A Tribute to the American Heroes

Here it is, Veterans day once again. It's amazing, I was on my facebook earlier today going through my friends list and I noticed how many say the branch of the Military for which they are serving in. Whether it is they are serving now, or they have served. Many family members serving or have served. Working in a restaurant, I see men and women coming in while in uniform, and I often wonder, have they been thanked for helping guarentee our freedom? Has anyone just ever said, "Thank you for doing what you do"? Or even something like, "I'm sorry for what you've lost, so I could gain". So, To all Veterens out there,

Thank you. Thank you for all you've done and what you've lost so we are able to sleep safely in our beds at night. Words cannot express my gratitude towards all you've done for us here. You are the real Superheroes.

Happy Birthday to the Marines

" The Few, The Proud"
He doesn't bitch, he doesn't whine
He waits in ditches & bides his time.
When the moment is right, he'll make his move.
No one to impress and nothing to prove
Strike to kill, it's them or you.
Steady and fast, proud and true.
Fighting for life deep in the sand
Heart of steel, fighting machine
The Few, The Proud, the U.S. Marine.
Poem by: Kala M Olson

You hear all about the Military, how its the proud. But there is one branch that stands out in my eyes. The Marines. The Marines are the first to go in and the last to leave, the really are the few and the proud. Many of my friends have joined this particular branch, and yes, I am so proud of them. But today is the Marine Corps Birthday. So, To all the Marines out there, if you just by chance stubble across this, Happy Birthday to you, and Thank you for what you have done or are doing.

<3 Love & Cuteness

Media and It's Effect on Weight

When you turn on the television and describe the first woman you see on it, what description would you come up with? I’m sure it would be similar to “thin, gorgeous and flawless”. Many of the women on today’s television shows and runways are not average women however. Yes, a lot of them have household names and we want to watch their shows or we want to see the designs they model, but there may be something going on behind the scenes, something the public eye is not privy to.

Look at the woman near you, she may be your friend, a relative or even a stranger. But do you know if she slaves away trying to meet a standard that society has set so she can be called beautiful? I admit, I attend a gym myself to help keep me in shape. And yes, even though I know that society has shallow standards, there is always that subconscious part that wants to meet those standards. I believe it is in every person.

The facts about the media’s effect on weight have been around for years. There was a study that was published in Teen Magazine in 2003 reporting at least 35% of girls from ages 6-12 had been on at least one diet. 50-70% of normal weight girls believed that they were overweight ("Beauty and body," 2010). And I’d bet those statistics are still true today.

I am a college student, attending Madonna University in hopes to pursue a career in education. The statistics about college females is slightly alarming when seeing them, being as I’m one. According to the American Research group Anorexia Nervosa & Related Eating Disorders, Inc. one in four college aged women uses unhealthy methods of weight control, including but not limited to fasting, skipping meals, excessive exercise, laxative abuse, and self-induced vomiting.

I’m not writing this to complain. Though I do believe society is on a downward spiral with no hope of saving it in the anywhere near future, I do believe this is a real scare to all people.

Beauty and body image in the media [Web log message]. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/stereotyping/women_and_girls/women_beauty.cfm

CNN Health. (1999, November 14). Media may feed weight problem of teenaged girls [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://articles.cnn.com/1999-11-14/health/9911_14_girls.weight_1_weight-gain-young-girls-control-weight?_s=PM:HEALTH

A New Start

I've started this to help me move on. I've lived in a few different states, visited many more than that. I want to make a difference in the world and my life. I'm going to be a teacher. Maybe I'll even get to study abroad for a while. Who knows for sure, but I know I'm going to do something awesome. First thing I'm going to do is give up on romance while I'm in school. It's just not worth the aggrivation while I get my degree. I fell for a guy a while back and I still haven't gotten over him. I believe the girl I called my sister might have helped, but ultimately, it was my fault it ended. As of today I've quit smoking, yay me =). I needed to for a while, and now that I have, lets watch the stress pile up, haha. At least I'm working now though. It'll help pass the time until school starts, and if I can go as planned, I will hopefully graduate January 2014.

"I may not be the girl I want to be, but I'm working on it, and when I get there, I'll take the world by storm."