Welcome to the Gunshow

In the past few months, the topic of gun control has been getting people around the country fired up. There are groups of people boycotting other groups of people, all sorts of legislation being proposed and shot down, and all sorts of media on the topic.

I was born and bred in Texas, but I have Yankee parents. It was a huge shock to me when I hit high school and realized 95% of my friends were part of households that owned guns. My parents do not and never have owned firearms. Nor do they plan on owning guns in the future. I've been to ranges before and had a ton of fun shooting! I'm not anti-gun, but I'm not pro-gun either. I'm pro-discussion. America has a problem with gun violence and it's time we took a serious look at our country and stop ignoring the problem. And as always, I don't think you should participate in the discussion unless you know the facts.

Here's some things you should know before you start spouting your beliefs:

• This isn't a democrats vs republicans thing. All over the country, you will find people from both ends of the political spectrum on both sides of the issue. Some high-profile examples of this are Gabby Giffords, former Republican Representative, who is calling for stricter gun laws and former Democratic Representative Joe Baca who is very supportive of the NRA. 
• There are examples in other countries/cultures of gun control working and examples in other countries/cultures of gun control failing. It's not a worthy argument to bring those up in defense of your side. NONE of those cultures are the same as America's culture. And there's plenty of examples showing opposite results. We won't know if gun control works in this culture unless we decide to try it.
• The ad the NRA put out attacking Obama for having gun-carrying agents protect his daughters is completely illogical. When we don't protect the First Family, we open ourselves up to terrible things happening (Terrorism is alive and well in the world). Before he was president, those girls did not have that protection (despite living in Chicago, the city with probably the most gun violence in America right now). EVERY president (Republican and Democrat) has the same protection.
• The second amendment (the right to bear arms) was adopted in  the 16th century, when technology was much different. Back then, guns weren't capable of firing as quickly as they are now. Colonists could probably fire a shot a minute. The second amendment also talks about why Americans should have the right to bear arms: to keep a well regulated militia. We have one of the best military in the world, so when people try to invoke the second amendment as a way of justifying civilian gun ownership, they're missing the point.
• If you're focusing just on mass shootings, you're also missing that gun violence occurs everyday in America. When the Sandy Hook shooting happened, it was a wake up call just by numbers alone, but you can't forget homicides, etc.
• There was an off-duty marine in the Aurora theater when that shooting happened. She did not have her gun on her but she said she wouldn't have shot anyway. She could have been mistaken as a second shooter or missed and created more victims in the chaos. Please don't say that having more citizens carry guns would eliminate mass shootings. You can find her story in the February 2013 issue of Glamor.
• There's several different pieces of federal legislation being debated right now. There is discussion on requiring a background check on all gun transactions. There's discussion on limiting magazine capacity for civilians. There's discussion on punishment for crimes involving guns.
• The United States has more guns per capita than any other country in the world (Time Magazine's January 28, 2013 issue has a lot of good information on this). Also, gun crimes have decreased in the US pretty steadily in the past 10 years.

Regardless of how you feel about guns, now is the time to have a discussion on it! Do your research, and then find legislation you want to support or kill (pun intended). But please don't go in without doing your research!

New Years vs Lent

Breaking bad habits is for New Years. Lent, however, is so much more. Lent is about spiritual growth.

Yes, giving up something is supposed to imitate Jesus fasting in the dessert for 40 days all while resisting temptation. But do you know what Jesus was doing while fasting? Check out Luke 4 or Matthew 4 for a moment.

Jesus had just been baptized. The Holy Spirit led him into the desert to fast. While he was there, he was praying. He was preparing for the work he had been given by his Heavenly Father. He was using the time to grow closer to God. He was fasting for clarity of mind and spirit. He wasn't alone in the wilderness, either. He was filled with the Holy Spirit. And after he resisted temptation, angels came and ministered to him. Moses and Elijah also both fasted for 40 days in preparation for great works for God (Exodus 24:18 and 1 Kings 19:8). They spent the time in prayer.

The idea of fasting or giving up a vice is about breaking attachments to material things and turning your focus instead towards God. This lenten season, think about what you're doing to grow closer to God, not what you're giving up. Instead of giving up, you could also think about taking something on.

I'm not saying your plan to give up chocolate/soda/fillintheblank is bad. What I am saying is that each time you are tempted to go back to that material thing, take a moment to pray or to read your Bible.  Faith needs to be tested to grow strong. My faith was tested when my brother died, but now I understand my faith better. Take a moment to think about how God provided for Jesus when he resisted temptation and remember that God will provide for all of your needs. When you are tempted, answer temptation with God's Word. Don't just rely on your own strength, rely on God to help you past the temptation.We need to know Scripture well enough to answer our doubts and fears and temptations with it. The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17).

This year for lent, I'm doing a daily devotional in an effort to spend more time immersed in the Word of God.

KT's Salsa

This recipe was created by me by sifting through lots of other people's recipes. It is a mild (but DELICIOUS) salsa. If you like a hotter version, add more chilli powder or a diced jalapeno.

Ingredients:

• 7 tomatoes, diced
• 3 bell peppers (I use one orange, one yellow, and one green), diced
• 1/2 of a large yellow onion, diced
• 2 T salt
• 2 T cumin
• 2 T chilli powder
• 1/4 C fresh cilantro, diced
• 1 T freshly minced garlic
• 1/2 C of vinegar

Simply mix the ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate for a sweet, chunky salsa. If you prefer to have a smoother salsa, puree or blend instead of dicing.

Snapshot

The SFA Alumni Association regularly does a snapshot of some Faculty or Staff member's office and then they get to tell you about their office. It ends up really capturing the essence of that person. Here's what you'll find in my office at any given point:

• At least one mug and one cup- I'm always drinking either hot tea or water
• At least 3 pairs of shoes- a pair of sandals for any work I'm doing in/on/around the pool, a pair of tennis shoes in case I need to do some heavy lifting/moving/handyman work, and a pair of dress(y) shoes
• An extra phone charger- it took my parents almost 12 hours to get a hold of me after they found out my brother had died. It's one of the few small grief things I have, but I MUST have my phone on and with me at all times. Serious nerves happen if I don't.
• Snackage- This girl loves to eat! Currently, my snack drawer contains Red Bull, Velveeta Instant Mac, and Trader Joe's nuts
• Tea- I have a stash of loose and bagged tea. If you need some, just drop by! Tea is my happy place. It calms me when I'm most stressed.
• Swim Suit / towel / goggles- Life Aquatics. 'Nough Said.
• Pictures- I have a trio right now: One of my parents, one of my sister, and one of my brother
• Name Tags- I have my name tag from every conference I've been to since my Sophomore year of college hanging together. It's something a few of my mentors did. I can look at the name tags and be reminded of past fun and of how far I've come since that first NIRSA conference I went to.

I'm noticing a theme. Apparently my life revolves around food, family, and fitness.

Also, check out this article about your office: http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/advisor/what-your-desk-says-about-you-001043491.html I have an organized desk and uncommon objects.

What NOT to do @ the Gym

I've spent the greater part of the past decade working at a gym of some sort. While fitness might not be my forte, I've picked up a lot along the way. This is a simple guide of what NOT to do when you're at the gym (Unless you want to be a complete and utter fool).

• Get on a treadmill, pump the incline all the way up, lean back & hang on! You're effectively negating the impact you think you're getting from the incline.
• Run on a treadmill while hanging on. Supporting your weight with your arms means you're not really running. It's the same as lying on your back and moving your legs. You could do that forever and you still wouldn't get your heart rate up. It might give your arms a little resistance training...
• Kiss/stare at/worship your muscles, meat head.
• Make faces/noises; if you have to make noises or faces, what you're doing is probably too hard for you and could therefore hurt you.
• Wear loafers/sandals/no shoes/Cowboy Boots. You're an idiot. You're not going to get the best workout and your risk for injury increases exponentially. Vibrams are fine. They at least provide a little grip.
• Wear jeans. rivets/buttons/zippers damage the pads on benches and equipment.
• Wear the same shoes you just trekked through the snow in. The salt and snow damages the equipment. 
• Wear cotton/street clothes/denim into the pool. Your clogging the filter, making it easier to drown yourself, and it doesn't hide the fat any better. Also, wearing your underwear in the pool adds fecal matter to the pool. You're gross.

Grief is a Class

"Our time on earth is a school. Grief is the toughest class we have to take." 

Grief is a teacher that has taught me many lessons. I can't say I'm glad of my grief, but I can look at who I was before, compare it to who I am now, and see the growth my grief pushed me through.

I learned to say no. No to the million and one activities that looked like they might be fun, no to the million and one little things people asked of me, no to things that other people thought were important. Grief forced me to prioritize what was important and what was not. I didn't have the energy to get through a long day so I learned what was really important to fit in each day.

I learned how to not care. Before B died, I was a living example of a conformist. I joined a sorority, thought I wanted to be an elementary school teacher, went to the church my parents wanted me to go to, and got all As. Grief gave me an excuse to not conform to every little rule. It didn't matter if I didn't fit in, B's death already assured me of that. Maybe this sounds negative, but it's not. I really get to be me. Every day. No mask, no trying too hard, no caring if someone doesn't like one little bit of me. I'm comfortable with who I am. It's a good feeling. In case you're wondering, I hate Gangnam style and I refuse to join google+ because I think it's stupid. And that is more than I could have said before my grief.

I learned about God. Before, I blindly believed every line any religious person had ever fed to me. And for a while I didn't know if I wanted to believe in God. Then, I was angry at God. Being angry with God was one of the best things I could have ever done. It really allowed me to have discussions with Him. I poured my heart out over the anger and He chose to heal my broken heart. My faith is so much more real now that I've been able to share my hurt and pain with Him.

I learned how to ask for help. I needed help getting through each day. I needed people to feed me so I would eat. I needed hugs to survive the overwhelming waves of grief. I had to forget my pride and ask for the help because people didn't know I needed if I didn't ask. I'm pretty self reliant at this point, but I'm not afraid to ask for help. I can and do.

I learned to read nonfiction. For a while, fiction was to happy/cliche/perfect. And it was painful to read that perfectness. There's some really good memoirs out there that have kept me company over the past few years.

I learned about life and death decisions. I don't think any of my friends know all the decisions that need to be made when someone dies. Now, I am an organ donor (My Driver's License says so). I've had that discussion with my family. We made that decision for my brother so I know what I want to do if the situation ever comes again. I know how much funerals and cremation, etc cost. I've learned how to tell people the bad news. I learned the things that are important in these decisions. When my parents die (hopefully I have them for another 40 years or so)I know how to handle death.

Grief also gave me courage. I will never be thankful for my grief because it meant losing Bryan but I am thankful for the growth it brought.