some cheap inspiration . . .
hey everyone :) i apologize for the neglect. if i was being investigated by child services i would definitely be found guilty. :) hehe sorry about my humor-- it's been a long week. :) i just found this quote recently and it really hit home for me-- you know i HAD to share it with you all.

"To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

have a safe and blessed halloween weekend!!! :)
karen
- posted by Karen @ 7:36 PM

 
i almost forgot about you!!! :)
" To be what we are, and to BECOME WHAT WE ARE CAPABLE OF BECOMING, is the only end of life."
-Baruch Spinoza

hello everyone :) welcome back to a brand new, beautiful, inspiring new school year :) (can you tell that i am graduating this year? :) hehe) life is certainly moving at a rapid pace-- it seems that every minute is already accounted for-- but it is the life that i have sought out and accepted. i am happy :) may you all be happy this year, accept and exceed the expectations put on you (by yourself and others), do great things for yourself and other people, and first and foremost-- keep God at the forefront of your life. blog you soon!!!
karen :)
- posted by Karen @ 4:10 PM

 
summer days, . . . .
... make me feel fine :) hello everyone :) i just wanted to drop a quick blog for yall. summer has definitely arrived and i am currently embracing the relaxation, friends, sunshine :), and good times that it brings with it. :) this is my last summer break ever (crazy, absolutely and positively WOW on that one :)) so i am planning on making the most of it. some friends of mine are choosing to spend the summer interning (one friend is currently on capitol hill interning through georgetown), some others are deciding to spend the summer in service (another friend of mine is currently helping in the emergency department in capetown, south africa). i am planning to spend the summer mainly on the homefront (take a dance class, weekend job, planning for my new apartment, planning the year for my fraternity seeing as i am now president :), sewing, reading, planning/prepping yada yada yada :)) my point-- whatever you choose to use your summer for, just make sure you are USING it and not just existing in it. . . . . it's a gorgeous day in this wonderful world that God has created for you, don't let his efforts go to waste :)
karen :)
- posted by Karen @ 9:57 AM

 
walking down that aisle again, . . .
this year, like so many others before it, has drawn to a close. you may look back on it fondly, or maybe with a little regret, but no matter who you are a rush of emotions are no doubt stirring inside you right now. i hope that it has been a year of hard work and fulfilling your goals, and that you are looking to your future with excitement. you did it! (whatever that hurdle may be for you, i.e. graduation, your sophomore year, or even your 13th year at a job :)) congratulations especially to the graduates and God's blessings on your future, whether that's college, a job, or what have you. know that there is nothing you cannot accomplish with the help of the Lord and the willingness to act according to His plans. go out there and show this world what you can do!!!
karen :)
p.s. i may stop for the summer but i will be back to blog you next year :) keep on keepin on :)

"Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there."
~ Will Rogers



- posted by Karen @ 3:04 PM

 
"There are no conditions to which a man cannot become accustomed."- Leo Tolstoy

so true, . . . i mean, how many people that you know LOVE to play the victim at one point or another? everyone i bet. it's easy, it makes us feel good (strange when you think about it), and you know what?-- it also gets old real fast. to hear and to say, at some point it takes a toxic effect. i just wanted to remind you (and myself, believe me, i can whine with the best of them :)) to check what we are conversing about (or sulking about :)) and that it is in our power to either change our circumstances or to be content with them (if this helps you, it truly can always be worse, . . . examine all the good things that you may often take for granted in your life-- like food, shelter, health, education, etc :)). that's right, you too can be a happy person! i know it may come as a shock but spread the word-- you don't have to be the victim! :)
later on, . . .
karen :)
- posted by Karen @ 5:16 PM

 
"Our future and our fate lie in our wills more than our hands, for in our hands are but the instruments of our wills." - B.C. Forbes

hey all :) i am sorry i have been so remise about my blogging duties, shame on me. :) i just wanted to throw a little inspiration everyone's way. now is an exciting time, that's right, exciting. i am talking about life-changing exciting, . . . . you guessed it, graduation. :) i know that high school in general is a roller coaster, but there's nothing like people pressuring you to "do something with your life", assignments, college deadlines, jobs, . . . . .ugh, you clearly know what i am talking about. my suggestion to you is to DO IT!!!! go for it, because if you get caught up and decide to opt out of the process because it seems like a headache now, . . trust me, it'll mean heartache later. cheesy, absolutely, but it's so true. make a goal for yourself (heck, make it a BIG one :) you CAN do it :)), make a plan to get there, and just take it one step at a time. you may need to tell people to back off from time to time if they're trying to get up in your plans (parents/authority figures often mean well, but they are also some of the biggest offenders in this area, . . someday they'll get it :)), but most importantly, . . . . show this world and all those unbelievers out there that YOU ARE A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH!!! finish this year with a bang guys, it all starts with you :) . . . .

rock on,
karen :)

"Every failure made me more confident. Because I wanted even more to achieve things, as revenge. To show that I could."- Roman Polanski (1933-, film director)
- posted by Karen @ 8:50 PM

 
"I don't feel good." - the last words of Luther Burbank (1849-1926)

ok, so that has absolutely NOTHING to do with what i want to say today but hey, isn't a funny quote? :) hehe i thought you'd appreciate it. :) today's little blurb is about treating EVERYONE with respect, even if they happen to be mentally disabled/unbalanced. those with mental illness have been at the butt of society's jokes throughout mankind's existence (it's even made it's way into a regular character on "south park") and those affected are often looked at as the bottomfeeders of society. i am currently in my mental health nursing rotation in the hospital and my eyes have recently been opened to this issue (among many other things :)). it is truly a disease, except in this case it's a malfunction in their brain rather than another more socially acceptable organ like their heart, liver, etc. it is non-discriminatory and can affect people of any age, race, social background, etc. as members of the human race we have a connection to these people and need to always be mindful of this fact. what would you do if this happened to your child (it's often no one's FAULT)? or if in 10 years you started hearing voices and ended up in a mental facility for a while? newsflash, it could happen. just some things to think about next time you laugh at a cruel joke or look at someone like lepor for being a little different. they deserve as much respect as you do, . . . give it to them.
karen :)
- posted by Karen @ 3:02 PM