind.

Have a fabulous day.