Summer To Do List:

1. I want to check out the Czech area of Cedar Rapids. I recently went on a bike ride with one of my friends to that area and I was surprised by how cute it all was. I hope to experience the Czech area more fully this summer.
2. Visit and explore Palisades Park. This picture is of Palisades Park. I have heard it is a very gorgeous place to relax, but also a great place to work up a sweat hiking.
3. Go boating with some friends. Last summer I lived on Lake Okoboji and got to boat a lot so I am going to miss it. Hopefully, the little boating I get this summer will be fun!
4. Hangout at Nicole's pool. One of my best friends has a pool at her house 20 minutes from Cedar Rapids. I hope they get it up and running soon and that her family doesn't mind having another girl around.
5. Become a 'runner'. I have never thought of my self as a 'runner'. I swam for 14 years so that was my athletic specialty, but lately I have started to run. I find running a rewarding experience and one that tests my personal endurance. Running is more of a mind sport for me. I have the physical endurance to run awhile, but I must overcome my mental desire for rest to continual push myself.
6. Visit Joe in Georgia. My boyfriend left for basic in March and I miss him a lot. I get to go see him in June when he graduates from training.
7. Go home for the county fair and see my sister show. Showing sheep has always been a tradition in my family. My two older brothers and I paved the way and my little sister is continuing the Finneseth Farm legacy. I am excited to go home and support her sheep showing efforts.
8. Explore Cedar Rapids and experience some of the activities going on during the summer. Lots of events take place in Cedar Rapids over the summer, and I have never been here to experience them. I am looking forward to the many new experiences I am going to have.
9. Take my little sister shopping. My little sister loves shopping and this is some good sister bonding time that we do not get a lot of. With me being away at school and away over the summer my sister misses me a lot. Shopping is a good place for us to bond and catch up.
10. Play in the rain. As I stated earlier in this blog, I am a swimmer. I love water and rain falls into that category. I have never officially played in the rain and I have always wanted to. So this summer, I am going to let loose and play in the rain!

Harry Potter Theme Park?!

Universal Studios and Warner Brothers have teamed up to make a Harry Potter theme park. It is being called a "theme park within a theme park" because it is going to be located in Universal Studio's already existing Island of Adventure. The theme park will be in Orlando, Florida and is predicted to open some time in 2010.

There are many websites that anticipate the opening of this theme park. This is the official fan website and Universal's official website there is even a Muggle Website that talks about the new theme park.

Some of the attractions include: Hogsmeade, the Forbidden Forest, Hogwarts Castle, and the Three Broomsticks. More attractions will probably be there; however, they are keeping those a secret right now.

Our generation grew up with Harry Potter. Who of us wouldn't want to visit this theme park? It is a real life replica of our childhood fantasies.

Two Little Boys Victims of Homosexual Discrimination

This article "Two Little Boys" talks about two 11 year olds that committed suicide because they were being teased at school about being homosexual.

"Seeking to diminish the human dignity of another whose only crime is not loving whom you would have him or her love is immoral and an offense to the indomitable determination of the heart," Charles M. Blow wrote in the article. I completely agree with this comment. I found this story appalling and extremely saddening. Two eleven year olds were being teased for their sexual orientation when they hadn't even gone through puberty. These boys will never experience middle school. They will never experience graduation. They will never experience true love. These boys lives ended much too soon.

Their lives ended too soon because of ignorance. Because of malice. Because of discrimination. Because of adults who wouldn't take the stand to stop such cruelty.

I hope adults start to realize their impact on their children and younger generations. It is evident to any young adult that has a little sibling. My sister is constantly looking up to me and repeating what I do. She not only asks me for advice but is influenced by how I respond. Adults need to start realizing how they impact children. An adult does not have to say something to send a message. Body language sends just as loud a message as words ever could. By accepting the homosexual teasing the parents and teachers were consenting to the behavior and whether they knew it or not, telling those bullies the teasing was perfectly acceptable.

That type of behavior is not acceptable and should be stopped immediately. Two young boys lives were cut short because this behavior was condoned by adults.

This behavior and view is not just a problem amongst children but also in adults. Some high schools have a day where all the students remain silent and do not speak to raise awareness of anti-gay discrimination. Some parents stated in the video that they do not believe it is right to have the "thought police" forced upon their children one day at school.

If the school does not step up to stop this discrimination and the parents do not, then who will?

This distortion of right and wrong must be corrected and it must start with you so no other innocent young lives are lost.

No ONE Could EVER Replace My Girls

When reflecting on my life I found that I have always been fortunate to have a solid group of friends throughout all stages of my life. I had my best friend in elementary school that turned into a triplet in middle school and then quintuplets in high school. Together we went through the stages of first crushes, first kisses, first loves, and first drivers licenses. I experienced a lot of firsts with this group, and I know they will also be there for the other firsts I experience in my life: my wedding, my first child, and my first house.

However, the first time we did not get to experience something together was when we all went our separate ways for college. This first was hard to experience alone and each of us handled it differently. Some of us went home a lot while others could not. Some were more shy and did not get out and make new friends right away while others did. Some of us were extremely homesick while others were perfectly fine with the new found freedom. Once I started to adjust to my new life without my group of friends constantly surrounding me, I started branching out and making new friends.

This is when I one by one met the girls that would make up my college circle. I met them through mutual friends the first day, during a volleyball game in the rain, by suggestion from a religious leader on campus, and by chance because we were on the same floor. All of us lived on 5th Armstrong and this was the major tie in our friendship at the beginning of the year. But as the year went on, we began to experience new firsts of our own: a first official boyfriend, a first final break-up, a first new love, the first sibling lost, and the trials of the first year in college. These experiences helped to make our bonds unbreakable. We no longer all live on the same floor but our friendships have lasted because they do not rely on convenience.

I no longer measure my friendships on firsts but on the memories that have been made. Each circle of friends is extremely, eternally, and irreplaceably important to me. Even though I have gone through different trials and joys with the two groups, I know all of them will be there in a second if I need anything. They will be my closest friends for the rest of my life. They will be the ones I call first when I get engaged. The ones I call when I find out I'm pregnant. The ones I call when I have my children. The ones I call when I need help. The ones I call when I feel I cannot keep going weighed down by burdens. They will be the ones that jump for joy when I have good news. The ones that bring soup when I feel sick. The ones who help me carry the burdens when I no longer can on my own. They are the ones that mean the most to me. The ones no one could replace. They are the ones that I would be lost without. Each and everyone of them I would not be the same person without knowing. These are the girls that have molded me into who I am today, and I am eternally greatful for that.

This reflection was sparked by the article, "What Are Friends For? A Longer Life" in the New York Times. This article talks about the benefits of a large group of close friends which I definitely qualify for. There is now proof that a larger group of close friends has health benefits one best friend could not provide. I always knew that a large group was more valuable to me, but it is now proven to be more valuable to everyone.

Humorous Pet Peeves Speech

As I was debating what to speak about for my final speech, I decided to talk about my pet peeves. I feel this topic is relevant to everyone because everyone has a pet peeve. I found this speech quite humorous and decided to post it on my blog. I mean I did just write it 2 hours ago. :)


Intro:
We all like pets. Those fuzzy, cuddly things we like to play with. But I am not going to talk about those pets today, I am going to talk about the pets we all hate. The pets that never leave us along. The pets you can never get away from. The pets that follow you everywhere.

Body:
1. These pets always seem to pop up when you are with your friends. You are relaxing, watching a movie and then here they come. The person behind you innocently starts cracking their knuckles. Then, before you know it, knuckle cracking spreads like an infectious disease throughout the room. Everyone seems to have a fascination with a pet that you can’t stand.
2. These pets don’t just infect your friend group, however, they seem to follow you into your classrooms as well. While enjoying another exciting and enlightening day in class the teacher decides to assign an insane amount of assignments. Of course, this wouldn’t be so bad if you actually knew what you were supposed to be doing. Unfortunately, it is once again a guessing game as to what the requirements are for the assignment. Now if it wasn’t bad enough that you had knuckle popping tagging along to class, you now have another pet nagging at your nerves.
3. These pets couldn’t just stay at home when you go to work. Nope! They come right along for the ride. While working on routine tasks your brain shifts into autopilot because of how many times you have done this particular task. You have done this task inside out, outside in, and from all other possible angles you could have. But wait, here it comes, that crazy, corrective, co-worker you can’t stand. As the co-worker stands there explaining the one hypothetical angle that you decided wasn’t worth your time to try, you play over and over again in your head all the places you would rather be. Even if you could get away from this co-worker there is no place you could go that would be alleviate your anxiety. The pets have infested all areas of your life. Nowhere is safe. Knuckle popping, gigantic load of homework due tomorrow, and annoying know-it-all-ten-times-better-than-you, are following at your heels.

Conclusion:
So what could you possibly do to find some safe sane sanctuary to get away? I am not going to say this sanctuary is easy to get to, but the good news is that it is possible. Unlike the fuzzy, cuddly pets I talked about earlier, these pets are not real. These pets reside within your head. And just like most diseases there is a remedy to getting ride of them. You need to realize all areas of your life while have pets that you don’t like, but you must learn to leave them there. Do not allow these pets to infect the rest of your life and make your day worse. You must also understand that everyone has different pets that they hate and others they don’t mind. You can help to alleviate others anxiety by not contributing to their personal grievances against particular pets. In turn, you can ask those people not to bring along the pets you hate. So even though everyone hates at least one of these pets, there is a remedy for not allowing them to infect your life.

My Bucket List

Looking through some of the blogs I came upon Jacki's bucket list and thought I would make one of my own. For those of you that do not know what a bucket list is, it is a list of things that you would like to accomplish before you die.



1. Sky Dive
2. See the Northern Lights
3. Be in Times Square for New Years
4. Celebrate Oktoberfest in Germany
5. Travel Europe
6. Live in another country
7. Have a family
8. A Career that I enjoy
9. Do more mission work
10. Sleep Under the Stars with Someone I Love

What's your rules for maintaining healthy relationships?

As I was trying to decide what to blog I went to Plinky to get a little spark. The prompt I found that intrigued me the most was, "List your rules for maintaining a healthy relationship." Answers ranged from laughing together to disagree about things. The most common answer I saw had to do with communicating with each other, which I would have to agree with.

My 1st rule in a relationship is that communication is the utmost important thing. You should feel comfortable telling your significant other everything. If you cannot do this in fear that they will judge you or won't like what you tell them than you might not be with the right person. Granted you do not have to tell the person every little detail but you should be able to judge what should be told. If you are unsure, tell it. It is better to tell them yourself then have someone tell them for you. It is also better to tell them something they find irrelevant than not telling something you should have. My rule of thumb is if I feel guilty or uneasy about not telling something then I tell him.

My 2nd rule is that honesty should come with everything you tell each other. Being completely honest in your communication is like the second half of the heart. Without honesty the communication would not be complete. Communication without honesty is faulty and not able to function correctly in your relationship. Even if it is hard, honesty is the most important thing. You should be able to reveal yourself honestly to someone that chooses to be with you.

My 3rd rule is loyalty solely to the person you are with means you are in a relationship. If you are not loyal only to the person you are with then why are you with them? A relationship means you are with that person and ONLY with that person. If you are unsure about your feelings for the person then you need to communicate honestly with them and decide what should be done. One of the worst things to do is cheat on a person. It destroys the trust they had in you and will never fully be repaired. If you are not loyal then you will no longer be honestly communicating to your significant other either and therefore will be breaking all three rules.


If you abide by all these rules then your relationship should be healthy and rewarding to each person.