Chick fil a: Oooh The Drama

I was going to stay out of this whole Chick fil a business, mostly because I couldn't find the right words to explain how I felt about it. But then I read this quote from Rick Warren:

"Our culture has accepted two huge lies: The first is that if you disagree with someone's lifestyle, you must fear them or hate them. The second is that to love someone means you agree with everything they believe or do. Both are nonsense. You don't have to compromise convictions to be compassionate."

Now Rick Warren was not talking about the gay marriage issue when he said this, but I feel like it applies all across the board. Why does everything have to get so nasty....just because you don't believe what someone else believes. And people on both sides of the issue are guilty, I have seen and heard things from both sides that make me shake my head. As Christians I believe our number one priority to other human beings is to love them! Counting other people's sins does NOT make you a saint. Jesus didn't shun and judge people...as a matter of fact he would be the first one to love the most unloveable.

I think Dan Cathy the CEO of Chick fil a had every right to say what he said, because that is the beauty of living in a free nation. I also have many Gay and Lesbian friends who I love dearly, and I never want to see them hurt by anyone or anything. BUT, what I find interesting is that Cathy also said "and we are married to our first wives" and supporting the "Traditional family", and NOBODY took that as a dig at divorce!? You want to know why? Because divorce is so culturally accepted now days, and so many Christians are divorced so nobody wants to make it an issue. Because if we are going to get all biblical let me tell you what almost ALL of us are living in sin...Not just gay people. If you are divorced and married again...in Gods eyes you are committing adultery. If you are living with/having sex with your boyfriend or girlfriend before marriage you are living in sin...And the list goes on and on. Please understand that I am not judging...I'm just trying to put things in perspective. Because you know what at the end of my life the only person I'm going to have to answer to God about is myself.

Look I am by no means perfect and there are many many things I need to work on within myself, but I do know how to love people and how to agree to disagree. Trust me it's a lot easier to love people for who and what they are than to try to change them. So stop trying to rank sins and realize that we are all on the same level of sucking at being the people we need to be!

Happy Birthday America...I Bleed Red, White, & Blue!!!

Let me begin by saying...I FREAKIN LOVE AMERICA!!! Besides Christmas America's birthday is my favorite holiday! I was born a patriot...I bleed Red, White, & Blue and I can prove it. It started at a very early age. I was and am to this day OBSESSED with the Statue of Liberty. True story...for my 5th birthday I requested a Statue of Liberty birthday cake, and got it along with Lady Liberty earrings.

 I finally got to meet her a few years ago, and you know how you build things up in your mind but when you finally come face to face with it it's kind of a let down...This was not the case! The Statue of Liberty was just as majestic as I thought she would be! It was A-MAZ-ING!!!

One of the highlights of my life!!

America!!!

But anyway my favorite song as a child was God Bless The USA by Lee Greenwood, and remains a favorite to this day. I also remember my parents letting me stay home from school so I could watch President Reagan leave office...I cried...I was 7! And I swear saying the pledge of allegiance was one of the highlights of my school day. My parents probably thought I was either a very strange child or I was going to be president one day (which I still haven't ruled out).

Now present day : I still get chills EVERY time I hear the National Anthem (Unless someone is murdering it). Whitney Houston's Super XXV rendition of the Anthem is hands down my favorite...Don't worry I have it downloaded on my IPod! Nobody ever has or ever will do it like Whitney. And I wish I could take a leave of absence during the Olympics so I could watch all day and all night. I can hardly handle all the patriotism and USA chanting. And when an American is on top of that podium, they start lowering our flag, and the Star Spangled Banner starts to play I cry every single time. I never forget how blessed I am to live in a country that is free! And I never stop being thankful for those who have fought and those who have died to keep it that way! "Those who won our independence believed liberty to be the secret of happiness and courage to be the secret of liberty." -Louis D. Brandeis

I really wanted to post this yesterday obviously, but I was too busy celebrating America's awesomeness. We had an All-American throw down. It was epic...here are some highlights:

                                               My famous jello shot mold...Its awesome!!!

Livin the dream...'Merica

Our parties come complete with man candy

Magic Mike Mania

So I've been seeing a lot of condemning posting on Facebook about Magic Mike and 50 Shades of Grey. Now I haven't seen or read either...yet! But I've had to hold my tongue (so to speak) several times over the past week, but tonight as I am trying to go to sleep I can't stop thinking about it. Ok now I'm not sayin that Magic Mike and 50 Shades of Grey are wholesome things that you need to read/watch, but I feel like everybody needs to lighten up! I mean let's be honest 95% of movies/TV shows that are rated PG13 and up are trash and almost all  have at least one sex scene. So that leads me to ask the question...Why are people so fired up about these two particular things??? You know what I think the answer is? Because Magic Mike and 50 Shades of Grey are geared directly to women. Sexism lives on people. I mean most of the movies/TV shows these days are made to stimulate men visually. Think about how many sets of boobs do you see in the average show/movie. Now think about how many male body parts you see in the average show/movie. Boobs win by a landslide...am I right? I just find it ridiculous that in 2012 people still hold women to different standards than men.  Everybody needs to get a grip!

Daddy Issues

Father's day...where to begin??? For a lot of people Father's day is a happy day that they spend honoring and hanging out with their #1 Dad. For others it can be a really sad day...some have lost their fathers, some have never met theirs, and others are estranged. For me it's the latter, and sadly it's a common tale. Parents divorce...Dad remarries younger woman...Dads new wife doesn't get along with children...Dad chooses new family over old one. The purpose of this post is not to bash my dad...I still love him and have forgiven him for his shortcomings. The purpose is to share what I've learned from it... "At some point, you have to realize that some people can stay in your heart but not in your life." Because I am a "fixer" I spent many years fighting for our relationship, shed many tears, and endured  lots of heartbreak then...it hit me! If he wasn't fighting for me or our relationship, and if I wasn't important enough to him for him to fight for then what was I fighting for really? So, I just stopped fighting and prayed for peace and the ability to forgive. I got it...eventually. And for the first time in my life I learned to just let it go. That doesn't mean that I don't still get sad about it, but I have accepted that it is what it is. And the situation with my father forever changed me and how I handle my other relationships whether it be friends or family.   If a relationship of any kind is more trouble than it's worth, or if the person/people are constantly causing strife or drama in my life...I cut them loose! Basically if you aren't bringing anything to the table and I'm the one doing all the giving and loving...I don't need you in my life. It doesnt mean that I stop loving or caring about them, but I am determined to never let anyone steal my joy ever again. To get up each morning with the resolve to be happy…is to set our own conditions to the events of each day. To do this is to condition circumstances instead of being conditioned by them.--Ralph Waldo Emerson

Pants On The Ground!!!

Ok so last week Hinds County Supervisor Kenneth Stokes proposed a city ordinance to require young men to pull up their saggy pants. And while I agree that "bustin a sag" looks ridiculous, and I can't begin to understand why anyone would purposefully walk around with their underwear hanging out...last time I checked America is still the land of the free! Also I  feel like Jackson has bigger fish to fry!!! Like solving murder cases, protecting their citizens, revitalizing the city, fixing their water pipes, repaving the hot mess that is Fortification Street, and the list goes on and on and on! And that's just what I can think of right off the top of my head, but it's more than enough to keep them busy! JPD and other city leaders have plenty of more important things to do than run around writting tickets for fashion violations...They need to leave that to Joan and the fashion police!

But, as long as we are writing tickets for offensive attire around the Metro Jackon area I have a few offenders I would like to add to the "Most Wanted" list!

 #1 Tights as pants- If I've said it once I've said it 1,000 times...Tights are NOT pants!!! If you are wearing tights for the love of God please wear a shirt/dress that covers your entire butt!!!

 #2 Crocs- I can't even deal with crocs! They look ridiculous, and no one should wear them for any reason! Also, if you wear them with socks you deserve a double fine!

#3 Showing Your Thong- I feel like this is the female version of "bustin a sag"! Its gross and its trashy...STOP IT! Male/Female/White/Black/Hispanic/Asian I do NOT want to have to see your underwear against my will!!! 

#4 Too Much Cleavage- As a "busty" girl I get that it can be difficult to reign the girls in, but it can be done! If you are walking around lookin like you have an ass on your chest...Its too much!!! Put them away, and leave a little more to the imagination than a nip!

#5 Guys In Skinny Jeans- For no other reason than the fact that I hate them!!!

My point is while we may not like or agree with some people's fashion descisions...This is America! And you can dress however you want as long as your "business" is covered of course! Soooo in closing I think Mr Stokes and Hinds County should worry bout self!

No Rules..Just The Way I Like It

Well, I guess I should start by introducing myself. My name is Lori, and I
have a BIG mouth! It has gotten me into trouble, and it has gotten me out
of trouble my whole life...It's a blessing and a curse. Here's the thing
about me...I say what everyone else is thinking, I'm the friend that will
tell you the truth whether you want to hear it or not, and I do not sugar
coat!

I'm a hairstylist in Jackson. I am 30, single, and no one can say I don't
live life to the fullest! I have a great life, and I LOVE my job!!! It's
like they say..."Find a job you love, and you"ll never work another day in
your life". Okay some days its like work, but most days I just feel super
blessed that I get to hang out with my friends all day and do really cool
stuff!

My mom, sister, and grandmother are my rocks! We are your typical southern
women...Strong, loud, and proud! We drive each other crazy on a regular
basis...We fight hard and love harder. We are all very different, but I
feel like that keeps things interesting.

The thing is late at night when everyone is sleeping...I'm thinking! I
can't help it, and I can't turn it off. By it I mean my brain! So, thats
why I decided to start writing this blog. I need an outlet for all these
random thoughts that swirl through my head after midnight...for instance
right now it is 2 am and I can't go to sleep because I am thinking about
my first blog post. I feel like maybe, just maybe if I can get these
thoughts/ideas down on paper, so to speak, my brain will leave me alone
long enough to go to sleep!  Soooo, basically that's what you can expect
from this blog...random...lots and lots of random. There is no theme, no
rules, no rhyme, and no reason! I have no idea what my next post will be
about, but I'm sure it will come to me sometime after midnight while y'all
are sleepin!