NYC Weekend!

As we were approaching LaGuardia airport I looked out my window and saw the craziest thing. I saw a circle rainbow. At first it was just the circular rainbow, but as we descended into different angles of sunlight, I suddenly noticed our plane's shadow IN the rainbow. 

Man, what magic!

New York trips are so much fun! I was lucky enough to be flown up to NYC for an interview! I chose to stay over the weekend to explore the city with one of my friends. But business first - interview time!

After a full day of interviews it was time to unwind! I've been to New York quite a few times, but now was the time to explore the city as a potential future resident! My girlfriend showed me around a few neighborhoods so I could get a jump start on things should the universe place me in this direction!

Working in Manhattan you have a few options of where to live, price depending of course. We checked out various neighborhoods in Manhattan and in Brooklyn.

NYC has some of the most interesting street art, which I love! 

Sometimes you see the craziest things in NYC!!!!

My short weekend was maximized to the fullest, hanging out and checking out local digs.  I hope I get to come back soon!  Until next time New York City...

"To The Women With Warm Hearts & Cold Hands"

There are no words I can use to sum up this article that would do it any better justice than to read it. THANK YOU Naomi Honon for writing such a beautiful piece.  It's nice to know I'm not alone out there in my thoughts.  That is why I write, and you have done the same for me.  Thank you.

Via Naomi Honon Dec 3, 2014
http://www.elephantjournal.com/2014/12/to-the-women-with-warm-hearts-cold-hands/


I don’t know how you like your coffee on misty mornings.

I don’t know which rooftop you kick your favorite sneakers off to climb, what haunts your thoughts at night or what makes you want to stand up and fight. But I do know you—and I know your heart.

You are the woman who zips her own dress up for work every morning. The woman laughing under the rain without anyone to help you jump over puddles. The woman who runs up stairs and double checks locks before ending every day. The woman curled up under sheets, in the corner of a bed meant for two.

I know you because we share the same heart.

We all arrived here through different roads, different highways and different dirt paths. Some of us are bruised. Some of us are spotless. How we got here doesn’t matter—only how we’re tied together.

We are the women who spend our sweatpants-wearing Sunday afternoons alone. The women who treat ourselves to fancy Valentine’s Day dinners. The women who buy ourselves carnations after making mistakes.

We are the women who’ve decided to bravely put love on the back burner. We know we’ll one day be mothers of beautiful children who’ll share the same clusters of freckles on their noses. We know there’ll come a time when we’ll look into someone’s eyes and see a reflection of our dreams.

We never for a second doubt that we deserve all this or that it’ll happen. But we know that now is not that time, and we accept it with grace and patience.

Couples in black and white romantic movies make us smile without wincing. We sing along to cheesy ballads on radios knowing that one day, one of them will be sung for us. We go to sleep every night happy no one’s taken our minds hostage. We aren’t waiting. We aren’t still, or frozen with hope. We are in a constant state of motion, dedicating everyday to ourselves and the goals our souls ache for.

To the women with warm hearts and cold hands, I hope you know how brave you are.

Solitude can get deafening sometimes, but self-sufficiency is a trait even warriors have trouble mastering. You are your own commander, fighting frostbite, fidgeting in your mittens. Never apologize for the fires you light.

Carry our flag with you and know you’ll never be alone.

Beside you stands an army of women marching to the same heartbeat in bedrooms that are oceans and countries away, carrying the same promises to themselves throughout their days. Who never allow anyone to tell them what they should have, or who they should need.

And never let anyone tell them when love should, or shouldn’t be.

Concealed Carry!

Recently I took the North Carolina concealed carry handgun course. This is something that's been on my radar for years, and finally, I did it! This was an all day class, from 8am to 5pm, of classroom material, a test, and practice on a shooting range!

Ronnie Atwood is the man!!!!

I highly recommend this class for everyone. You'll learn a little bit of history about the Second Amendment, the rules of engagement, self defense tactics, and what rights you have depending on how things can play out on the battlefield, as Ronnie would say. Learning about guns too, even if you don't like them, is great knowledge to have. I want to share with you some of the interesting things I learned. In no way are these my political or military passions, I just learned a lot this day and am excited to share. :)

Every American has the right to bear arms, that's what the Second Amendment is all about - "A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." This Amendment has been interpreted in many different ways, but essentially this Amendment makes sure the government works for the people, and not the other way around. That the ultimate authority resides in the people, and this Amendment protects the people so we do not end up in a tyrannical situation.

On average, it takes only 7-14 seconds to break into a home.
If someone was breaking into your home right now what would you do? Do you have a plan? Will you hide in a closet? Do you have time to grab your kids? Do you have a gun, nearby? Are you going to call 911? Do you have any weapons stored around your house to prepare for this type of situation? Pepper spray, anything? 14 seconds is not a long time. These are important questions you should have answered. You should also consider staging your house with barriers should an armed intruder enter your home. Putting locks on bedrooms doors will give you precious seconds to help you prepare for this battle, to call 911, to grab weapons, etc. Staging your house with objects that could stop bullets from moving through walls, too, is also important. For example, say your child's bedroom is across from yours. You hear someone breaking in and you don't have time to run and grab your kids, you're in your room and an armed intruder is charging you. You shoot at him, later realizing you are shooting into your child's bedroom. Having a bookshelf or piano on the walls between you and your loves ones is something to consider.

Routine habits will get you killed faster and make you an easier target.
If you're able to, switch things up. Take a different way to work. Take off on a Tuesday. How many times do you hear stories of a home being broken into and turns out a mother was home sick, etc. If you can't breakup your routine, make sure you have a plan.

Take time to talk to your spouse, or your kids, or if it's just you, HAVE A PLAN. Maglites, flashlights, and pepper spray are great to have strategically placed around your home. Take time to do pepper spray training. How many of you have pepper spray but have never used it? Do you know how far it will spray? Is it a stream, or a gel? Get familiar with what you're working with so you can quick and easily protect yourself.

Statistics show you are more likely to survive if you fight back versus giving in.
As a woman, I've heard many suggestions of what to do should I be attacked in a parking lot or while getting in my car. But one I had not yet heard was keeping a whistle on you. Not in your purse in a deep side pocket, but on a retractable string on the outside of your purse. Attackers do not like attention. Blowing on a whistle is a great way to call attention to yourself. Also, besides just screaming HELP, scream HELP RAPE! How many of us have seen a couple arguing and you just think, "Man, glad that's not me and my relationship."  It's quite sad, it's the world we live in these days. If you see a heated argument you almost think the two people know each other. But you never know how many women are just frozen in fear trying to talk their attackers out of what they're doing. Scream HELP RAPE, and blow that whistle, that will get someones attention should you need it.

SO - I know this was a lot. Some of you may already be familiar with this type information, but some may not be. This information is good to have!

Knowledge is so beautiful! 

Rumi

"The minute I heard my first love story, I started looking for you, not knowing how blind that was."


“When you open yourself to the continually changing, impermanent, dynamic nature of your own being and of reality, you increase your capacity to love and care about other people and your capacity to not be afraid. You’re able to keep your eyes open, your heart open, and your mind open. And you notice when you get caught up in prejudice, bias, and aggression. You develop an enthusiasm for no longer watering those negative seeds, from now until the day you die. And, you begin to think of your life as offering endless opportunities to start to do things differently.”


“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek & find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”

New Animal Pics!

I've added a few new animal pics to my MEOW page!  Check em out!  :)

Little something...

"When setting out on a journey, do not seek advice from those who have never left home." -Rumi

Doing It Wrong

When a good thing goes bad it's not the end of the world
It's just the end of a world, that you had with one girl
And she's the reason it happened, but she's overreacting
And it's all because she don't want things to change

So cry if you need to, but I can't stay to watch you
That's the wrong thing to do
Touch if you need to, but I can't stay to hold you
That's the wrong thing to do

Talk if you need to, but I can't stay to hear you
That's the wrong thing to do
Cause you'll say you love me, and I'll end up lying
And say I love you too

But I need someone different
You know it, oh oh, you know it
Oh oh, you know it, we both know it
I need someone different
You know it, oh oh, you know it
Oh oh, you know it, we both know it
Something's been missing

You know it, oh oh, she knows it
Oh oh, I know it, we all know it
I need someone different

We live in a generation of, not being in love, and not being together
But we sure make it feel like we're together
Cause we're scared to see each other with somebody else

So cry if you need to, but I can't stay to watch you
That's the wrong thing to do
Touch if you need to, but I can't stay to hold you
That's the wrong thing to do
Talk if you need to, but I can't stay to hear you
That's the wrong thing to do
Cause you'll say you love me, and I'll end up lying
And say I love you too

But I need someone different
You know it, oh oh, you know it
Oh oh, you know it, we both know it

I need someone different
You know it, oh oh, you know it
Oh oh, you know it, we both know it
Something's been missing
You know it, oh oh, she knows it
Oh oh, I know it, we all know it

I need someone different

-Drake