Quote

"Beauty is how you feel inside, and it reflects in your eyes. It is not something physical."
-Sophia Loren

Another one....

"God gave women intuition and femininity. Used properly, the combination easily jumbles the brain of any man I've ever met."
-Farrah Fawcett

Cute

Quote

"Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person's character lies in their own hands."
-Anne Frank

I really like this quote. I love my parents very much, and believe that they have done their best with raising my brothers and me!!

Anyone sick of Quotes yet?

"No matter where you live or how old you are, you can decide to change your life. That's amazing."
-Angelina Jolie

The N-Word

Personally, I have never been fond of the word. In fact, I can flat out say that even hearing it makes me upset and uncomfortable. This word was used in a derogatory form when slaveowners were refering to or disciplining their African slaves. The word is visciously hostile, and is only acceptable for other African Americans to use it. But I don't agree with the acceptablity of the usage of the word by anyone. If African Americans can use the word, the word is just going to stay in the English language. I love the idea of burying the word forever. I never want my children (or any child) to be exposed to this word, or the prejudice and deep history of hatred that is attatched with this word.

Last week, the NAACP held a funeral for the word. The funeral was completely symbolic, and has done what it was meant to do-spark conversation. The word could never be outlawed, because of the wonderful first amendment to our Constitution, but awareness of the issue, may help to make people think before they speak. While I would never advocate taking away the freedom of speech, I do believe many people abuse the freedom.

This weekend I was made aware of the prejudice and ugliness of the word even more than ever before. My best friend's boyfriend is African American. He is a very great guy, and it really doesn't matter what color he is. They have a child, who is my Godson, and I love him to death. A friend of mine asked me this weekend how my friend and her son were doing, and as I was speaking, a guy that I graduated with butt in an interrupted me and said, "Yeah but he's a N*****." Like this guy shouldn't care or listen to me because of the color of his skin. I blew up upon hearing that. I usually can keep my cool, even if something someone says bothers me, but when you talk about someone whom I love dearly, then you will get an earfull. I honestly will never look at this person the same way, and I was personally offended by the comment. This little boy is not even two and he's already being discriminated against because of the color of his skin.

Today's Quote

"It's not what you do once in a while, it's what you do day in and day out that makes a difference."
-Jenny Craig

I've been thinking about this quote all morning! I guess it really says something about something that sticks with you all day!

New Quote

"Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance. Great dancers are not great because of their technique; they are great because of their passion."
-Martha Graham

Today's Quote

"Life is short, and it is up to you to make it sweet."
-Sarah Louise Delany

Quote

"Change your life today. Don't gamble on the future, act now, without delay."
-Simone de Beauvoir

I love quotes!

Here's today's quote:

"Your dreams, your desires, are not too big for you!" Regina Thomashauer

You can learn a lot about life from quotes! They really make me sit back and thing. They make me not worry about petty things in my life, because the whole picture is so much greater than the small, minute thing I'm worrying about now. They inspire me to achieve the best me that I can! Enjoy!

2 Quotes of the Day

Well this morning when I looked at my calendar, I really liked the quote from yesterday and today's quote as well. So I am going to have to post them both!!

"Dedicate yourself to the good you deserve and desire for yourself. Give yourself peace of mind. You deserve to be happy. You deserve delight." Hannah Arendt

"Life loves the liver of it!" Maya Angelou

Happy 4th of July!!

Yesterday, for the 4th, Josh and I went back to Perham, MN to celebrate the 4th at his familie's cabin on Little McDonald Lake. We really couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day for the 4th. It was a little warm, but it was a perfect day to hang out at the lake and go swimming! A lot of the family went tubing behind the boat, but I don't really care for that! So I laid in the sun and went swimming. It was just a great day to spend with Josh's family. We came back to Grand Forks that night, so we spent probably 5 hours driving yesterday (2 1/2 each way). We got back to Grand Forks about 8. About 9:30 we headed downtown to watch the fireworks. We totally forgot to use bug spray before we left, so the bugs made us a bit miserable. The fireworks started a little earlier than they were suppose too, and they also ended quicker then they were suppose to. I suppose that's because of the storm that started rolling in during the display! So that was too bad! A lot of kids were sad when their parents were pulling them to the car while the fireworks were shooting off! So now we are back to work for two days, and then back home for the weekend! This weekend is the summer celebration in Menahga, and the band October Road will be performing at the street dance on Saturday night. Josh and I saw October Road on Tuesday night this week downtown Grand Forks for Party on the 3rd!! I hope everyone had a great 4th!!

Quote of the Day

I have a calendar on my desk full of wonderfurl quotes. It's called "Words of Wisdom for Women." I figured I would start to make a daily quote effort on my blog!
So heres the quote of the day:

"The great trick in diplomacy is to make some unwitting man think your idea is his idea. Women have been doing that all their lives." Clare Boothe Luce

Update on My Internship

So for the past month I have been a full-time employee of the City of Grand Forks. I was really nervous before I started, because I didn't want to hate it and be confused about my major (and the past three years I have just spent trying to get to where I am). Well turns out I LOVE my job! I actually got passed up for the first internship opportunity in this department, but I couldn't be happier now when I see what the other intern is working on versus myself. I was originally told that I would be working on a "downtown parking issue," but so far I have done way more than just that project! My first day I worked on researching the downtown parking in Grand Forks. By the second day I was going to meetings down at the mayor's office for a neighborhood project. I have gone to a bunch of meetings, and have had the opportunity to meet a lot of new people. I love meeting new people, and these days great jobs are all about networking and who you know! I would much rather be out and about meeting new people than sitting around reading about one issue, like the other intern. I am currently working on about 5 or 6 different projects, and I honestly couldn't be happier. Then this last Friday the director comes into my office, and tells me that he's very impressed by me thusfar. He goes on about how I am taking on many more duties than most interns do, and I resemble more of a city employee than any other intern. He says that when I'm done with my internship, I will have more experience working in a city government than any other intern that has worked with this department. He also says that he would hire me in a minute, and he's not sure what I will be doing after this summer and after school, but he'd be very interested in hiring me for a permanent position in this department. He did tell me that he can't promise anything, because it's the city government and, ultimately, doesnt have the final say in the matter, but he will work hard to do what he can. Either way, it was a HUGE confidence booster, and I was just beaming all day! I am very proud that someone notices the hard work that I put in! It's really nice to be noticed and appreciated!

So now to the question...what do I want to do after I graduate? Well this is a question that I have been pondering a lot lately. If you were to ask me this a year ago, I could've, without hesitation, told you that I would be looking for a job back towards home. Now, I'm not so sure. I am sure that I do want to settle into a small town...eventually, and that I want that small town to be close to me parents and friends and family...eventually. But what if it's not such a bad idea to get a few years under my belt here? Grand Forks is a booming city, and I really enjoy the department that I am working in now. If I were to take this job, then I don't have to stress about not being able to find a job once I graduate. Josh and I have really been talking about this a lot lately. He thinks it's a great idea to stay for a few more years. This way we both can have a few years experience. He is hoping to climb up the ladder a bit to a supervisory position, so that when we eventually move, there will be more opportunities for him as well. He also has been thinking about going back to school. He has a year under his belt from Alexandria for engineering/drafting. There are a lot of job opporunities for that kind of work right now, and I really have been pushing for him to go back to school. He just isn't sure he wants a desk job. WOW this is a long blog!! I'll stop for now....